Our Friday media roundtable highlighted the top stories of the week, with a live studio audience.
Joining us were Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union, Dan Scanlan of WJCT News, outgoing Jacksonville City Council member Randy DeFoor and regular contributor Charles Griggs.
Among the topics discussed:
- Unaffordable housing: The pandemic sped up a major divide between home prices and income around the country. In fact, according to the Real Estate Witch report, which looked at numbers from 2021, the Bold City is ranked 22nd on a list of the 25 least affordable U.S. metros for housing relative to income.
- Jacksonville Journey: Mayor-elect Donna Deegan will not be sworn in until July 1, but her transition team is already working on bringing back the anti-crime initiative known as the Jacksonville Journey.
- City Council changes: Last night, the newly elected 19-member City Council was sworn in Thursday night at The Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. Eight new members will assume their positions on the council, which will result in a significant shift in the demographic makeup of the body.
- Jaguars stadium: The Jacksonville Jaguars wrapped up their “community huddles” — public meetings designed to get reaction to a proposed stadium renovation.
Melissa Ross
David McGowan, president and CEO of WJCT Public Media, and Melissa Ross joined us for a final goodbye and to discuss her time here at WJCT. We congratulate Melissa on her 14 years with us, and we wish her the best in her new role as the city's director of strategic initiatives and press liaison.
