The 4th Circuit State Attorney’s Office says that while Jacksonville officials were guilty of “poor communication” regarding a registry of people carrying guns into City Hall and the Yates Building, there is no ground for criminal charges related to the practice.

“The logbook incident stemmed from poor communication and a lack of legal review — not from deliberate misconduct. Once identified, the City acted responsibly to end the practice, cooperated fully with investigators, and implemented corrective measures,” the investigative memo released New Year’s Eve said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and others have pilloried the gun registry as a violation of constitutional rights by the Donna Deegan administration. The “Check Points and Perimeter Security” memo from Facility Manager Mike Soto was drafted June 30, 2023, during the transition between the outgoing Lenny Curry administration and Deegan’s incoming group. It was revised in July after Deegan was sworn in.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s Office notes that the city “stopped the practice immediately once it was discovered,” but not before “more than 140 entries recording the names, birthdates, ID numbers, and firearm types of over 100 individuals” were memorialized.

In the course of the investigation, the State Attorney’s Office issued subpoenas to Roy Birbal, former public safety chief Lakeisha Burton, Chief Administrative Officer Karen Bowling, Steven Long, Pat McCollough, Kelli O’Leary, former acting General Counsel Bob Rhodes, Facilities Manager Mike Soto, and former city lawyer and current City Council lawyer Jason Teal.

The SAO concluded that “sanctions only apply when a registry is created ‘knowingly and willfully.’” The Public Works manager who created the registry did so because “he wanted data about how many people carried firearms into City buildings — believing it would improve preparedness in case of an emergency, not realizing it created a legal problem.”

Indeed, the General Counsel and senior officials in the administration did not review the practice that was in place for nearly two years.

Florida Statutes 790.335 bans registries under threat of criminal and civil penalties, including potential “felony of the third degree” charges and “a fine of not more than $5 million” via a civil action from the Attorney General. But the SAO’s conclusion that no crime was committed insulates the administration and its members from any such sanction.

“The City of Jacksonville fully cooperated with State Attorney Nelson and her office from start to finish, and we thank them for conducting a careful and thorough review,” read a statement from a Deegan administration spokesperson.

“They confirmed that the policy in question was implemented by an individual employee concerned with building security unbeknownst to Mayor Deegan or her leadership team. This practice immediately ended when it was brought to the administration’s attention. Jacksonville will always follow the law and support constitutionally protected rights.”

After the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York City, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue to usher in 2026 and kick off months of celebrations for the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.

The patriotic touches at this year’s Times Square gathering, including a second confetti drop, will offer an early glimpse of what’s ahead: hundreds of events and programs, big and small, planned nationwide to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

“I’m telling you right now, whatever you’re imagining, it’s going to be much more than that,” said America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who oversees the bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2016 to organize the semiquincentennial anniversary. “It’s going to be one for the ages, the most inspirational celebration this country and maybe the world has ever seen.”

Rios and her group worked with the Times Square Alliance business district and One Times Square, the building from where the ball is dropped, to make the changes to this year’s ceremonies. They’re also planning a second ball drop event on July 3, the eve of the nation’s birthday, “in the same beautiful style that Times Square knows how to do it,” Rios said.

It will mark the first time in 120 years there will be a ball drop in Times Square that doesn’t occur on New Year’s Eve, she said.

A New Year’s Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907. Built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, the 700-pound (318-kilogram), 5-foot- (1.5-meter-) diameter ball was made of iron and wood and featured 100 25-watt light bulbs. Last year, the Constellation Ball, the ninth and largest version, was unveiled. It measured about 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms).

The only years when no ball drop occurred were 1942 and 1943, when the city instituted a nightly “dimout” during World War II to protect itself from attacks. Crowds instead celebrated the new year with a moment of silence followed by chimes rung from the base of One Times Square.

This year, the stroke of midnight will also mark the official launch of America Gives, a national service initiative created by America250. Organizers hope to make 2026 the largest year of volunteer hours ever aggregated in the country.

On the following day, America250 will participate in the New Years Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, with a float themed “Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years.” It will feature three larger-than-life bald eagles representing the country’s past, present and future.

“We want to ring in this new year from sea to shining sea. What better way to think about it than going from New York to California,” Rios said. “This has to be community-driven, this has be grassroots. We’re going from Guam to Alaska, from Fairbanks to Philadelphia, and everything in between.”

President Donald Trump has also announced the “Freedom 250” initiative to coordinate additional events for the 250th anniversary.

Rios said she sees the wide range of celebrations and programs planned for the coming months, from large fireworks displays and statewide potluck suppers to student contests and citizen oral histories, as an opportunity to unite a politically divided nation.

“If we can find something for everyone … having those menus of options that people can pick and choose how they want to participate,” she said. “That’s how we’re going to get to engaging 350 million Americans.”

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.

President Donald Trump has vetoed a bipartisan bill calling for safeguarding the Osceola Camp in South Florida from flooding.

In a veto message, he cited the Miccosukee Tribe’s position on immigration after the Tribe sued earlier this year over Alligator Alcatraz. Trump also characterized the legislation as a misguided pursuit started under Democratic President Joe Biden.

“The previous administration developed a plan to protect and replace unauthorized infrastructure at the Osceola Camp, which could cost up to $14 million. But despite seeking funding and special treatment from the Federal Government, the Miccosukee Tribe has actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected,” reads a statement from Trump.

“My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding projects for special interests, especially those that are unaligned with my Administration’s policy of removing violent criminal illegal aliens from the country.  Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation.”

The action killed a bill (HR 504) sponsored by U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican. The legislation passed in the House on a voice vote in July before being approved in the Senate through unanimous consent. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican, had sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.

Florida Politics has reached out to Giménez for comment about the veto.

In July, he spoke on the floor about the bill before it passed.

“This bipartisan legislation ensures that the Miccosukee Tribe has the legal authority to manage, protect and preserve their land — and continue their traditional way of life,” he said.

The bill would have amended the Miccosukee Reserved Area act to include the Osceola Camp, an inhabited tribal village located in the Everglades. As approved, the legislation would have directed the Interior Department to consult with the Miccosukee Tribe on the best ways to protect structures from flooding events.

“The Osceola Camp is not only home to tribal members, but it is also a site of historical and cultural importance. Including this land in the reserved area will empower the tribe to protect their community, manage water flow into Everglades national park, and raise structures within the Camp to prevent catastrophic flooding,” Giménez said on the floor.

“The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the continental United States, and one of the most unique ecosystems on the planet. For generations, the Miccosukee Tribe has served as a responsible steward of the fragile environment. Their leadership in conservation, water management and environmental protection has helped preserve the natural beauty, biodiversity and the cultural heritage of South Florida.”

But Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home sits less than a two-hour drive from Osceola Camp, said the bill would offer unwarranted special treatment to the Tribe.

“This principle carries especially heavy weight here; it is not the Federal Government’s responsibility to pay to fix problems in an area that the Tribe has never been authorized to occupy,” he said. “For these reasons, I cannot support the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act.”

The Miccosukee Tribe has not released a statement about the veto on social media.

Earlier this year, Miccosukee Tribe Chair Talbert Cypress legally challenged the opening of the Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention center in the Everglades. That resulted in a temporary halt of work there, though an appellate court overturned that decision in September.

“This is not the first fight for our land and our rights,” Cypress said in a statement in the Fall. “The Miccosukee Tribe remains steadfast in our commitment to protect our ancestral lands in Big Cypress from development as a permanent detention center. … We will always stand up for our culture, our sovereignty, and for the Everglades. When it comes to our homeland, there is no compromise.”