The vast majority of Donald Trump’s cabinet has been built from Florida. The appointment of Marco Rubio to Secretary of State has opened up a Senate Seat which will be appointed by Ron DeSantis. The appointment of Michael Waltz to National Security Advisor has opened up a Congressional Seat which will be contested in an April special election. While no one has confirmed their candidacy for the CD-6, two people have generated a substantial amount of chatter for the spot. America first warrior and staunch Trump ally Anthony Sabatini has expressed interest in campaigning for the seat, as has current Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond.
Anthony Sabatini is a MAGA firebrand and is extremely transparent. His track record speaks for itself. He believes in small government, personal responsibility and upholding the Constitution as it was written. Sabatini is perhaps the most Conservative legislator in the history of the Florida Legislature.
Diamond on the other hand is the polar opposite. I personally attended a GOP function in Duval County, FL where Diamond spoke to candidates. His most memorable quote of the day was “you will not win unless you shake hands with the establishment and take their money”.
Diamond has been involved in financial scandals of his own outside of his role in government service. Former State Legislature Candidate Emily Nunez extensively covered accusations against Diamond in 2022 for Folio Weekly. The is a paraphrased version of her report.

Winston Churchill famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” It seems Jacksonville didn’t heed that warning.
Jacksonville has a long-standing pattern of excessive salaries, lavish spending, and corruption, particularly among leaders of non-profit organizations and elected officials.
In 2013, former Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned after it was discovered that Allied Veterans, a charity for veterans that she had championed, was embezzling funds meant for veterans. Although Carroll was never charged, the charity’s leadership spent much of the $300 million it raised on luxury items like beachfront condos, sports cars, and boats. Then in 2017, U.S. Congresswoman Corrine Brown was convicted of 18 corruption charges related to her fake charity, “One Door Education,” which she used to fund extravagant parties, trips, and personal expenses. In 2019, Jacksonville City Council members Katrina and Reginald Brown were convicted of fraud related to misappropriating grants meant for small businesses.
Despite this history, on September 28, 2021, the Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to award funding to charities, including those with ties to city council members. The council also waived competitive application requirements for these funds, a move that raised concerns among local media and citizens. For some council members, securing a seat on the council has become a gateway to lucrative salaries at local non-profits, and vice versa.
Councilman Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors, was among those who voted in favor of this controversial funding. However, he quickly took to social media to defend his organization, claiming that his non-profit had never accepted city funds. While Diamond may have boasted about K9s for Warriors’ financial independence, his own history with the organization raises questions about his priorities and actions.
K9s for Warriors was founded by Shari Duval after her son returned from Iraq suffering from severe PTSD. Duval discovered that service dogs could significantly help veterans with PTSD, and she started the organization with no financial backing, relying solely on her determination and love for her son. Over time, the charity grew and became a success. Duval worked tirelessly, and her salary remained modest at about $60,000, with much of that money reinvested into the charity.
In 2015, Duval hired Rory Diamond, who presented himself as a seasoned professional with a rich career history, including claims of working at the White House and serving as a federal prosecutor. In reality, Diamond had a less impressive resume, with much of his experience being in unpaid internships and temporary positions. Despite this, he was hired as the organization’s executive director with a starting salary of $155,674.
Under Diamond’s leadership, K9s for Warriors expanded, creating several spin-off organizations, including the K9s for Warriors Research Institute (KWRI), which focused on PTSD research. However, KWRI faced serious issues: Charity Navigator rated it poorly, as 100% of its donations went toward administrative costs, including executive salaries. By 2019, Diamond’s salary at KWRI had risen to $63,000, while the institute itself had minimal programmatic spending.
At the same time, Diamond continued to rise politically. In addition to his role at K9s for Warriors, he was elected to the Neptune Beach City Council and later to the Jacksonville City Council. By 2019, his salary with K9s for Warriors had ballooned to $209,680, in addition to his council salary, making him the highest-paid non-profit executive in the Jacksonville City Council.
In 2019, Diamond formed yet another charity, The Firewatch, aimed at reducing veteran suicides in Northeast Florida. However, this new organization faced its own transparency issues. It quickly became apparent that much of the funds were being directed toward salaries, including Diamond’s and those of his associates, rather than programs directly benefiting veterans. Local governments initially supported The Firewatch, but concerns over the lack of measurable results led several counties to reconsider their funding.
Meanwhile, after the death of Shari Duval in 2021, K9s for Warriors, under Diamond’s leadership, began to face increasing scrutiny. While the charity has successfully paired many veterans with service dogs, the waiting list for a service dog has now grown to four or five years, with some questioning why the organization does not seek more donations of suitable dogs or purchase them instead of focusing so heavily on salaries.
Diamond’s salary continues to rise, with recent reports showing it at $283,509, plus a 401(k). Despite the long wait times for veterans to receive a service dog, K9s for Warriors remains heavily reliant on management salaries, with over $1 million annually spent on executive pay alone. Meanwhile, Diamond has pushed for taxpayer dollars to fund his other initiatives, like The Firewatch, though concerns about the effectiveness of these programs persist.
Several local officials have raised doubts about The Firewatch’s impact. Nassau County Commissioner John Martin questioned the organization’s progress in reducing veteran suicides, and Clay County officials also demanded proof of effectiveness. These concerns, combined with the lack of transparency surrounding Diamond’s numerous ventures, have led many to question whether these charities are truly serving veterans or simply padding the pockets of their executives.
In response to public criticism, Diamond proposed a bill to ensure a competitive grant application process for non-profits. However, critics argue that the bill was little more than a political maneuver to improve his public image while masking the questionable practices surrounding his charities.
The continued misuse of public funds and the exploitation of veterans’ causes for personal gain are stark reminders of the lessons from history that have gone unheeded. Jacksonville’s City Council, led by figures like Rory Diamond, has repeatedly funneled taxpayer money to non-profits that benefit insiders while doing little to address the actual needs of the community. As Churchill warned, those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. In Jacksonville, this lesson remains painfully relevant.
Shortly after Nunez published her original article, Diamond resigned as the C.E.O. of K9s for Warriors.
MAGA must keep the pressure on as each and every single congressional seat will matter to Donald Trump’s America First agenda. America is on the verge of restoration, and it is individuals like Diamond that could impede that process due to their own self seeking desires.
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