Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Council postpones contentious rules change after debate over signs and 'snapping'
Summary
Council members debated a proposed amendment to council rules (2024‑0871) that would limit certain actions in chambers — including banning snapping fingers — and allow small signs. The amendment passed initially but failed to meet a supermajority requirement, was reconsidered and then postponed to Feb. 11 for further review.
Jacksonville City Council members debated a proposed change to council rules on Jan. 28 that would tighten decorum rules in chambers, ban specific disruptive behaviors and allow small signs of a limited size. The ordinance (2024‑0871) drew sharp discussion about free‑speech limits, enforcement and whether the new language duplicated existing city code.
The measure originally included language that would have broadly prohibited “political campaigning” in chambers; council members ultimately amended the text to retain the status quo on political campaigning, to add snapping fingers and waving signs to a list of prohibited disruptive behaviors, and to allow limited‑size…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
