JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Many Jacksonville city leaders told Action News Jax Tuesday a $5 million lawsuit filed by Florida\u2019s attorney general is unfair to taxpayers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lawsuit at this time is at best premature,\u201d said Councilman Rahman Johnson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair; I don\u2019t think it\u2019s proportional,\u201d said Councilman Matt Carlucci.<\/p>\n
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the 11-page lawsuit against the city of Jacksonville Tuesday in a video posted to X.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are requesting judgement against the city of Jacksonville for $5 million,\u201d he said in the video.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit claims a law enacted in 2004 prohibited the creation and maintenance of lists, records, or registries of firearms or their owners. It goes on to say logbooks in the city of Jacksonville for city buildings were compiled and maintained with the knowledge or complicity of city management.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis started under the last administration, and this administration wasn\u2019t doing it with any malice or intent,\u201d said Councilman Jimmy Peluso.<\/p>\n
In December of last year, we told you investigators concluded that the logbook incident stemmed from poor communication and a lack of legal review, not deliberate misconduct.<\/p>\n
The investigation also stated that the directive was never reviewed or approved by \u201cany senior official in either the Curry or Deegan administrations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, the state says it was approved by the city\u2019s deputy chief administrative officer, a curry appointee who served in the Deegan administration for its first few weeks. <\/p>\n
“It would strain the city\u2019s finances. And if this guy really cared about, you know, protecting the taxpayer, he wouldn\u2019t do this the way he is,” said councilman Jimmy Peluso.<\/p>\n
City councilman Rory Diamond says he stands by the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely support the law. I think it\u2019s tragic that Jacksonville is running into this and the court of law is going to decide whether we violated it, but it sure looks like it to me,\u201d said councilman Diamond.<\/p>\n
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