Jacksonville Mayor Pushes Back as City Council Clashes Over Free Jaguars Tickets for Officials
The Debate Over Who Controls Jaguars Tickets
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has weighed in on a growing debate inside city hall over whether elected officials should continue receiving free tickets to Jaguars games and who has the authority to distribute them.
Under the current policy, the mayor’s office holds the responsibility of distributing complimentary Jaguars tickets to city council members as well as to those working within the mayor’s administration. That arrangement is now being questioned after city councilmember Ron Salem filed a bill seeking to give both the mayor’s office and the council a shared role in deciding how the tickets are handed out each year.
A Push to End the Perk Entirely
In response to Salem’s proposal, City Council President Kevin Carrico released a statement announcing he is preparing his own legislation. Rather than splitting responsibility, Carrico wants to end the practice altogether by eliminating free Jaguars tickets for elected officials. He even gave the measure a symbolic name, the DEEGAN Amendment, which stands for Denying Elected Elites Gameday Access Nonsense.
Carrico explained that the amendment would put a stop to taxpayer-funded perks. He urged Mayor Deegan to support the measure as proof of her commitment to residents over political benefits.
Mayor Deegan’s Reaction
Mayor Deegan expressed that she sees bigger priorities ahead of city leaders.
“There are so many important issues for us to deal with. I say we dispense with this and move on to those important things,” she said.
In a separate statement following Carrico’s remarks, Deegan added that she was not the one asking for additional tickets.
“While I’m flattered this amendment was named after me, I’m not the one asking for more tickets. I’ve been a Jaguars season ticket holder for decades. I’d be happy to return to my longstanding north end zone seats, which I still pay for. If the City Council wants to update the ticket system that has been in place for many years before I took office, I’m all for it.”
Looking Beyond Jaguars Games
The mayor also suggested that any new rules should not focus only on Jaguars tickets but extend to all city venue tickets.
“Council seemed to want to change that policy. And then now they want to change to a different policy,” she said. “But at the end of the day, I think that if we’re going to do it for Jaguar tickets, we should do it for all city venue tickets.”
What Comes Next
Councilmember Ron Salem’s bill is already moving through committees and is expected to be heard again next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Council President Carrico stated that his own bill will be filed within the coming days.
As the debate unfolds, the city’s elected officials face a choice between preserving a long-standing perk, reshaping the system, or eliminating it entirely—while residents look on to see whether leaders prioritize policy or perks.