The city of Seminole has removed some links from its website in response to a legal threat from state Rep. Berny Jacques, who accused the city of illegal electioneering by providing “information that is not accurate, fair, or impartial” about the November referendum on property taxes.
Jacques, R-Seminole, sent the letter demanding the city remove website links and information regarding Amendment 3, giving city officials a Sept. 30 deadline to comply or face a lawsuit or investigation.
The City Council held a special meeting Sept. 30 to discuss the letter and respond to many council members described as political “bullying.”
In the Sept. 25 letter, Jacques accused the city of violating state laws by hosting material about Amendment 3 on its website. Because the letter demanded an immediate response by a strict deadline, city leaders had to rapidly assemble an emergency session.
“The City of Seminole’s efforts likely constitute electioneering communication and are explicitly prohibited,” Jacques wrote in the letter that he posted on social media. “As a State Representative and resident of the City of Seminole, I urge the City of Seminole to immediately cease and desist from any ongoing violations of Florida law by allowing for the continued promotion of unlawful electioneering communication. Please be aware that this matter may result in active litigation and/or investigation.”
Jacques had sent a similar letter to the city of Largo on Sept. 1, accusing the city of electioneering and providing one-sided information by hosting a forum that featured former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, whom Jacques called “a known and vocal critic of Amendment 3.”
In response, the city invited Jacques to participate in the forum.
At the center of the dispute in Seminole was an online alert page created to inform residents about the property tax measure. The webpage primarily featured external documents and links, including a county fiscal report, opposition statements from professional groups such as library and firefighter associations, and a news article labeling the measure a “Trojan horse.” Arguing that a government-funded platform cannot take sides in an election, Jacques demanded the city remove the content or face a lawsuit.
City Attorney Jay Daigneault opened the meeting by explaining the legal gray area the city is navigating.
“You’re dealing with an uncertain legal landscape,” Daigneault told the council. “I just don’t have a lot of case law to go on. ... You might get sued, and it might be by Rep. Jacques, or might be by somebody else.”
When council members asked if they should just back down to avoid a fight, Daigneault noted that every client has different risk tolerances, leaving the ultimate policy and values decision in the hands of the elected officials.
The council and public didn’t hold back during the meeting.
Mike Lurie, a Seminole resident and council candidate, sharply criticized the representative’s approach, noting that taxpayers could bear the costs of a state lawmaker threatening legal action against his own local government.
“This could have been better handled, maybe, with a phone call, or a private meeting,” Lurie said. “Ultimately, who’s gonna pay for that? The citizens of Florida, and the residents of Seminole are going pay for it twice, because we’re paying for it as the defendant, and the plaintiff.”
Council members expressed deep disappointment, noting that a simple phone call could have resolved any concerns instead of an aggressive legal threat delivered on social media.
Vice Mayor Chris Burke didn’t mince words about the state representative’s actions, calling out the pressure tactics.
“He could have picked up the phone and called the city manager and said, ‘I don’t think this is right,’” Burke said. “Just coming out of the box threatening to sue is ... preposterous to say the least.”
Burke also recalled previous interactions in Tallahassee where he claimed Jacques was dismissive of local government concerns.
“When we were in Tallahassee, he brazenly told this body he didn’t care if cities go bankrupt,” Burke added.
“He’s the shame of Seminole. He’s not our representative,” Burke said.
Council member Trish Springer said the city’s primary focus should be on local projects, like building a new fire station, rather than getting dragged into state-level political battles.
“We have a fire station to build. We’ve got our parks and recreation, our public works, our stormwater. Those are the issues that matter to our residents, not this political agenda,” Springer said. “We’re being manhandled. I can’t believe ... he lives in our own city.”
Mayor Leslie Waters called the actions “a great disappointment for a longtime friend. … He could have just picked up the phone.”
The council debated several options, ranging from taking everything off the website entirely to leaving it untouched as a matter of principle.
Ultimately, the council chose a balanced compromise.
The council voted to modify the website alert by removing opinion-based newspaper articles and certain external organizational links, while keeping and adding factual state data, the actual text of Amendment 3, financial impact reports, and graphics prepared by the city manager during a previous public workshop.
Council member Kadi Tubbs summarized the sentiment of many on the dais, noting that while the city did nothing illegal, it wasn’t worth wasting taxpayer money on a prolonged courtroom battle.
“I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong, but I don’t think the taxpayers should have to go to court over this,” Tubbs said. “I think that we should take out the related reading ... and leave the impact of the property tax reform, the text of Amendment 3, the graphics, and the information that the city manager presented.”
After the motion passed by roll-call vote, the council directed the city attorney to draft a formal response to Jacques.
Burke defended the city’s website, arguing that local officials have a responsibility to ensure voters understand what is on their ballots.
“All we’re doing is providing information to our residents, so they can be more better informed when they go to the polls,” Burke said.
Rep. Berny Jacques’ letter to the city of Seminole on Sept. 25
It has been brought to my attention that as early as Monday, September 21, 2026, the City of Seminole has taken a position on Amendment 3 in its official capacity, as exhibited through its use of official city communications, for the express purpose of promoting a vote against Florida’s upcoming Amendment 3 November 2026 ballot initiative.
Specifically, the City of Seminole’s misuse of its official website, www.myseminole.com, to issue a “CITY ALERT” on “Amendment 3 Information” leads to provided information that is not accurate, fair, or impartial. In total, of the seven URLs provided to viewers of the City’s Amendment 3 Information page, six are explicitly advocating for a vote against Amendment 3 and the seventh is a modified spreadsheet purportedly from Pinellas County Government, an interested party, that presents figures of “projected’ losses and relies on questionable methodologies.
Florida law prohibits local governments from engaging in electioneering with the use of “... public funds for a political advertisement or any other communication sent to electors concerning an issue, referendum, or amendment, including any state question, that is subject to a vote of the electors. This subsection applies to a communication initiated by a local government... irrespective of whether the communication is limited to factual information or advocates for the passage or defeat of an issue, referendum, or amendment.” § 106.113(2), Florida Statutes (2026) (emphasis added).
Consequently, the City of Seminole’s efforts likely constitute electioneering communication and are explicitly prohibited. As a State Representative and resident of the City of Seminole, I urge the City of Seminole to immediately cease and desist from any ongoing violations of Florida law by allowing for the continued promotion of unlawful electioneering communication.
Please be aware that this matter may result in active litigation and/or investigation. As such, please consider this letter as a formal notice. If this is not remedied, I am prepared to file a formal complaint to the Florida Elections Commission pursuant to § 106.25, Florida Statutes (2026).
I respectfully request that these electioneering efforts be taken down immediately and further request that you notify my office, in writing, by no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2026, that you have complied with the requests in this letter to mitigate any potential legal exposure the City of Seminole has opened itself to.