First Coast Connect With Melissa Ross

Weekdays 9 a.m. Rebroadcast 8 p.m.

Hosted by Melissa Ross, First Coast Connect is an hour-long call-in program that features local newsmakers, civic and community leaders, artists and people planning a variety of events across Northeast Florida, along with a weekly roundtable of local journalists.

First Coast Connect host Melissa Ross

First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross is sponsored in part by Baptist Health and North Florida TPO.

WJCT Sport Analyst Cole Pepper's Monday sports wrap is sponsored by Farah & Farah.

The What's Happening Around Town segment, which is heard every other Thursday, is sponsored by St. Augustine Distillery.  

The twice-a-month Going Green segment is sponsored in part by A1A Solar and the monthly First Coast Success segment is sponsored in part by Iberiabank.

Ways to Connect

Friday Media Roundtable; Wine & Trucks Festival

By Amanda Brannon • 33 minutes ago
BILL BORTZFIELD / WJCT NEWS

Friday's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Media Roundtable examined some of the top stories of the week, including:

Martin Luther King Jr Day Breakfast; Jesse Cook; Direct Primary Care; Bill Murray Mural

By • Jan 16, 2020
Pictured: Dr. Robert Hayling (right) with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (center) and Rev. Andrew Young (left) during a press conference at the Elks Rest on Washington St. during the 1964 Civil Rights Movement actions in St. Augustine.
FRANK MURRY / ST. AUGUSTINE GOVERNMENT

Monday marks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  For the second year in a row, Jacksonville will have two major MLK breakfasts Friday in advance of the holiday. 

Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Allegations; Fethullah Gulen; Going Green

By Sarah Glenn • Jan 15, 2020
SARAH SCHNEIDER / WESA

On this episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, we examined the allegations of sexual abuse against the Catholic Church.

JEA Investigation; Book Club; Ottmar Liebert; Lightner Museum

By • Jan 14, 2020
Heather Schatz/WJCT News

The mushrooming JEA scandal is now in the sights of federal prosecutors. We spoke with City Councilman Ron Salem as the feds begin looking into JEA.

Homicide Statistics; Divorce; Jacksonville Classical Academy

By Sarah Glenn • Jan 13, 2020
Picture: JSO investigates the scene at the Oakland Terrace Apartments, where a deadly shooting occurred Sunday.
News4Jax

On this episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, we took a look at Jacksonville’s homicide rate.

First 2020 Media Roundtable; Miles With Minshew; The Man In Overalls

By Sarah Glenn • Jan 10, 2020
BILL BORTZFIELD / WJCT NEWS

On this episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, a panel of journalists discussed top stories in the first Media Roundtable of the decade, including:

OurJax.com; Theatre Jax; 'St. Augustine Tonight;' Around Town

By • Jan 9, 2020
Heather Schatz / WJCT

A new coalition of business and civic leaders is speaking out about the aborted attempt to sell JEA.

Cannabis 2020; IdeaFest; Self-Help Credit Union

By Sarah Glenn • Jan 8, 2020

New rules went into effect this month on the sale of CBD products in Florida.

Duval Democrats On JEA; Rob Bilott & 'Dark Waters'; Fight For Air Climb

By • Jan 7, 2020
Bill Bortzfield/WJCT News

The Duval County Democratic Party is calling on State Attorney Melissa Nelson to recuse herself from investigating JEA.

Iran Tensions; New Year's Resolutions; Glaucoma; 'Trouble in Mind;' Cole Pepper

By • Jan 6, 2020
EBRAHIM NOROOZI / AP

Nancy Soderberg, a foreign policy strategist who served as the third-ranking official on the Clinton Administration's National Security Council, and as an Alternate Representative to the United Nations as a Presidential Appointee with the rank of Ambassador, joined us for a closer look at what the escalating tensions in Iran might mean for the military community in Northeast Florida.

Media Roundtable Discusses Big Stories of 2019; Light And Sound Piece at MOCA

By • Dec 20, 2019
Picture of JEA Building
Heather Schatz / WJCT News


Civic Council on JEA; Coding Bootcamp; Gingerbread Pirate Ship; 'Around Town'

By • Dec 19, 2019
Bill Bortzfield/WJCT News

The Jacksonville Civic Council is calling for a grand jury investigation into JEA board and senior management.  Michael Ward, the retired CEO of CSX Transportation and Co-Chair of the Council’s JEA Special Committee, joined us to explain why.

City Councilwoman Brenda Priestly-Jackson; Holiday Stress; Dr. Arun Gulani

By • Dec 17, 2019
Heather Schatz/WJCT

District 10 Jacksonville City Councilwoman Brenda Priestly-Jackson, who introduced an emergency resolution last week calling JEA to stop seeking bids to privatize, joined us with her thoughts about the latest developments.

City Councilman Matt Carlucci; 'It's Huge'; Connecting Thru Music; Cole Pepper

By • Dec 16, 2019
Heather Schatz/WJCT

Over the weekend, Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci called for a grand jury investigation into JEA.

Friday Media Roundtable; 'I Am We' Community Outreach Event

By Amanda Brannon • Dec 13, 2019
JEA's Downtown Jacksonville headquarters building is pictured.
BILL BORTZFIELD / WJCT

Friday's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross featured some of the top stories of the week, including:

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