A Jacksonville man died after spending time in the Duval County Jail, and medical reports show he was denied life-saving medication there.
During a dispute with his neighbor over Wi-Fi access, a neighbor of Dexter Barry's called 911 to complain that Barry had threatened to beat him up. Although a fight never occurred, Barry was arrested on a simple assault charge.
He spent two days in jail and was released after he paid a $503 bond. He died three days later.
Barry was a heart-transplant recipient, and there is evidence that he made several attempts to make jail officials aware he needed his transplant medication.
Today, we spoke with Nichole Manna, investigative reporter at the Tributary, about this ongoing case.
Chick-fil-A DEI program
Fast food giant Chick-fil-A is under attack for its corporate diversity policies.
The company is now being targeted by far-right influencers because it has a DEI program. That’s diversity, equity and inclusion.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has railed against DEI initiatives in business and academia.
Tim Gibbons, editor of the Jacksonville Business Journal, told us more.
Hurricane season
The 2023 hurricane season starts tomorrow.
Insurers in Florida are always a matter of focus this time of year.
Residential solar sales are generally stalling in Florida, due to insurance companies either dropping customers with solar or disqualifying them if they have net metering with their utility.
We heard more from Pete Wilking and Ellen Castle of A1A Solar.
What’s Good Wednesday
- A new exhibit at St. Augustine’s Lightner Museum celebrates the bicycle. Drawn from the collection of St. Augustine bike enthusiast Keith Pariani, Ride On! highlights bikes chosen by Pariani as significant instances of design in late-19th and mid-20th century bicycles. For more, we spoke with the Lightner’s executive director, David Bagnall. The exhibit runs through September.
- Also in the nation’s oldest city, the St. Augustine Music Festival returns for its 17th season at the Cathedral Basilica. Each year, the Cathedral Basilica comes alive during the last two weeks in June with six free concerts of world class music.
- United Way of Northeast Florida’s Stein Fellowship is accepting applications for its Class of 2024. Founded by philanthropists David and Linda Stein, the Stein Fellowship is a yearlong immersive leadership and mentorship experience. This is the first class after a hiatus of the program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All young professionals ages 21 to 40 living in Northeast Florida are welcome to apply at unitedwaynefl.org/stein-fellowship. The application period is open through midnight June 9.
