First Coast Connect

Political analysis with Chris Hand

Thu, 14 May 2026 10:43:39 -0400

As the federal government positions artificial intelligence as a national priority while ramping up AI data centers' construction, local governments are increasingly pushing back. Last week, Florida passed legislation regulating data centers, allowing local communities to pause or deny the construction of new ones. The new law signifies an uncommon break between Florida and the priorities of President Trump, who signed an executive order in July 2025 calling for an accelerated buildout of AI infrastructure while easing federal regulations. We discuss how local communities are responding to AI infrastructure, what to expect from Florida’s special session to pass a budget and why Jacksonville is being named the best city for first-time homebuyers, even as access to affordable housing remains a major issue.

Guest: Chris Hand, local government expert, attorney and co-author with the late Sen. Bob Graham of America, the Owner's Manual

IVF access

Individuals and couples trying to conceive face a slew of challenges, from the sheer cost of in vitro fertilization to the physical and emotional toll of hormone treatments and the anxiety of repeated treatments and uncertain outcomes. But living through the experience has birthed a new kind of process-midwife known as an infertility doula. We meet a local practitioner who says sharing the knowledge she gleaned in her own fertility experience gives clients comfort and confidence in what can be both a life-changing and a life-giving process.

Guests:

Alexandra Hamrick, founder, The Infertility Doula
Marisa Coloñ, full-spectrum doula, student midwife

Tri hard

From the streets of Downtown Jacksonville to the waters of the St. Johns River, the toughest triathletes brace for this weekend's competition. We meet a competitor, a coach and the organizer of the inaugural Jacksonville Ironman. The ultimate endurance race features a 2.4-mile river swim, a 112-mile bike loop that runs from the city center to the Beaches, and 26.2-mile run through Downtown. Among those competing in the contest is first-time Ironman contender and Jacksonville City Council member Raul Arias. The swim, which runs from Metro Park to just west of the Cummer Museum, is viewable by spectators along the Northbank Riverwalk. The running course wends through Lavilla and Riverside before ending in Riverfront Park. The race is expected to affect traffic in both Duval and St. Johns counties, but the only road that will be closed entirely is the Nocatee Parkway Flyover between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Guests:

Skye Johnson, 5x Ironman participant, coach and owner of Tri with Skye
Emily Rogers, first time Ironman participant
Ryan Lobato, communications manager, The IRONMAN Group

Concerns of the 'anxious generation'

Wed, 13 May 2026 10:46:32 -0400

A recent NBC News poll found that only 38% of Generation Z is looking forward to the future. Nearly half said if they had a choice, they’d travel into the past — a time before social media, cellphones and the sense that both political and planetary environments are increasingly uninhabitable. This vicarious nostalgia for a time they never experienced, known as anemoia, has become common among those under 30, as they face perilous economic and increasingly challenging social realities. We talk about how a generation that has earned the nickname “the anxious generation” sets a path when every step is uncertain.

Guests:

Taylor White, junior, Fleming Island High School
Jalicia Lewis, community outreach and engagement lead, Jacksonville Climate Coalition
Gabriel James, founder of Pathway America charter at Flagler College

Free dental care

Two weeks ago we told you about Florida’s emergency dentistry crisis. On Wednesday, we preview a two-day event designed to help as many as 1,800 locals in need of free dental care. Sponsored by the Florida Dental Association Foundation, the 11th Florida Mission of Mercy event will be Friday and Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, along with a special Veterans’ First initiative on Thursday. (Veterans can pre-register by visiting www.flamom.org and clicking the red “Veterans’ Dental Event” button.) The event offers free cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, pediatric dentistry and root canals. The event is ticketed: After checking in on-site, patients are given a specific appointment time and asked to return for care. Appointments are given on a first-come, first-served basis, so early arrival is encouraged. Doors open at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Guest: Dr. Tom Brown, dentist and co-chair of the 2026 Florida Mission of Mercy

Emancipation Celebration

When President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, it applied to Florida as well as nine other states that seceded from the Union. The policy was known to those living in Union-controlled areas, including St. Augustine and Jacksonville. But for parts of the state still governed by the Confederacy, the formal proclamation wasn’t announced until more than two years later, on May 20, 1865. And it would be another month before word reached the final formally enslaved areas of the nation in Texas — a day now celebrated as the federal holiday of Juneteenth. A local celebration of Emancipation Day was started in 1913 by humanitarian and philanthropist Eartha M.M. White and revived in 2021 by Jacksonville City Council member and Clara White Mission CEO Ju’Coby Pittman. This year’s event will be from 5-9 p.m. Sunday at Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park, and features live performances by STR8UP Band, Mal Jones, DJ Cook, Alisha Merine and Kiyurah Davis, as well as presentations by local historians, food vendors and a celebratory setting.

Guests:

Carla Mechele Jones, Vibrant Places Collective facilitator
Yollie Copeland, founder and tour guide, Explore Jax Core

Ask the Mayor

Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:11 -0400

Two months out from the official start of budget season, planning for the mayor’s proposal is well underway, along with hints of potential sticking points. Some members of the Jacksonville City Council are (again) gearing up to fight city health initiatives, and state restrictions on DEI spending threaten support of a range of projects, including funding for the Black, Hispanic and Asian chambers of commerce. In our monthly Ask the Mayor segment, we ask Mayor Donna Deegan about her spending priorities, the multiple ongoing investigations into JEA and a backlog on affordable housing spending. Deegan also answers your calls and questions.

Guest: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan

Musical chairs

More comfortable seats and improved acoustics are two of the biggest changes promised in a summertime overhaul of Jacoby Symphony Hall. The orchestra’s home is slated for a makeover beginning June 8, with completion set to conclude ahead of the 2026/27 season in September. The project will also include new carpeting and an updated speaker system for non-classical programming like the Pops Series and Symphonic Night at the Movies performances. We talk to the Symphony’s chief executive about how the project is being funded and how the changes will affect guests and performers alike.

Guest: Steven B. Libman, president and CEO of the Jacksonville Symphony

'Gathering Turquoise'

An acclaimed Americana performer who’s graced stages from Florida to his home state of Illinois for decades celebrates the release of his debut studio album this month. A mix of country, blues, folk and rock 'n’ roll, Gathering Turquoise was recorded at Retrophonics Recording Studio in St. Augustine and was produced in part by Cara Murphy, owner of Blue Jay Listening Room in Jacksonville Beach. Fittingly, that’s also where Patrick Hagerman’s album release show will be held May 23. With a sound that’s been compared to Guy Clark and John Prine, Hagerman is known for both emotionally evocative and sagely comic lyrics, as in his songs Hell on Purpose and Walmart Melatonin. In a recent social media post, Hagerman said, “After 30 years of songs, miles, late nights, heartbreak, hope, new love and chasing something real … it’s finally here.”

Guest: Patrick Hagerman, singer-songwriter

100 years of Blind Blake

Mon, 11 May 2026 11:01:58 -0400

Known as “the King of Ragtime Guitar,” Arthur “Blind” Blake claimed Jacksonville as home, but his blues songs traced a path across the country, from West Coast Blues to Georgia Bound. By the time of his death at age 38, he’d recorded an estimated 80 tracks for Paramount Records, starting in 1926. On the 100th anniversary of that musical milestone, his legacy continues as one of the most revered and distinctive guitarists of the era. Blake was known for a rhythmic guitar style defined by a “thumb roll” striking out bass notes while he picked alternate, complicated melodies with his index and middle fingers. His first solo record, Early Morning Blues, planted the flag for what would become known as Piedmont blues, with an uptempo guitar sound that mimicked a piano. We discuss how his local influence is remembered and listen to some of the songs Blake wrote about Jacksonville with two local historians.

Guests:

Adonnica Toler, museum director, Eartha M. M. White Historical Museum and Gardens
Tim Gilmore, author, educator and historian at JaxPsychoGeo

Truth vs. trolls

Fighting misinformation online takes if not a village, then at least a small digital army. That’s the idea behind Climate Truth Tellers, an initiative of the Sierra Club that works to combat deceptive, alarmist or simply mistaken claims about climate change on social media. The strategy aims to both flood the zone with helpful, fact-based posts and to offer counter programming to the often dystopian drumbeat of online exchanges. We talk to the program’s regional manager about tactics to take on the trolls, and her recent appearance on the Climate Connections shortcast.

Guest: Jennifer McCharen, regional digital manager, Sierra Club

Encores and Evolution

An upcoming production by Bold City Opera offers a chance to both reminisce about past performances and fund future ones. The nonprofit resident chamber opera company holds its inaugural fundraiser cabaret, showcasing signature performances from its first three years of immersive opera experiences. Founded in late 2022 by locally based soprano Christine Alfano and conductor Brandon Smith, BCO has hosted free outreach performances and is known for pushing traditional operatic boundaries. Encores and Evolution includes a two-act concert, as well as popular arias, duets and ensemble pieces featuring a mix of regional and local performers. The cabaret show begins at 7 p.m. May 16 in Taliaferro Hall at St. John’s Cathedral in Downtown Jacksonville.

Guests:

Brandon Smith, Bold City Opera executive artistic director, co-founder and pianist
Christine Alfano, co-founder of Bold City Opera and featured cabaret vocalist

First Coast Week in Review

Fri, 08 May 2026 11:06:35 -0400

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

An influential group of business executives asks the City Council to lay off on its JEA investigation — and the council rejects the request.
The surprising results of a community poll show support for a vision of the Skyway that doesn’t involve mass transit.
A local woman plans to file suit over her court-ordered C-section.
The city’s DOGE committee finds no evidence of fraud or conflicts of interest after a $40,000, six-month probe.

Guests:

David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union
Riley Phillips, reporter at First Coast News
Jack Webb, attorney and former Jacksonville City Council president

Justice Jam

For nearly 50 years, a nonprofit law firm has provided free civil legal aid to North and Central Florida residents, focusing specifically on those who are low-income, disabled, elderly or military service veterans. The group provides services in 17 counties ranging from housing and family law to pursuing disability and VA payments. But the group’s mission hinges on community support. An upcoming fundraiser featuring live music and cocktails aims to help the group raise $30,000 to fund its services. The 3rd Annual Justice Jam will take place at 6 p.m. May 14 at Brick and Beam in Springfield.

Guests:

LaTonya Lipscomb Smith, heirs property project manager, Three Rivers Legal Services Inc.
Kevin Rabin, litigation director, Three Rivers Legal Services Inc.

Rental housing crisis

Thu, 07 May 2026 10:29:48 -0400

A phrase that once signaled housing as a basic Maslow need has taken on a more sinister cast: The rent eats first. For an increasing number of households on the First Coast, the choice between groceries and soaring housing costs is all too real. A new book explores what happens when housing is viewed as an investment asset rather than a social necessity. An outgrowth of the University of North Florida’s Jax Rental Housing Project, the book drills down on how the local market became dominated by large institutional investors, private equity firms and corporate landlords, some holding thousands of units and creating a social crisis that goes beyond just financial concerns. We talk to the authors about how they built the research project and what they hope their work will accomplish.

Guests:

David Jaffee, professor of sociology at the University of North Florida, director of the UNF Jax Rental Housing Project
Katie Renzi, project manager, Jax Rental Housing Project

Ride of a lifetime

A journey of a thousand miles begins … in Jacksonville. Later this month, veterans embark on an adaptive cycling ride in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday. Some 80 athletes begin a two-week journey to the 9/11 memorial in New York City, with patriotic pit stops along the way, including Gettysburg, the Liberty Bell, Arlington National Cemetery and the White House. The peloton will be divided into four groups of 20 for the relay ride, some on traditional bikes, others using hand cycles or recumbent bikes. We talk to the ride’s sponsor, Wounded Warrior Project, as well as a paralympic triathlete and participant, about the value of physical activity and group endeavors when it comes to overcoming service-related trauma.

Guests:

Meghan Wagner, director of physical health and wellness, Wounded Warrior Project
Kelly Elmlinger, Army veteran and paralympic triathlete

Learning with dyslexia

After participating in a national roundtable discussion on students with dyslexia hosted by doctor and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, Jacksonville pediatrician and advocate Dr. Chanley Dudley joins us to discuss how the city is meeting the challenge of educating children equally and appropriately. Dudley also serves on the board for the city’s primary school for dyslexic kids, the DePaul School of Northeast Florida, which is undergoing a major expansion. We ask her about goals for the new campus and the launch of the Florida Dyslexia Literacy Center.

Guest:

Dr. Chanley Dudley, parent, pediatrician and board chair at the DePaul School of Northeast Florida & Florida Dyslexia Literacy Center
Amber Oliveira, head of school, DePaul School of Northeast Florida

St. Johns County jail death

Wed, 06 May 2026 11:21:33 -0400

Three years after an investigation by the Florida Trib led the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to fire its longtime jail medical provider, the company’s quality of care is still a matter of concern. In a new report, award-winning investigative reporter Nichole Manna digs into the 2023 death of Brian Tracey, which occurred on the day he was scheduled to be released from the St. Johns County jail, as his girlfriend waited for him outside. As part of a joint report with ProPublica, the story includes the perspective of four experts, including former jail commanders and physicians, who determined Tracey should have been hospitalized after symptoms that included fainting and difficulty breathing. We discuss the state of contracted, for-profit medical care in jails, and what it means for people who may arrive there in marginal health.

Guest: Nichole Manna, investigative reporter at the Florida Trib

Bonsai of relief

If all you know about bonsai trees is what you learned from Mr. Miyagi, there is much to learn, grasshopper. We talk to a bonsai expert and a master gardener ahead of Riverside Avondale Preservation's annual home garden tour. We also get expert advice about how to manage your existing plants during the ongoing drought and related water restrictions. RAP's 6th Annual Garden Tour is a major community fundraiser, offering a peek into some of the region’s most painstakingly landscaped places, from the “Bromelia Boutique” on Oak Street to the chemical-free, Florida-friendly environs of “Nature’s Friend” on Pine Street. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and has become a pre-Mother’s Day tradition for many.

Guests:

Stephanie Means, Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program coordinator at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Mike Groeschel, owner, SkyDog Family Bonsai

Leaving a scar

Florida State College at Jacksonville’s literary magazine, The Experience, will host a poetry night Wednesday at Happy Medium Books Café to celebrate the release of Vol 58: Tales of a Scarred Land! The book showcases some of the work in the school’s 39th Art and Design Student Show and runs the gamut from photography to poetry, short stories and experimental work. The event includes a free copy of the compendium, along with student performances. Organizers encourage participants to indulge their creative side by wearing “fantasy-like” attire to complement the wide-ranging work of FSCJ students.

Guests:

Jenn Chase, humanities and English professor, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Ambar Quiroga, student art director, Tales of a Scarred Land vol. 58

Wild Amelia Nature Festival

A 10-day festival across Amelia Island and Nassau County celebrates the region’s unique ecosystem with music, environmental displays, live animal exhibits, a kids market and a sand sculpture contest to help the community appreciate and learn how to better protect the area’s natural spaces. Scheduled to coincide with the annual opening of the beaches celebration, the 17th annual Wild Amelia Nature Eco/Expo Festival will be held from May 8–17 at Main Beach Park. The event is also a tribute to local environmentalists Jodi and Ray Hetchka, founders of the festival, owners of Kayak Amelia and longtime champions of the natural world.

Guest: Lynda Bell, executive director, Keep Nassau Beautiful

Dry season

Tue, 05 May 2026 11:12:08 -0400

Wildfires and burn bans are very much in the news now, as North Florida and South Georgia face “exceptional” droughts and a rainfall deficit of as much as 2 feet this year alone — the most extreme in 15 years. But while the state grapples with the effects of the current crisis, Florida's longer term challenges are often overlooked. The water scarcity crisis is not just a function of a warming planet or periodic drought. It’s driven by rapid population growth, overdevelopment and rising demands on the Floridan Aquifer, the region’s principal source of freshwater. We get the lay of the land from the statewide expert who leads the University of Florida’s H2OSAV (Water Savings, Analytics, and Verification) extension program, designed to measurably reduce water use across the state.

Guest: Dr. Nick Taylor, state specialized extension agent, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Center for Land Use Efficiency

Pepper pot

A new cookbook celebrates “the pepper of St. Augustine,” framed by the Minorcan cuisine that holds the fiery capsicum dear. Illustrated by visual artist Gayle Prevatt, the “Datil Taste Good” cookbook is itself peppered with familiar local names of the original Minorcan immigrants (Pacetti, Masters, Manucy) and features no fewer than five recipes for Minorcan clam chowder and two kinds of “Bottled Hell” datil sauce. We discuss how the pepper became synonymous with St. Augustine, its mysterious origin story and why it remains largely confined to its Northeast Florida home turf.

Guests:

Magen Altice, executive director, St. Augustine Historical Society
Nicole Diehm, head librarian and curator, St. Augustine Historical Society

Carry on

For more than 30 years The National Association of Letter Carriers has hosted an annual food drive collecting nearly 2 billion pounds of goods for food banks across the United States. The Stamp Out Hunger campaign is the largest food drive in the nation, with postal workers in 10,000 cities participating. We talk to the branch leader of the local letter carriers union about the event and why the need becomes especially keen as school winds down for the summer. Residents who wish to donate can leave nonperishable food items in a bag by their mailbox on Saturday.

Guest: Jim Thigpenn, president, North Florida Letter Carriers, Branch 53

Seeing red

Mon, 04 May 2026 11:06:33 -0400

It was a good week for the state GOP. Shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door to widespread redistricting and gutted the legal basis for minority access districts, Florida legislators adopted a new congressional map that all but eliminates Democratic power, cutting blue-leaning districts in half, to just four of the state’s 28 House seats. We talk to state Republican Party Chair Evan Power and State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky about how the Supreme Court and state lawmakers have reshaped the political landscape and what it means for party power going forward. We also get political analysis from attorney and public policy expert Rick Mullaney about how both developments fit into Florida history and how they may shape its future.

Guests:

Florida Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, incoming House Democratic leader-designate
State Republican Party Chair Evan Power
Rick Mullaney, executive director of the Haskell Public Policy Institute at Jacksonville University

Psychedelics, tick season and longevity science

In our monthly House Call with Dr. Joe Sirven, we discuss how political pressure is putting psychedelics on the fast track, a surging tick season (and attendant conspiracy theories) and a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship that has left three passengers dead.

Guest: Dr. Joe Sirven, Mayo Clinic neurologist and host of WJCT’s What’s Health Got To Do With It?

First Coast Week in Review

Fri, 01 May 2026 10:29:51 -0400

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

Two major decisions, from the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida State Capitol, are reshaping minority political representation for years to come.
Florida’s attorney general initiates yet another Jacksonville investigation — this time into JEA.
A memorial to the victims of the Dollar General mass shooting is destroyed by vandals.

Guests:

Sylvia Perry, editor of the Jacksonville Free Press
Brenda Priestly Jackson, former Jacksonville City Council member, former Duval County School Board member
John Daigle, political consultant, former City Hall reporter
A.G. Gancarski, reporter at Florida Politics, columnist for Jacksonville Today

This Week in Music History

Public media is well known for providing context for news developments, but the work doesn’t end with the headlines. Context matters for music, too, as it shapes and is shaped by the culture, politics and society from which it emanates. Music guru and Electro Lounge host David Luckin turns his focus and editing skills to creating a sonic landscape that showcases iconic songs inside a temporal milieu. The project, This Week in Music History, is an hourlong spinoff of his popular daily segment, Today in Music History. It launches at 7 p.m. Sunday and airs weekly in that time slot going forward. We talk to Luckin about the inspiration for the project and why he wanted to explore, as he says, “history you can feel.”

Guest: David Luckin, host, Electro Lounge, WJCT Public Media station manager

Playoff bound

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:04:36 -0400

Sporting Club Jacksonville women's team has one final home game after a remarkably successful inaugural season. The team clinched a spot at the playoffs in early April after dominating in their first year as an expansion team in the Gainsbridge Super League. And although they’ve suffered a couple losses in April, before that they held a seven-game winning streak and hadn’t allowed more than one goal in any game since Oct. 25. We talk to the team’s star defender, Georgia Brown, and the defender-turned-striker Paige Kenton, as well as the women’s head coach about their first season in the sun and how they’re preparing for the playoff challenge.

Guests:

Stacey Balaam, Sporting Club Jacksonville women's soccer head coach
Georgia Brown, Sporting JAX defender
Paige Kenton, Sporting JAX forward

Outsider art

A Jacksonville-based artist with a global, even universal vision, is the focus of a new exhibition at MOCA Jacksonville. Outside Looking In: The Paintings of Amer Kobaslija features works showcasing his life and travels, from his childhood in war-torn Bosnia to his series Florida Diaries to his portrayal of the devastation from the 2011 tsunami in Japan, One Hundred Views of Kesennuma. Throughout his work, Kobaslija offers colorful, even whimsical views of damaged and denuded landscapes, whether by natural forces or man-made devastation, including rampant development and climate change. The exhibit opens Thursday and runs through Sept. 20.

Guests:

Amer Kobaslija, visual artist, associate professor of studio art at the University of Central Florida
Amber Sesnick, director of marketing, arts University of North Florida and MOCA Jacksonville

Arts awards

Celebrating the people and organizations pushing Jacksonville’s cultural and creative ecosystem forward is the focus of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s annual art awards. The 49th Annual awards ceremony is also the group’s largest fundraiser, with 92 cents of every dollar raised returned to local arts and culture. The event promises a “multilevel experience” with a theme of “Neon Noir” to celebrate those who light the way for the rest of the community. The event will be at 6:30 p.m. May 9 at Decca Live. Tickets are required.

Guest:

Diana Donovan, executive director, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
Darren Dailey, president and artistic director, Jacksonville Children's Chorus

Like pulling teeth

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:16:41 -0400

Florida has the highest rate of emergency room visits for kids seeking nontraumatic dental care, and the crisis is getting worse. As more families lose or scale back insurance coverage, and as state Medicaid officials “disenroll” families, preventative dental care gets out of reach for more children. It’s a problem that leaves medical staff frustrated and kids in pain, since emergency rooms are ill equipped to treat dental emergencies and often send patients home with little more than an ice pack and painkillers. We discuss what options are on the table and how the state’s new fluoride policies could affect the problem.

Guest: Dr. Frank Catalanotto, founder of Floridians for Dental Access, former dean at the University of Florida College of Dentistry

Stepping up

After enduring what she describes as an early life defined by abuse, Desiree Jones turned her experience into a path forward for others. The founder of Step-by-Step 4 Help Foundation is now a licensed therapist and offers mental health counseling, mentorship, skills training and housing stability assistance to disadvantaged individuals in the city’s urban core. The group was recently recognized in LISC Jacksonville’s Community Development Awards. We discuss what the award means for the foundation and how its work epitomizes the grassroots strategies promoted by LISC.

Guests:

Desiree Jones, founder and president, Step-by-Step 4 Help Foundation
Dr. Irvin DePedro Cohen, executive director of LISC Jacksonville

To the moon and back

April was a busy month for space exploration, as NASA’s Artemis II completed a successful 10-day voyage around the moon, becoming the first crewed flight of the space agency’s Orion spacecraft. It’s also a busy time for stargazers. Currently, the Leo Triplet, a constellation made up of three interacting galaxies, is overhead. We break down the science of how these galaxies produce so-called “rogue stars” and discuss what we’ve learned from the first crewed space flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17.

Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science & History

Oreos and the Okefenokee

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:44:07 -0400

An Earth Day petition with more than 26,000 signatures was delivered to Chemours chemical company on the same day as its annual meeting of shareholders. It’s just one part of a multi-pronged effort by conservationists and students to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from the effects of nearby titanium mining. A similar plea was delivered to the maker of Oreo cookies and Sour Patch kids, treats that have used titanium dioxide as a product whitener. That letter urged Mondelez International to pledge not to ever use white pigment sourced from Okefenokee-area mines in its snack foods. We talk to two people behind the current campaign about progress to protect the country’s largest blackwater swamp and the challenges that remain.

Guest:

Josh Marks, environmental attorney, president of Georgians for the Okefenokee
Mackenzi Hallmark, chair, Georgia Student Swamp Coalition

Maximizing meadows

Make your own meadow. A new step-by-step guide explores the environmental effects of transforming turfgrass lawnscapes into biodiverse habitats. The Florida Meadow Manual recognizes a growing desire by homeowners and landscapers for an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional, monoculture lawns. From plant selection and site preparation to long-term maintenance tips and design principals, the book provides instructions for, and the ecological rationale behind, creating even small, yard-sized meadows. We sit down with the book’s authors to discuss why Florida climate works for these particular landscapes and why meadows are a growing strategy for those seeking low-maintenance and affordable solutions.

Guests:

Gage Daniel J. LaPierre, post-doctoral research associate at University of Florida and co-author, The Florida Meadow Manual
Isabella Browne, landscape designer and coordinator at UF Center for Landscape Conservation and co-author, The Florida Meadow Manual

Artistic APtitude

An exhibit of student artwork showcases “risk-taking, problem-solving and deep reflection,” according to organizers of Global Leadership Academy High School’s annual AP Art Portfolio Exhibition. Presented at Downtown Vision Inc., the show features 2- and 3D art and design pieces by the Advanced Placement students, demonstrating both technical ability and creative thinking. The exhibition’s opening reception is from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at DVI’s headquarters, 29 W. Duval St. Admission is free.

Guests:

Amanda Holloway, AP art instructor at Global Leadership Academy High School
Tika Thornton and Victoria Kurochkin, featured student artists

The Shantyboat Muse

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:59:11 -0400

The poet and educator who coached, encouraged and chastised — but never coddled — First Coast writers as varied as Donna Deegan, Alan Justiss and Jim Draper has become a defining feature of the local literary landscape. Though she lost her beloved Trout River houseboat, once home to the Shantyboat Writers Workshop, during Hurricane Irma, she continues to write, goad and inspire. Now 81, she brings some poems and her inimitable story to Studio 2 Monday morning.

Guest: Lynn Skapyak Harlin, educator, editor and poet

Change of scenery

Nearly 40 years after its founding, the legacy of Scenic Jacksonville is visible both in what we see and what we don’t. The organization, founded by attorney and civic champion Bill Brinton, worked to pass two key citizen amendments to the city’s governing charter. The Billboard Charter Amendment prohibited new billboards countywide and led to the removal of more than 1,600 signs to date. The Tree Protection Amendment required replanting or replacing trees removed for development and established guidelines for protecting the area’s most significant “specimen” trees. We sit down with the new leader of the longstanding group to find out how they’re planning for the future in a changing political and environmental landscape.

Guest: Litsa Dawkins, executive director, Scenic Jax

Out of silence

A four-generation journey through systemic abuse ends on stage 150 years later, when a playwright finds her voice and tells her story. Silence Unraveled tells the history of Bobbie O’Connor’s great-grandmother Emma Jane, grandmother Trudie and mother Willie Audrey, before working its way down to the author. Along the way, it touches on difficult topics often muted by silence, including physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence and loss. We talk to O’Connor about what it means to confront familial misogyny and, hopefully, destroy the template.

Guest: Bobbie O'Connor, playwright, performer and social justice advocate

Fare thee well

An annual grassroots event created to connect the public with free health and wellness resources kicks off next weekend. Wellfest, founded in 2019, serves as a space for the community to learn about healthier lifestyles through mental, nutritional and physical education and outreach. This year’s event features local businesses, a coffee crawl, collaborative yoga, a clothing swap, live music and more. Partnering with Here Tomorrow, a local mental health provider, the event also offers suicide prevention information and resources. The 8th Annual Beaches Wellfest will be May 2 at Johansen Park in Atlantic Beach. The event is free and open to the public.

Guests:

Tracy Marko, president of Meraki Wellness and director of WellFest
Mary Mullahey, health educator and coffee crawl director

First Coast Week in Review

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:55 -0400

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

Extended drought, with a rainfall deficit of 25 inches, kindles conditions for widespread and dangerous wildfires.
The timing of a campaign video release creates political headaches for Mayor Donna Deegan.
City officials put a nearly $4,000 price tag on a request for public records related to the JEA investigation.
Attorney General James Uthmeier investigates an AI chatbot’s role in last year’s mass shooting at FSU.

Guests:

Robert Brown, news director, WJXT News4Jax
Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
Randy DeFoor, attorney and former Jacksonville City Council member
Jake Stofan, state and local government reporter at Action News Jax

Band aid

A local high school is headed to Washington, D.C., after being invited to perform in the National Memorial Day Parade. The Sandalwood High School Band is still working to raise funds for the trip and is asking the community for help to make the opportunity a reality. The event is expected to feature 5,000 participants from all 50 states, including dozens of high school bands. We ask the band’s director what it means for students and the First Coast to be recognized on a national stage.

Guests:

Samantha Maltagliati, band director, Sandalwood High School
Adelina Millian, saxophone, Sandalwood High School Band
Sophia Peugnet, Sandalwood band president and drum major
Jeremiah Gadson, Sandalwood band percussion captain

Great fire gathering

Ongoing wildfires across the First Coast and Southern Georgia are a stark reminder of the very real devastation caused by giant infernos — like the one that destroyed almost the entire city of Jacksonville in 1901. This year marks the 125th anniversary of that dark time, but the first of what’s anticipated to be annual events recalls not just the widespread destruction, but the citywide rebirth that followed. We talk to the head of the Jacksonville History Center about the inaugural Great Fire Gathering and how the fundraiser aims to help the group prepare for the future as it commemorates the past.

Guest: Alan Bliss, CEO, Jacksonville History Center

Government expert Chris Hand

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:32:44 -0400

What does Virginia’s vote on Tuesday in favor of redistricting tell us about Florida’s prospects to reshape the midterms? We discuss the upcoming special session in Tallahassee with attorney and government expert Chris Hand. We also look at prospects for a state budget deal, the official start of Jacksonville’s 2027 mayoral campaign and the latest on the Hope Florida grand jury investigation, which officially remains under wraps.

Guest: Chris Hand, local government expert, attorney and co-author with the late Sen. Bob Graham of America, the Owner's Manual

Open secret

A secret no more, the lives of a group of Flagler County resident writers are the focus of a new collaborative publication. We meet three of the 24 contributing authors behind The Secret Lives of Flagler County Wives, and discuss how a nascent Facebook group evolved into their new “tell-all” book. The tongue-in-cheek title belies a real camaraderie built among coastal Florida transplants who aligned to share very different stories and life trajectories.

Guests:

Judy Cherry, contributor, The Secret Lives of Flagler County Wives
Rachelle Edrozo Paulk, contributor, The Secret Lives of Flagler County Wives
Jessica Anderson Fagonde, contributor, The Secret Lives of Flagler County Wives

Strides for Pride

The move to greater LGBTQ equality and visibility gets a push at the 15th Annual Strides for Pride 5K. The fundraiser benefits the work of the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, or JASMYN, a local LGBTQIA+ youth organization focused on supporting teens and young adults aged 13-29. The organization celebrated three decades of youth advocacy in 2024, and while it has been in a period of leadership transition, the group hired new CEO Ashley Coleman in February.

Guest: Issis Alvarez, JASMYN board chair

Animal instincts

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:51:38 -0400

Feral cat colonies in the U.S. have been the target of strategic “trap, neuter, release” programs for more than three decades. But unlike surrounding counties, St. Johns County’s animal control unit offers no official support for the practice. Instead, volunteers tackle the work — and shoulder the costs — of transport, surgeries and vaccinations. Feline advocates want the county to take a more active role, but officials say there’s no evidence TNR has significantly reduced the feral cat population, and some research even suggests euthanasia is a more humane approach. We discuss the issue and take your calls and questions.

Guests:

Adrienne Arnone, cat activist and volunteer based in St. Johns County
Katelyn Smith, shelter operations coordinator, Clay County Animal Shelter
Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter, Jacksonville Today

On the rise

After her departure from City Hall, we sit down with the mayor’s former Hispanic outreach coordinator to talk about her new role managing the emerging Phoenix Arts and Innovation District. The mixed-use Springfield property aims to become a destination for creative minds, cutting edge businesses and culinary excellence, including hundreds of new Downtown housing units. We talk to its new general manager about her professional transition back to the private sector while working to transform the former industrial parcel into a thriving arts district.

Guest: Yanira “Yaya” Cardona, general manager, Phoenix Arts and Innovation District

Reverse psychology

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:40:01 -0400

Back-in parking has become the subject of a surprisingly contentious — and not inconsequential — debate. Buoyed by recent articles in The New York Times and USA Today, as well as online challenges by social media influencers, the question has thrown the issue in stark relief. We talk to a local urban planner about the science behind the controversy, including the history, safety and previous efforts to mandate the practice in several Western municipalities.

Guest: Fred Jones, urban planner at Haskell, Downtown Development Review Board member

Tracking maternal deaths

A committee created within the Florida Department of Health to monitor cases in which mothers die during and after pregnancy went virtually dark after the appointment of Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who oversees the department. According to a new report by the Florida Trib, the data lag also tracks with post-Dobbs Florida, where abortions are effectively prohibited after six weeks, frequently before a pregnancy is detected. We talk to the reporter behind the investigation about the increasingly secretive work of Florida’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee at a time when other states with near-total abortion bans have seen an increase in maternal mortality rates.

Guest: Kate Payne, state government reporter, the Florida Trib

The Pillowman

The writer behind Oscar-nominated films In Bruges, Three Billboards and Banshees of Inisherin is also the author of a deeply dark comedy taking stage in Jacksonville. The Pillowman, which opens this weekend at Lumen Repertory Theatre, tells the story of a writer of gruesome fairy tales, who is interrogated over his stories' resemblance to several child murders. A black comedy spiked with allusions to Kafka and The Brothers Grimm, the play is also an exploration of totalitarianism and the cost of censorship. We discuss the psychological thriller with the play’s director and the theater's artistic director.

Guests:

Joshua Andrews, director, The Pillowman
Brian Niece, artistic director, Lumen Repertory Theatre

Flow state

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:36:24 -0400

Florida’s longest and arguably laziest river is the city’s visual centerpiece, but also its historical heart and soul. It’s been a place of commerce and recreation; it’s also been an abused repository of human and industrial wastes. In honor of Earth Day, the St. Johns Riverkeeper hosts the first ever “State of the Watershed” event, an opportunity for champions and stakeholders to celebrate progress in protecting the waterway, and to assess ongoing challenges. We talk to the Riverkeeper about the latest concerns over and opportunities for the liquid core of the River City.

Guest: Lisa Rinaman, St. Johns Riverkeeper

100 years of Atlantic Beach

From land barons and railroad tycoons to the arrival of the military and the modern era, Atlantic Beach has reached its centennial milestone. A hundred years after the coastal city’s founding, the Beaches Museum offers a retrospective that runs through August. Atlantic Beach 100 includes a speakers series ranging from former mayors and architectural historians to local archivists and authors. The commemoration includes stories and photographs tracking the city’s evolution from remote wilderness to upscale beach town and vacation destination. We ask a director and historian at the Beaches Museum about ways to get involved.

Guests:

Chris Hoffman, mayor of Jacksonville Beach, Beaches Museum executive director
Johnny Woodhouse, historian and guide, Beaches Museum

Jax Poetry Fest

Complexity, connection and catharsis take center stage during Jax Poetry Fest, a monthlong celebration coinciding with National Poetry Month. Though April is half over, there are still plenty of events lined up, from readings and workshops to slams, exhibits and contests. We talk to a participant organizer about the power of poetry as a tool for helping children and adolescents reflect, explore and grow.

Guest: Aniah Heaven Washington, program director and poetry facilitator, Hope at Hand

First Coast Week in Review

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:40:00 -0400

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week.

Among our topics this week:

The governor summons lawmakers back to Tallahassee and piles more on their plate.
Prosecutors widen the scope of their JEA investigation to include the utility’s senior officials and its former lobbying group, Ballard Partners.
Public records show the size of the city’s University of Florida graduate campus could be more modest than what many are hoping.
A Putnam County commissioner refuses to back down from racist comments about people of Arab descent.

Guests:

Nate Monroe, executive editor at the Florida Trib
Obi Umunna, attorney and political consultant
Christina Burgess, reporter at First Coast News
David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union

Invited to the Cookout

A Downtown block party transforms James Weldon Johnson Park into a collective cookout, showcasing the unique flavors and diverse histories of Jacksonville’s many neighborhoods. The free event features live music, dancing, celebrations of community identity and, of course, food. From a karaoke sing-off and mini golf to a performance by The Katz Downstairs, the cookout aims to engage Jacksonville residents of all ages — and everyone’s invited. The CookOut starts at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Guests:

Jereme Raickett, event producer, The CookOut
Sarah Daugherty, United Way of Northeast Florida