Monday on “First Coast Connect” we talked about the trial of pastor Ken Adkins in Glynn County, Georgia, with attorney Jimmy Midyette. In honor of Victims Rights Week we spoke with Quigley House CEO Peggy Payne and we heard about the growth in the state’s nonprofit sector with Florida Nonprofit Alliance Executive Director Sabeen Perwaiz.
Adkins Trial
He was a polarizing figure in Jacksonville’s long-running debate over expanding its human rights ordinances to cover LGBT residents. Now, Pastor Kenneth Adkins is behind bars and getting ready to take the stand in his own defense this week. Adkins is accused of child molestation and faces charges that could lead to a lifetime in prison. Adkins says he’s innocent and that he was targeted for being “anti-gay.” Adkins served on a city-sponsored panel looking at HRO expansion, which raised eyebrow since he was known posting homophobic statements on social media, including a remark that the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando got what they deserved.
Quigley House
Quigley House is Clay County’s domestic violence shelter and sexual assault center. It’s a 24-hour shelter providing services for domestic abuse victims while raising awareness of the problems of sexual assault in the county.
Florida Nonprofit Alliance
The Florida nonprofit sector has grown 40 percent over the past decade, and nonprofits around the Sunshine State now employ more than 530,000 people, or 6 percent of the state’s workforce. Florida has also seen an 80 percent increase in the number of nonprofit organizations, to 83,000, and a similar increase in payroll to $26 billion annually, according to a report and analysis released Monday by the Florida Nonprofit Alliance.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
