During their council meeting on Monday, the city of Jacksonville Beach provided an update regarding the recent cybersecurity incident that led to the abrupt closure of city operations last week. Although certain details remain unclear, City Manager Mike Staffopoulos addressed the situation at the outset of the Monday afternoon session.
Staffopoulos mentioned that the city’s IT team, along with cybersecurity experts, are actively conducting a forensic investigation to determine the nature and extent of the incident. Despite ongoing investigations, he provided some key updates:
- Beaches Energy utility remains fully operational.
- The Public Works Pollution Control Plant and Water Plants are functioning without issues.
- The police department’s dispatch and processing operations continue to operate smoothly.
- Email and call centers are operational.
However, Staffopoulos acknowledged that the city has faced challenges, particularly in its accounting functions. He assured employees and vendors that efforts are underway to address these challenges. Specifically, he stated, “I want to reassure our employees and vendors that we can process pension payroll and employee payroll. We are also making progress in restoring our ability to pay vendors, albeit in a limited fashion.”
In response to inquiries, News4JAX sought public records from both the Jacksonville Beach Police and the city. However, both agencies have redirected inquiries to each other regarding the availability of these records.