Integrity Inc.
If you’re eyeing the other side of the 2026 midterms as a respite from the political assault of election season, brace yourself. Jacksonville’s city races are already underway and promise to be just as confounding and enervating in the lead-up to Election Day on March 9. Among the seats up for grabs: mayor, sheriff, supervisor of elections, tax collector, property appraiser and all 19 City Council seats. But a new nonprofit created to combat the worst of the electoral excesses is also in motion, with a focus on providing independent polling, public records requests and accountability from public officials. We talk to the three founders about why they feel now is the time for nonpartisan scrutiny and what resources they will use to seek clarity for voters.
Guests:
- Warren Jones, former City Council president and Duval County School Board chair
- Hank Coxe, attorney, former president of The Florida Bar
- Michael Ward, former chairman and CEO, CSX Corp.
Into the Wood
An eccentric, exuberant and visually febrile artist, Memphis Tennessee Wood taught generations of Jacksonville art students in addition to creating a (sometimes literally) large body of work that ranges from oil paintings to sculpture. But it is her genre-defying fabric creations that are the focus of author Tim Gilmore’s latest book exploring the life and legacy of Jacksonville’s “First Lady of Art.” We talk to him about what went into his 27th book ahead of its local launch at the Mandarin Museum on Oct. 15.
Guest: Tim Gilmore, historian, educator and author, Memphis Wood and the Sanctified Fecund
Mental note
A new initiative that aims to marry music and mental health is taking shape under the auspices of a couple that has literally married those two endeavors. Jazz educator and musician John Lumpkin II and his wife, licensed mental health counselor Jessica Lumpkin, are launching their program, The Mental Note, combining themed jazz performances with a therapist-led conversation about managing and exploring emotional response. The couple’s next event is Saturday.
Guests:
- John Lumpkin II, jazz artist, producer and adjunct faculty, University of North Florida School of Music
- Jessica Lumpkin, director of mental health outreach and engagement, Jacksonville Arts and Music School
Topics and guests subject to change.