Press Release: HIGH SPRINGS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS DEMAND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY WITH PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

High Springs, FL — J. Muir & Associates, a Florida business law firm, announced today that it has filed formal public records requests with the City of High Springs on behalf of a coalition of local small business owners seeking answers about the city's financial management over the past three fiscal years.

The requests, filed pursuant to Article I, Section 24, of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, seek detailed financial records including profit and loss statements, balance sheets, check registers, vendor payment records, payroll records, petty cash logs, bank reconciliation statements, and audit reports for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The coalition of business owners, who have invested significantly in the High Springs community, are seeking to understand why the city is facing a severe budget shortfall that has led to discussions about eliminating its fire and police departments; how nearly $700,000 in emergency reserves were depleted to cover a surprise $896,861.35 invoice in November 2025 that the city claims it did not anticipate; the reason behind the firing of the Finance Director; why the City's Community Redevelopment Agency has failed to file required annual audits, resulting in the state withholding tax increment funding and threatening legal action; where city funds have been spent in excess of approved budget appropriations; and where approved budget funds went unspent while critical city services deteriorated.

"Our clients are small business owners who have put their life savings into this community," said Jane Muir, founding partner of J. Muir & Associates. "They pay taxes, they employ residents, and they depend on city services to protect their investments. They deserve to know where their money is going and why the city cannot account for it."

Among those demanding answers is John Millett, who owns Serendipity Vintage Soda & Sweets with husband Brad Millett. Serendipity is a vintage soda fountain and sweets shop in a historic 1895 building in downtown High Springs. The Milletts moved to High Springs in 2021 and invested years of personal labor and resources into restoring the building and opening a business that celebrates the community's history, preserves the charm of downtown High Springs, and invites neighbors and visitors to visit and enjoy the downtown business district. They are among the small business owners who depend on city services for their livelihoods.

The State of Florida's Joint Legislative Auditing Committee has already directed multiple state agencies, including the Florida Department of Revenue and the Florida Department of Commerce, to withhold funding from the City and threaten legal action over the CRA's failure to submit a required audit. Meanwhile, the City Commission has held public workshops discussing the potential elimination of both the High Springs Fire Department and the High Springs Police Department due to budget constraints, an outcome the business coalition finds unacceptable.

"When a city cannot pay its bills, cannot file its required financial reports, and cannot explain where public money went, the public has every right to demand answers," said Attorney Terri Thomas of J. Muir & Associates. "That is exactly what Florida's public records law exists for, and we intend to use it."

J. Muir & Associates has a particular connection to the North Central Florida community it is serving in this matter. The firm maintains a Gainesville office within the Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED), located in Blount Hall at 530 W. University Avenue in the heart of downtown Gainesville, where partner Terri Thomas leads the firm's Gainesville operations. Both attorneys have a personal connection to the University of Florida: they both earned degrees from UF and they both have children who earned UF degrees. Thomas and her family live in Alachua County, and Muir's immediate family lives in Alachua County. They both remain deeply invested in the vitality and integrity of the communities that surround their alma mater.

J. Muir & Associates has requested that the City acknowledge the records requests within 24 business hours in accordance with the City's own Public Records Policy and has offered to meet with the City Clerk and counsel to assist in performing the electronic data search efficiently and at minimal cost to the City.

The firm has advised that if the City fails to respond fully and promptly to the requests, it will be forced to pursue all available legal remedies under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes.

About J. Muir & Associates: J. Muir & Associates is a Florida business law firm with offices in Coral Gables, Boynton Beach, Gainesville, and Tampa, committed to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. The firm's Gainesville office is located within the Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED) at Blount Hall, 530 W. University Avenue, Suite DB-113, Gainesville, FL 32601. The firm represents businesses and individuals in matters involving business law, condo/HOA matters, and complex commercial litigation.