First Coast Connect

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

• The City Council president’s jet-setting to a Tampa Bay Rays game raises questions about his strategies for political fundraising. 
• A local teachers union struggles for survival after state laws change the rules for membership.
• Census data contradict the mayor’s claim to have reduced the rate of uninsured residents by 34%, actually suggesting a slight increase.

Guests:

• David Bauerlein, metro reporter, The Florida Times-Union
• Obi Umunna, attorney and political consultant
• Megan Mallicoat, education reporter, Jacksonville Today
• Molly Farrar, Report for America corps member, reporter at The Florida Trib

A small ensemble making a big cultural impact on the First Coast is celebrating its 14th season this year. The Florida Chamber Music Project stages concerts September through June, filling the intimate historic space of the Beaches Museum Chapel with a playlist ranging from the classical to the contemporary. Each performance is followed by refreshments and an opportunity to mingle with the players. The first performance features classical compositions by Felix Mendelssohn and Ludwig van Beethoven and a more contemporary piece by Alex Cooper. The concert will be Sunday at the Beaches Museum Chapel and Museum, 505 Beach Blvd. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 3 p.m.

Guests:

• Susan Pardue, violist, artistic director and founder, Florida Chamber Music Project
• Patrice Evans, violinist and director of music education, Florida Chamber Music Project
• Ross Winter, violinist, Florida Chamber Music Project
• Laurie Casseday, cellist, Florida Chamber Music Project

The first show of the season for a St. Augustine community theater explores the familial fallout when a couple married for 50 years calls it quits. Grand Horizons follows Bill and Nancy, who just moved into a new retirement community, through the turmoil unleashed after they tell their adult children they are getting divorced. Written by Bess Wohl, who won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Play for her latest work Liberation, the play explores whether our deepest love might have an expiration date. A Classic Theatre presents Grand Horizons at The Waterworks on select dates between Sept. 11 and 20.

Guests:

• David Buchman, director, Grand Horizons
• Cindy Alexander, producer and artistic director, A Classic Theatre

Between development pressures on Florida farmlands to the worst drought in two decades, state cattle ranchers have seen herds decline and costs increase. Add to that heat-related stress and insect-related illnesses linked to a changing climate, and the economics of beef production are increasingly untenable. But the national affordability crisis and rising grocery bills have led to demands for action, especially when it comes to the cost of meat, and the Trump administration has responded with a series of policies aimed at reducing sticker shock. Most recently, the president signed a proclamation removing tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of beef imports, primarily from Brazil and Argentina. The announcement has shaken the industry, including in Florida, the country’s ninth-largest cattle market, with both the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association sending letters of concern. We talk with First Coast economists and a cattle rancher about the economics of meat production and how the president’s policies, here and abroad, are shaping the future of some Florida farms.

Guests:  

• Todd Thrift, beef cattle specialist, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
• Andres Gallo, professor of economics and acting chair, Department of Economics and Geography, University of North Florida Coggin College of Business
• K'Leigh Combs, fourth generation cattle rancher and vice president of Diamond D Farms

Friday is the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, and for those who lived through it, the 2001 terrorist attacks will always be seared into memory. But for most of today’s college students, there are no memories — because they were not yet born. We talk to a Florida State University professor whose class, “U.S. in the 21st Century,” explores how 9/11 changed the world for Gen Z, even though they didn’t live through it. We ask him how the national trauma continues to shape our modern experience and about the unique challenges of teaching an event that has itself become a target (and source) of misinformation.

Guest: Paul Renfro, professor of history, Florida State University

A neuromuscular disease with a misleading name is the focus of an upcoming benefit event. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited neuromuscular ailment that causes progressive neuropathy and loss of muscular control. Though rare, it affects an estimated 135,000 people in the U.S., including hundreds in the Jacksonville area alone. We talk to the head of the local CMT association about the importance of raising awareness and funds for the often-misunderstood disease. The Jacksonville Walk 4 CMT will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Mayo Clinic.

Guest: Timothy Nightingale Sr., Jacksonville Charcot-Marie Tooth Association

The mayor’s stalwart defense of JEA CEO Vickie Cavey notwithstanding, the utility’s chief announced her departure last week after months of controversy and an ever-widening investigation by the Jacksonville City Council. We talk to the mayor about what it means as JEA moves toward its sixth CEO in six years and what it means for utility stability moving forward. We also discuss the statewide rollback of Flock cameras and census data that contradict her administration’s claim to have reduced the rate of uninsured residents by 34%, actually suggesting a slight increase.

Guest: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan

Almost 200 pieces of concrete pipes, culverts and structural supports were dumped onto the sea bottom miles from the Jacksonville Jetties — on purpose. It’s just the latest project undertaken by a coalition of fishermen, recreational divers and state, local and federal agencies in an effort to expand a growing web of artificial reefs on the otherwise mostly sandy bottom off the coast of the First Coast. Advocates say the reefs drive tourism but also create critical habitat for marine life and support a healthier ocean overall. The projects aren’t maintenance free. Once created, they must be cleaned and tended to prevent accumulation of ecologically and environmentally damaging fishing lines and netting. We talk to three experts behind the effort about the challenges and rewards of making fake fish haunts.

Guests:  

• Marc Hardesty, member, Jacksonville Waterways Commission
• Paul Malone, artificial reef committee chairman, Jacksonville Offshore Sports Fishing Club
• Joe Kistel, underwater cinematographer at Kistel Media

Fun fact about Hank Phillippi Ryan: Long before she made her name as the author of popular mystery novels, she sued the CIA. Though she lost her bid to obtain agency records, the case entered the popular lexicon through a phrase the government used to defend its secrecy (and its denial of her Freedom of Information request): We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the documents. She left her stamp on the journalistic world in other ways, winning 37 Emmys and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards as an investigative reporter. But her sole task these days is delivering gripping narratives to the eager true crime and mystery fans of her nearly 20 novels, including the popular Jane Ryland series, her 2025 bestseller, All This Could Be Yours, and her newest book, Mother Daughter Sister Stranger. We talk to Ryan ahead of her local appearance at Happy Medium Books Cafe.

Guest: Hank Phillippi Ryan, former investigative reporter, author of Mother Daughter Sister Stranger

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra kicks off its fall season with a powerful musical triad, including selections from Tchaikovsky’s tragic but beloved Swan Lake, Guillaume Connesson’s celebratory orchestral overture Maslenitsa and Mozart’s commanding lyrical Piano Concerto No. 22, performed by acclaimed classical concert pianist Evren Ozel, winner of the Bronze Medal of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2025. We talk to Symphony director Courtney Lewis about choosing the right sounds to start the season and what to expect from opening night.

Guest: Courtney Lewis, music director, Jacksonville Symphony

What does the future of cycling in Jacksonville look like? An upcoming event at Springfield’s Phoenix Arts & Innovation District features a film screening followed by a panel discussion with community members and transportation planners about what makes for a healthy bike culture, and how Jacksonville can improve its own. The film, 2023’s The Engine Inside, explores the power of cycling to change lives and the planet. The event includes a safety giveaway including free helmets and reflective vests.

Guests:

• Garf Cooper, owner, ZenCog Bicycle Company
• Tanner Pletzke, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, city of Jacksonville

After 25 years of spinning the sounds of the past, present and the future, Electro Lounge host David Luckin celebrates a quarter century working the (mostly figurative, but sometimes literal) turntables. The iconic host and mixmaster of a varied, creative, eclectic and always chill playlist will be honored at WJCT Studios on Sept. 16. Electro Lounge: Live at 25 will feature Luckin’s trademark musical mix of world, reggae, electronic and nu jazz, accompanied by a special live radio broadcast hosted by the maestro himself. The event is free, but reservations are requested. (If you have a memory to share or a message for David before the event, you can leave a brief message at 904-358-6316.)

Guest: David Luckin, host, Electro Lounge

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

• After months under the City Council microscope, JEA’s CEO announces her resignation, making way for the utility’s sixth CEO in six years.
• St. Johns County considers whether to fight a new state law governing so-called agricultural enclaves after getting hit by a wave of new development applications.
• A flurry of post-trial motions and new criminal charges in the Jared Bridegan murder case complicate two trials still to come.
• And what does a statewide rollback of Flock cameras mean for taxpayers, crimefighters and civil libertarians?

Guests:

• Robert Brown, news director, WJXT News4Jax
• Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
• Mike Mendenhall, City Hall reporter and associate editor at Jacksonville Today
• Nikesha Williams, author of The Seven Daughters of Dupree
• Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter at Jacksonville Today

A proposed heavy industrial facility in Northwest Jacksonville is drawing pushback from the surrounding community, which has raised concerns about health effects, increased traffic and perpetuating the damaging legacy of “redlining,” which has historically concentrated undesirable development in poor, often Black, neighborhoods. We talk to public health experts and community advocates about how they are building their case to block the project as it moves through the City Council approval process.

Guests:

• India Butler, public health advocate, epidemiologist
• LaShaundra Sawyer, vice president of Lincoln Villa Community Association Northwest Inc.
• Clanzerria Brown, healthcare professional and community advocate

A new exhibit opening this week at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville captures the artistic interaction between architecture and electronics. The Glitch: Architecture Undone exhibit, erected in the museum’s atrium space, consists of a 25-foot freestanding tower adorned with wood scraps, industrial piping, translucent panels and other materials. The result is two interconnected structures appearing to be plunging downward and upward simultaneously. We sit down with the artist to discuss what inspired the piece and what “glitch” he is hoping to reveal. A free opening reception will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Guests:

• Ryan Rasmussen, multidisciplinary artist, creator of Glitch: Architecture Undone exhibit at MOCA Jacksonville
• Ylva Rouse, senior curator, MOCA Jacksonville

After being hauled onto the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 8 by her dad, Mel “the Coca Cola Cowboy” Tillis, singer/songwriter Pam Tillis says she quickly caught “the bug” to perform — even when it meant overcoming crippling stage fright. More than five decades later, Tillis has garnered multiple Grammy and CMA awards, been honored with Opry membership and traversed numerous musical genres, performing all the while. The artist behind such country crossover hits as Mi Vida Loca, Shake the Sugar Tree and Maybe it was Memphis, Pam Tillis is bringing her considerable talents to the First Coast. We ask the artist about her musical heritage and memories of Dolly Parton ahead of her Sept. 3 performance at the WJCT Soundstage, part of the Florida Theatre on the Road series.

Guest: Pam Tillis, country music singer-songwriter

Who can understand the alchemy of the algorithm? Certainly not the artists who find themselves suddenly and inexplicably carried aloft on a wave of viral popularity. Such is the case for Taylor Olin, a former St. Augustine singer/songwriter now based in Europe, whose single Love has turned her band The Something Specials from a modest Spotify presence to an overnight sensation. The song has been streamed more than 20 million times, even featured on a Reese Witherspoon Instagram gardening reel. We ask her about the meteoric journey and talk to Jacksonville Today’s arts and culture editor, Matt Shaw, about covering the band’s rise. We also take a listen to other local bands currently in his musical carousel.

Guests:

• Taylor Olin, singer/songwriter, The Something Specials
• Matt Shaw, arts and culture editor, Jacksonville Today

Perhaps most widely known for holding down stage right as Billy Strings’ peerless mandolin player, Jarrod Walker is a legend in the bluegrass world, winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association Song of the Year in 2022 for the Stanley-esque instrumental Red Daisy and lyricist behind the eminently catchy Gild The Lily off of the band’s 2024 album, Highway Prayers. Now, Walker is touring in support of his first solo record, Nighthawk, a mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass along with atmospheric alt-country songs. He performs in St. Augustine as part of the annual Sing Out Loud festival’s free Local Artist Showcase.

Guest: Jarrod Walker, singer/songwriter, Billy Strings’ mandolin player

Chef Dani Collins grew up on a Missouri farm that provided vegetables and chickens to the entire community. But it’s her training as a chef that has allowed her to translate the fruits of farm labor to the temptations of the table. With her background as a professional caterer, she now educates those wanting to improve health outcomes and self-sufficiency by growing their own food. We talk to Collins about the free Grow & Nourish Program, which she runs out of Eartha’s Market & Farms. We also discuss an upcoming community cleanup with Eartha’s program manager.

Guests:

• Dani Collins, culinary instructor, Eartha’s Farm & Market
• June Young, program manager, Eartha’s Farm & Market

A new exhibition aims to revise longstanding and historically dubious images of Native American history by cultivating a new body of work, created by artists from the Muscogee, Seminole and Miccosukee nations. A collaborative partnership between faculty at the University of North Florida and seven indigenous artists, the exhibition is titled Visualizing Indigenous Florida and offers a historical corrective to the images often associated with early Florida by engraver Theodore de Bry. We meet two of the participating artists and discuss how broadening the visual lens of history can help ameliorate problematic versions of the past.

Guests:

• Dr. Denise Bossy, associate professor of history at the University of North Florida
• William "Popeye" Osceola, secretary, Miccosukee business council, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
• Alyssa Osceola, featured artist and citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Florida

The promise of an Alzheimer's test for patients as young as 40, and doctors pull back on the BRAT diet for stomach bugs. We’re joined by Dr. Joe Sirven for a monthly house call to discuss recent medical headlines. We also discuss alarming new research showing that as many as 1 in 4 professional football players with the NFL will end up with the degenerative brain disease known as CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Guest: Dr. Joe Sirven, Mayo Clinic neurologist and host of WJCT’s What’s Health Got To Do With It?

A wide-reaching court order could wipe out DUI charges for hundreds if not thousands of criminally charged motorists in the state of Florida. A three-judge panel has recommended suppressing evidence in the 4th Judicial Circuit, which includes Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, but the order could potentially be used statewide to overturn pending and even already resolved DUI cases. We talk to the DUI attorney who brought the original legal challenge about why the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s procedures for maintaining Breathalyzers did not comply with state regulations and how the State Attorney’s Office might respond to a potential flood of legal challenges.

Guests:

• David Robbins, criminal defense attorney, Epstein & Robbins
• Ken Jefferson, retired Jacksonville sheriff’s officer and crime analyst

An effort to preserve a community’s shared history by recording its collective memories is the goal of the MyVillage Project, an AI-driven initiative that aims to leverage the wisdom of local leaders and share it with the younger generation. The project is being honored at this year’s 904 Day Breakfast. The annual event is hosted by LIFT JAX and VyStar to celebrate the success of civic initiatives, including the ongoing efforts to revitalize the historic Eastside community.

Guests:

• Ronnie King, founder and CEO, MyVillage Project
• Maya Francis, director of community engagement and partnerships, LIFT JAX

A reunion of friends at a remote Georgia cabin is the setting for a new locally produced horror film. Once there, they are stalked by a serial killer of sorts, one driven by scent and protected by an unspoken conspiracy of nearby townspeople. We talk to the writer/director about the pull of indie horror and the work of infusing familiar storylines with fresh blood to appeal to a new generation of fans.

Guests:

• Cobus Gomes, filmmaker, The Breed
• Vince Bagni, film producer, The Breed
• Adam Madrid, film production coordinator, City of Jacksonville Film and Television Office

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week:

• A grand jury finds the DeSantis administration “misappropriated” taxpayer money for political purposes. What does it mean for the state's attorneys general as they both run for election in November?
• The City Council prepares for possible property tax cuts with prophylactic budget tightening around public services, arts and — possibly — the Skyway overhaul.
• The governor wades into the Flock camera controversy, calling surveillance “out of control.” 
• A speedy guilty verdict in a 2022 Jacksonville Beach murder-for-hire killing sets the table for the upcoming trial of the victim’s estranged ex-wife.

Guests:

• David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union metro reporter
• John Daigle, former City Hall reporter, political consultant
• Anthony Austin, anchor, First Coast News
• Nate Monroe, executive editor, The Florida Trib

A new community theatre opened to audiences this month in St. Augustine with the intention of ushering in a “new era” of storytelling. Led by Artistic Director Sherrie Provence, Catalyst Theatre opened with The Great American Trailer Park Musical, a campy musical comedy set (where else?) in Florida. Provence spent five years leading the Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine before hanging her own shingle. What can audiences expect from the rest of the inaugural season?

Guests:

• Sherrie Provence, artistic director, Catalyst Theatre
• Heather Starling, actor playing Jeannie in The Great American Trailer Park Musical