first coast connect

As the number of new coronavirus cases in Florida continues to soar, researchers are trying to improve the state’s coronavirus testing and tracing efforts.

On Friday’s episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, our Media Roundtable discussed some of the top stories impacting Northeast Florida this week, including:

A lawsuit has been filed in Jacksonville seeking to scale back the Republican National Convention next month at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The complaint calls the event a public nuisance.

Part of the Republican National Convention is still scheduled to take place in Jacksonville next month. A group of local pastors have joined the growing local chorus in speaking out against it.

Newly elected Jacksonville City Council President Tommy Hazouri joined us to share his thoughts on the RNC, social justice in Duval, and more.

Florida has topped 200,000 coronavirus cases.

As coronavirus cases keep mounting in Florida, hospitals are working to manage their COVID-19 wards.

While students are enjoying summer break, local school districts are working on plans for the new school year, which is scheduled to begin in August, with a number of new coronavirus precautions in place. 

The City of Jacksonville announced on Monday that there will be a mandatory mask requirement for public and indoor locations, and environments that cannot practice social distancing. 

On Friday, the state once again restricted the sale of alcohol in bars, to help try and slow the spread of coronavirus. That means that many bars, breweries and nightclubs either had to switch back to to-go only service, or shut down altogether again.

On Friday’s episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, our Media Roundtable discussed some of the top stories impacting Northeast Florida this week, including:

On Wednesday, the state saw its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases. 

A new poll conducted by UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows widespread local opposition to the Republican National Convention coming to Jacksonville this summer, as well as increased levels of concern over coronavirus and its effects. 

A recent RABA Research poll commissioned by Republican Voters Against Trump found that 49% of those surveyed disapproved of Jacksonville hosting President Trump’s nomination speech, while only 39% supported it.

As Confederate monuments around Jacksonville start to come down, there’s also a push to change the names of public spaces and schools.

On Friday’s episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, our Media Roundtable discussed some of the top stories impacting Northeast Florida this week, including:

A Jacksonville-based data scientist says the way Florida presents COVID-19 data to the public is misleading, and he worries it’s being done deliberately to help support efforts to reopen the state.

Christopher Perle is a Professor of Biology at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Perle has been keeping a close eye on Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard since it first launched. He joined us to explain his concerns about the state data.

Wednesday on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross we looked at COVID-19 in Jacksonville as Mayor Lenny Curry said Tuesday the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases has dropped compared to the city's peak.

Now that the Supreme Court has made clear that companies cannot lay off or discriminate against workers based on their sexual orientation, we looked at what that will mean for Florida.

The nation's higest court made the surprise 6-3 ruling Monday, marking a major victory for the LGBTQ community. 

With Jacksonville hosting the Republican National Convention, political pundits have been talking about the importance of Florida as a swing state in the presidential election. But what if what we know about swing voters is wrong?

Some modeling indicates there aren’t as many swing voters as conventional wisdom suggests.

On Friday’s episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, our Media Roundtable took a closer look at some of the top stories impacting Northeast Florida and beyond this week, including:

Jacksonville is a leading contender on a shortlist of cities to host part of the Republican National Convention in August.

Community activists are speaking out about the city of Jacksonville’s decision to remove the Confederate statue from Hemming Park Tuesday.

Florida Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville), and Dr. Tra’Chella Johnson Foy, a past president of the Duval Medical Society, joined us to discuss the need for more coronavirus testing in vulnerable neighborhoods, and a number of other subjects – including the protests, unemployment, and the removal of a Confederate statue from Hemming Plaza early Tuesday morning.

Protests continued in and around Jacksonville - and around the country - this weekend.

On Friday’s episode of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, our Media Roundtable examined some of the major stories impacting Northeast Florida and beyond this week, including:

President Trump is moving the Republican Convention out of North Carolina due to Gov. Roy Cooper's refusal to permit a full capacity gathering due to concerns about coronavirus.

The U.S. Surgeon General said Monday to expect new outbreaks of the coronavirus resulting from the nationwide protests - protests that have seen thousands of people gather in close proximity - over the death of George Floyd.

As things quieted down after two days of sometimes violent clashes between local protestors and police, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry opted not to order a second curfew Monday night.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Jacksonville on Saturday to demand justice for George Floyd and transparency around the police-involved shooting deaths of three black men in the city over the last six months.