CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio will skip out on Staten Islands annual Groundhog Day ceremony this Sunday for the sixth year in a row -- and it doesnt look like he plans on ever coming back.

Its the highlight of my year. I tried it, it didnt end well. I wont be back, he said at an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

The last time de Blasio came to Staten Island for Groundhog Day was in 2014. He dropped the animal after its handler put it in his arms.

Months later, in September 2014, it was revealed that the groundhog, a female named Charlotte, died of acute internal injuries a week after he was dropped by the mayor.

A statement from the Staten Island Zoo read that it appeared unlikely that the groundhogs death was related to the events of Groundhog Day.

The mayor avoided saying what else he had planned this Sunday, but commented further on his plans to stay away from Groundhog Day.

Ive been advised by wildlife experts to stay within a five-mile radius away from any groundhogs, de Blasio quipped.

I think its good to leave that in the past I think the groundhogs deserve that, he said.

Unlike de Blasio, Speaker Corey Johnson plans to attend Sundays ceremony, which he attended last year too.

Johnsons spokeswoman Jennifer Fermino said the last time Johnson attended the Islands Groundhog Day ceremony Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring and a few days later it was 55 degrees.

Also no animals died, Fermino said.

GUIDELINES CHANGED

At the 2015 Groundhog Day event, the Staten Island Zoo implemented new guidelines which now require Chuck remain in a clear plastic enclosure from which he can only be removed from and held by his handler.

During the 2009 Groundhog Day ceremony, Staten Island Chuck bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg right before he made his prediction, as the mayor reached into the groundhogs cottage to bring him out with some of his snacks.

This years free Groundhog Day event at the Zoo takes place on Sunday, Feb. 2. The ceremony begins at 7 a.m., with Chucks prediction set for 7:30 a.m.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

Link:

Dont wait on the mayor, Staten Island Chuck, de Blasio wont attend the ceremony this Sunday, or ever - SILive.com