JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said on Wednesday that changes will be implemented to enhance security at City Hall following the arrests of three people during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Deegan’s announcement comes after a man, who was among the three people arrested, was charged with a felony of carrying a concealed weapon after police said he was carrying a pocket knife during the disturbance inside the Council chambers.
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Deegan said her office has directed First Coast Security to train its officers on this style of concealed weapon and to conduct extra inspections of all personal items.
Read the mayor’s full statement below:
“We all have freedom of speech. The time to exercise that right is during the public comment period of City Council meetings. The words we choose matter. Civil discourse should be just that. Civil. If we truly want to solve problems, we have to find a way to speak respectfully to each other.
A small “credit card” knife went undetected in a wallet during the standard security screening process for last night’s City Council meeting. Moving forward, we have directed First Coast Security to train their officers on this style of concealed weapon, and to conduct extra inspections of all personal items going into the Council Chambers.
We are also conducting a full security review for City Hall – including potential equipment upgrades, staffing changes, and vendor options – as we get closer to the current security vendor contract expiring in September 2025.”
Mayor Donna Deegan
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, officers were asked to remove a group of people who were causing a disturbance during Tuesday night’s meeting.
A video posted on Instagram captured the interaction as officers tried to get the trio to leave the Council chambers.
It’s unclear what sparked the disruption.
Conor Cauley, 29, was arrested and charged with resisting with violence and carrying a concealed weapon. However, a judge on Wednesday said there was not enough probable cause to charge him with resisting with violence.
Cauley’s bond was set at $1,503 and he was released on his own recognizance.
Two women were also arrested and are facing misdemeanor charges of resisting an officer without violence. News4JAX is not naming the women because of the nature of their charges.
Florida law says people can carry concealed guns and weapons inside buildings like city hall. But, they cannot be inside meetings. So, there are questions now about how Cauley was able to get a knife through these doors.
“It’s imperative that the people attending our city council meetings feel that they’re safe when they do so. It’s imperative that my colleagues on council and our staff feels safe,” Incoming Council Vice President Nick Howland said.
Howland was there when the disturbance leading to Cauley’s arrest broke out.
“We’ll review our security procedures to make sure that we don’t let that slip by again in the future, but also that individual should not have brought that in. The rules are clear, and you particularly are not, don’t bring in a concealed weapon when you plan to create a disturbance,” Howland said.
In addition to the security checkpoint at the front, people are also checked again at a second checkpoint near the entrance to the council chambers.
With Howland now set to officially take on the vice president position on city council, he’s grateful this situation wasn’t worse.
“Let me extend our warmest thank you and appreciation to the JSO officers who did their best and react. Did extremely quickly to this disturbance in the back of the room that kept those in the near proximity safe. It kept our staff safe, and it kept my council colleagues safe,” Howland said.
Kevin Carrico, who was named the council’s next president on Tuesday, also sent a statement in response to the incident.
“We take the safety and order of our City Council meetings very seriously. Last night’s disturbance was unfortunate, but I am incredibly grateful to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for their swift and professional response. Their presence ensured the safety of all in attendance and allowed us to continue the important work of the people. As incoming Council President, I remain committed to ensuring that our meetings remain a place of respectful public discourse and transparent government,” Carrico wrote.
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee said members of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN) were the ones arrested.
JPSN planned a protest for Wednesday evening outside the Duval County jail to demand the “immediate release” of the two women and for the charges to be dropped.
