First Coast Connect

We took a closer look at President Donald Trump ’s State of the Union address and the Democratic response with Daniel Cronrath , Professor of Political Science Florida State College at Jacksonville; and Matthew Corrigan , Professor of Political Science & Public Administration, University of North Florida. Homeowners’ Insurance After multiple natural disasters, Floridians now have fewer options for insurance coverage - especially when it comes to their homes. We discussed our options with

Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced plans to eliminate the Gardiner program waitlist of nearly 2,000 students.

Mayors at the Beaches are working on plans for coastal resiliency.

For this week’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Media Roundtable, our panel of journalists looked at some of the biggest stories of the week, including: “Operation Rap Up” and the controversy surrounding it . A new effort by local politicians to address sea-level rise . Governor DeSantis’ efforts to end Common Core . Our panelists were: Andrew Pantazi with The Florida Times-Union Anne Schindler with First Coast News Blogger and Regular Contributor Frederick Matthews And A.G. Gancarski of

Earlier this week police announced the arrest of six people accused of illegal firearm possession. At least five were seen in locally-produced music videos holding weapons and glorifying gang violence. But our Florida Times-Union news partner reports the main expert police relied on to get arrest warrants for the five can’t say for sure the people in the videos were holding real weapons. The Times-Union also reported it wasn't clear how the sixth suspect arrested was connected to the video,

Florida is getting failing grades on its efforts to reduce teen smoking and vaping, according to a new report . Ashley Lyerly , Director of Advocacy in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi for the American Lung Association ; Kristal Fuentes , Health Promotions Specialist for the American Lung Association; and Ann Gipalo , Vice-Chair of Tobacco Free Jacksonville and Health and Safety Chair, Duval County Council PTA, joined us to discuss the report in more detail. Related: Survey Finds

Next week the Glynn County, Georgia, School System plans to launch STOPit , a technology platform aimed at helping schools stay on top of bullying and cyber abuse, as well of threats of violence, self-harm, and other inappropriate behaviors.

The city’s newly-formed Task Force on Safety and Crime Reduction - charged with combating violent crime in our area – met for the first time Friday. David Bauerlein of The Florida Times-Union covered the meeting and joined us to discuss it in more detail. First Coast Success Karen Brune Mathis , Editor of the Jax Daily Record , profiled Janet Owens , Executive Director of LISC Jacksonville , for this morning’s installment of First Coast Success. Pink Martini Pink Martini draws inspiration from

For this week’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Media Roundtable, our panel of journalists looked at some of the biggest stories of the week, including: JSO overtime rates that are raising eyebrows as the city election nears . A new poll shows President Donald Trump is divisive in Florida. Florida’s new Secretary of State resigns after photos of him in blackface emerge . Our panelists were: WJCT Contributor Charles Griggs Dan Scanlan of The Florida Times-Union Radio host Angela Spears of

Earlier this week, JEA announced a list of potential sites for its new downtown headquarters.