Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the City of Jacksonville for allegedly maintaining an illegal gun registry in violation of state law. In a statement, Uthmeier accused the city of “knowingly and willfully” keeping records that constitute a prohibited firearm registry under Florida statutes.

The lawsuit follows Uthmeier’s March challenge to State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s decision not to pursue criminal charges after Nelson determined city security logbooks documented privately-owned firearms entering two Jacksonville buildings. Uthmeier argued his office lacks jurisdiction for criminal prosecution but has a duty under Florida Statutes 790.335(2)(a) to ensure consistent enforcement of state law. That statute makes it unlawful for local governments or their employees to “knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms.”

Uthmeier’s complaint states that logbooks maintained from July 2023 to April 2025 contained over 140 entries recording the names, birthdates, ID numbers, and firearm types of more than 100 individuals. He asserted these records constitute an unlawful “list, record, or registry” because they documented privately owned firearms, regardless of whether explicit labeling indicated private ownership. Uthmeier also rejected Nelson’s finding that no intent to violate the law existed, emphasizing that statute requirements only demand awareness that the log tracked privately owned firearms—ignorance of the law is not a defense.

The attorney general previously characterized the city’s registry as “unlawful and reprehensible.” A separate eight-month investigation by the State Attorney’s Office found no criminal misconduct, concluding the involved city employee did not realize their actions violated state law. However, Uthmeier alleges that as early as 2007, city attorneys had warned the city could not create or maintain a gun registry, citing internal memos. He further claims the logbook policy was approved by former Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Charles Moreland on July 13, less than two weeks after Mayor Donna Deegan assumed office, and that this approval occurred with “knowledge or complicity of City management.”