The race for mayor in Atlantic Beach pits incumbent Mayor Curtis Ford against challenger Nancy Staats, and the issues range from the major to ministerial. In the former category, flooding overwhelmed the beach community this past weekend after an estimated 11 inches of rain fell during a king tide. We talk to Staats about the existential challenges of climate change for coastal cities, as well as what brings her to the political arena after a career in anesthesiology and critical care medicine. First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find all of our election coverage here, and you can find detailed information about upcoming races in the Jacksonville Today Voter Guide.
Guest: Nancy Staats, candidate for Atlantic Beach mayor
Beatles lore
At a politically and meteorologically intense moment in 1964 (the day after Hurricane Dora struck the First Coast and two months after the Civil Rights Act was signed into law), the Beatles staged a historic stand against segregation in Jacksonville. Or did they? We break down the memory and myth with music historian Michael Ray FitzGerald. We also explore how the decades-old story blends with the very current crisis over the role of politics in music. Though artists have lined up in support of communities in crisis from Band Aid 1984 to Farm Aid 2026, the Ed Sheeran/Macklemore controversy proves just how perilous political expression has become in the modern era. That standoff, in fact, resurrected the Beatles 1964 story via social media and gave that debated piece of local history national traction.
Guest: Michael Ray FitzGerald, musician, author and media historian
Mic drop-in
According to The Edison Research Infinite Dial 2026 report, 45% of Americans consume at least one podcast episode a week, so it should come as no surprise that the region’s nonprofit broadcaster is in the game. Last month, WJCT Public Media announced the launch of Studio Five Podcast Production Services with a goal of helping individuals and organizations create their own podcasts. The facility offers both audio and video production, as well as help editing and launching upstart podcasts. WJCT’s podcast director, a two-time Webby Award-winning podcast producer, joins us to discuss what it takes to break through in a crowded podcast field and previews an open house event at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Attendees can take a guided tour of the space and will have an opportunity to chat and brainstorm with the production team.
Guest: Letisha Bereola, director of podcasting, WJCT Public Media
Topics and guests subject to change.