Florida GOP files election complaint against Donna Deegan launch ad

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan has been a candidate for re-election for just a day, but her campaign is already drawing election complaints for an ad released upon launch.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) objects to a spot released at the same time she opened her campaign account Thursday. They allege the ad required illegal contributions and expenditures to produce, since there was no account to fund them yet, running afoul of Chapter 106, Florida Statutes.

“Donna Deegan started her re-election campaign the same way she’s failed to lead Jacksonville — lawless, reckless, and completely out of touch,” said RPOF Chair Evan Power.

The RPOF suggests conflation of public resources and electioneering, as it cites the “polished, multi-minute video featuring staged footage of Deegan — including scenes filmed in her downtown office — along with testimonials, edited news clips, and multiple filming locations across Jacksonville.”

It’s all part of a larger narrative, according to party leadership.

“For Donna Deegan, this is a pattern,” Power continued. “Whether it’s keeping a gun registry, undermining immigration enforcement, or now ignoring election law, she has repeatedly treated the law as optional. Meanwhile, Jacksonville families are paying the price — with a bloated city budget, rising property taxes, doubled garbage fees, and rising utility rates.”

The RPOF believes the matter should be investigated by the Florida Elections Commission, which has oversight authority in this matter.

Deegan’s political operation already had at least one incident of unaccounted spending months back.

Issues polling was conducted by JacksonvilleStudies.com, which claimed an address at a UPS store in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of northwest Washington, D.C., just blocks from Malcolm X Park. The site now is associated with a company called Pollus. There is nothing in the records of Deegan’s “Duval for All” political committee addressing the expenditure, and we were unable to get comment when it happened.

We are reaching out to Deegan’s political team to find out how the ad released this week was financed, and will update if we receive a response.