From politics to potholes, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan takes your calls and questions on any topic. We also ask her about the contentious past year with the City Council, a developing rift between two “Eastside” groups and how she’s preparing for the next election season as potential candidates begin to test the waters. Join the conversation on air at (904) 549-2937 or visit firstcoastconnect.org to find all the ways you can connect with us.
Guest: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan
Then, the city’s new fire chief delivers an important holiday reminder about battery safety — particularly buying, storing and disposing of lithium-ion batteries. In addition to posing a fire risk if not handled correctly, improper disposal carries environmental risks, since dangerous chemicals and toxic metals can leach from the batteries into soil and groundwater. We discuss how battery safety increasingly affects the work of first responders and how often the agency responds to fires sparked by the electrochemical devices.
Guest: Chief Percy Golden, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
And, when it comes to keeping Florida wild, “it’s now or never.” The words of North Florida Land Trust President and CEO Allison DeFoor echo through the pages of a new book chronicling the group's 25-year mission and accomplishments. The nonprofit land conservation group has acquired nearly 44,000 acres of natural land throughout the region since 1999, protecting ecosystems and wildlife from future development. Keep North Florida Wild details the group’s history of conservation through essays and photographs highlighting the places, people and priorities pivotal to the group’s success. We talk to the book’s principal author about the importance of land preservation and how the future of protecting North Florida’s most vulnerable natural spaces hinges on civic engagement.
Guest: Sarah Hande, North Florida Land Trust, principal author of Keep North Florida Wild
Topics and guests subject to change.