It’s an event designed to lure tourists and boost businesses' bottom lines, but the seasonal holiday light extravaganza has become more nightmare for some residents than cause for celebration. After last year’s crowds led to street-closing traffic jams, illegal parking on the lawn of the historic fort and copious public urination, the city implemented a series of “fixes.” We check in with two St. Johns County reporters about how it started — and how it’s going. We also discuss other St. Augustine/St. Johns County headlines and take your calls and questions. Click here to connect with us live or submit comments in advance.
Guests
- Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter at Jacksonville Today
- Jessica Clark, anchor and reporter at First Coast News
Then, from art to music to improv comedy, we explore the ways a local advocate is encouraging conversations around mental health. For more than a decade, Gabrielle Magid has been working not just to improve mental health outcomes, but to change how we engage in conversations about it. But that work has also met institutional resistance and risk-aversion, particularly on the First Coast. We talk to her about the search for partnerships and concerns she’s heard from some that the work is "too avant-garde" for Jacksonville.
Guest: Gabrielle Magid, founder and CEO, Stronger Than Stigma
And, celebrating the “Noon Year” with the ultimate party animals. We talk to the zoo’s inimitable “Wildlife Wanderer” about making the event family friendly and what’s on tap at the daytime celebration. In addition to the midday ball drop, the event features a DJ, games and a toast to the New Year with sparkling apple juice.
Guest: Curtis Dvorak, “Wildlife Wanderer” at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Topics and guests subject to change