First Coast Connect

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

• City Council falls short to override a mayoral veto that would have reduced the executive branch’s board appointment power. 
• A proposed “road diet” in Brooklyn aims to promote foot traffic but could drive up travel times for motorists.
• JEA’s top executive takes an extended leave of absence, but the public utility says it's unrelated to job performance. 
• Records show the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has $15 million in unpaid bills as its CEO eyes his exit.
• City Council President Nick Howland introduces a bill that would give companies incentives to hire veterans and military spouses. 

Guests:

• Mike Mendenhall, City Hall reporter and associate editor at Jacksonville Today
• David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union
• Anthony Austin, anchor at First Coast News
• Dan Scanlan, reporter and producer at WJCT News

The only festival in the world dedicated entirely to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard returns to St. Augustine this weekend. ShepardFest features performances, readings, films and conversation centered on Shepard's work. The lineup includes a full production of Shepard's Buried Child and a staged reading of his one-man play Kicking a Dead Horse, alongside lectures on theater design and dramaturgy. Audiences can also expect screenings of Thunderheart and Days of Heaven. The four-day festival kicked off Thursday at The Waterworks.

Guests:

• Raines Carr, founding artistic director, Shepardfest
• Robert M. Dowling, author of Coyote: The Dramatic Lives of Sam Shepard

The next step to providing wrap-around services for Jacksonville’s unhoused community is underway. Sulzbacher, Northeast Florida’s largest homeless resource provider, broke ground on the $28 million development of Phase 2A for the group’s Enterprise Village earlier this month. The project, located in Northwest Jacksonville, is the first step toward moving the group’s services out of Downtown, where it has been operating since 1995. Phase 1, which features 100 housing units and apartments for previously unhoused men, is nearly 70% completed. Officials say Phase 2 will include health clinics in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, a Goodwill job training facility, culinary training services and more. Planning the 17-acre campus took nearly a decade, and construction is projected to conclude by the end of 2028. We sit down with Sulzbacher’s CEO and a board member to discuss the importance of getting the project over the finish line and what it means to move the group’s core services out of Downtown.

Guests:

• Cindy Funkhouser, CEO of Sulzbacher
• Whitney Meyer, Sulzbacher board member and senior vice president and chief community officer for the Jaguars

Rhian Tutson, a Democratic challenger for Florida’s 14th House District, is looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Kimberly Daniels in the Aug. 18 Primary. The former Florida Highway Patrol trooper, Florida Department of Children and Families investigator and current investigator for the Duval County Public Schools is running on a platform centered around “assurance, accountability and affordability.” Tutson, a Jacksonville native, outlined several of her priorities in 11 acts she drafted and says she plans to file on Day 1. Some of her priorities include criminal justice reform, mandated paid parental leave, $65,000 minimum salary for educators, solar energy investments and more. Florida’s 14th House District encompasses different areas of Duval County, including the portions of the Northside, Downtown and Westside.

First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.

Guest: Rhian Tutson, Democratic candidate, Florida House of Representatives, District 14

This weekend, three generations of Deadheads will gather for the 31st annual China Cat Sunflower Festival, a free three-day event commemorating Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead’s frontman whose improvisational style helped define the jam band movement. The festivities kick off at 4:20 p.m. daily and will feature a lineup of local and regional bands, a community drum circle and a group sing-along of the band’s song Ripple, which centers on spiritual reflection. We speak to the festival’s organizer and a longtime performer about why they work to keep Jerry Garcia’s music and spirit alive.

Guests:

• Brenda Star Walker, organizer, China Cat Sunflower Festival
• Arvid Smith, performer, China Cat Sunflower Festival

St. Mary's Episcopal Church has been a cornerstone of Palatka's Newtown community for more than 140 years. Earlier this month, the historic church earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing both its architectural significance and its perennial role in the city's African American history. We talk to city leaders and parishioners about what this designation means for the church and the community it has served since the late 19th century. They discuss the legacy of faith and preservation that led to the honor and why protecting places like St. Mary's Episcopal Church guarantees that Palatka's diverse history is embedded into its future.

Guests:

• Robbi Correa, mayor, city of Palatka
• Dianne Taylor, retired professor and Palatka historian
• Mary Lawson Brown, St. Mary’s parishioner, former vice mayor and city commissioner, city of Palatka
• Carol Milton, parishioner and descendant of St. Mary's Episcopal Church founder John W. Purcell

Donna Westrich, a teacher in Jacksonville for more than 20 years, is one of three candidates running for the District 2 seat for the Duval County School Board in the August primary. The current School Board member, April Carney, decided not run for reelection and is supporting one of Westrich’s opponents. We asked the longtime educator about her top priorities, including empowering teachers, supporting schools for all families and accountability in spending.

First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.

Guest: Donna Mae Westrich, candidate for Duval County School Board District 2 seat

A new “game changing” telescope is now open in Chile tracking the cosmos. For the next 10 years, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which features the world’s largest digital camera, will capture the southern sky for a high-definition time lapse record of the universe. The project is called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and it seeks to create the most “comprehensive, cinematic record of the universe in history,” according to the Rubin Observatory’s website. We discuss the telescope’s capabilities and the potential discoveries it could uncover with our resident spaceman.

Guest: Eddie Whisler, director of planetarium and outreach, Museum of Science & History

A thrilling crime drama staging at the 5 & Dime Theatre seeks to showcase the imperfections of the American criminal justice system. American Son, written by trial attorney Christopher Demos-Brown in 2017, explores the fallout of one night at a Florida police station where an estranged interracial couple reunite to find their missing teenage son. Jamal, a Black 18-year-old poised to enter West Point, uncharacteristically does not return home after going to spend time with friends. His parents meet at the police station and are treated differently by law enforcement — who aren’t aware they share the same child. But, both parents are met with resistance when they try to get more details about their son from investigators. We meet the playwright behind the story and ask why he felt moved to point out inconsistencies in policing when race, gender and class are a factor.

Guests:

• Christopher Demos-Brown, American Son playwright and partner at Beasley, Demos & Brown
• Rhodie Jackson, director, American Son
• Hunter M. Showalter, actor playing Scott Connor in American Son
• Eugene Lindsey, actor playing Lt. John Stokes in American Son
• Denise Reagan, executive director, The 5 & Dime

After more than 33 years working as an educator and assistant principal in Duval County, Gracie Bell Kearse-McCastler is running for School Board as a write in candidate. The Duval County School Board District 4 seat is currently held by term-limited Darryl D. Willie. Now retired, Kearse-McCastler highlights collaboration with colleagues as a way to address issues she says are currently facing the district, including teen takeovers, suspension rates, the school-to-prison pipeline and achievement gaps. We ask the longtime educator why she thinks she’s fit for the job.

First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.

Guest: Gracie Bell Kearse-McCastler, write-in candidate for Duval County School Board District 4

Behavioral and learning challenges are often viewed as discipline or performance issues, but a local author contends there is much more to the story. Gail Carter-Cade fuses her background in education with her experience as a parent of a child with special needs to create resources that help other parents, educators and community leaders better understand the root causes behind learning differences. Utilizing poetry, spoken word and practical strategies, she demonstrates why empathy and understanding are essential to helping individuals reach their full potential, which in turn strengthens communities. We speak to Carter-Cade about her latest poetry project, Uplifting The Pain ... Now.

Guest: Gail Carter-Cade, author, educator and spoken-word artist

For the first time, the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District is hosting a free music fair featuring thousands of records, CDs, cassettes and musical collectables. With its first building opening in 2024, Phoenix Arts & Innovation is a space for everything from live music to festivals and local markets. Held at the arts district’s Liberty Building, The Jax Summer Record Fair 2026 welcomes more than 40 local vendors, all-vinyl DJs, food, drinks and more. The event was previously held at Myrtle Avenue Brewing, but organizers say they wanted a fully air conditioned space due to sweltering summer temperatures. We talk with the general manager of PHXJAX and the founder of the Jax Record Fair about the upcoming event and the importance of the arts district. The event is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Guests:

• Yarina “Yaya” Cardona, general manager, Phoenix Arts Innovation District
• Joe DiCarlo, founder, Jax Record Fair and owner, Modern Music

Tony Williams joined the Salvation Army’s Batterers Intervention Program in 2025 after an argument with his girlfriend turned violent. He was arrested and charged with domestic violence, and a judge offered him a choice: Go to jail or get intervention. That intervention came in the form of a 29-week program designed to educate domestic offenders on the Duluth model Power and Control Wheel, which focuses on identifying patterns of abusive behavior as problematic and holding offenders accountable for their actions. The program was established 30 years ago and is one of the First Coast’s longest-standing domestic violence initiatives with an 83% non-re-offense rate within the past three years, according to the Salvation Army. We sit down with Williams and the program’s manager to discuss how taking responsibility for his past behavior changed his life for the better.

Guests:

• Cle Wilkerson, program manager, Salvation Army’s Batterers Intervention Program
• Tony Williams, graduate, Batterers Intervention Program

Last Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan revealed her $2.03 billion budget proposal, boasting a fiscally modest 1.1% increase over last year’s budget. Ahead of the council Finance Committee’s first budget hearing Aug. 13, some council members expressed their intentions to aggressively slash spending in preparation for the passage of Amendment 3. If passed in November, the property tax phaseout would substantially reduce ad valorem revenue beginning in the 2027-28 fiscal year. Historically, arts and culture programs are first on the chopping block when city budgets are trimmed. We talk to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s chief luminary about the economic importance of the arts in Jacksonville and how return on investment is affecting the city, not just in cultural spaces but in multiple sectors including retail, hospitality and tourism.

Guest: Diana Donovan, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville

Butler "String Beans" May was a comedian, showman and provocateur. The 23-year old was described as the “the greatest attraction in African American vaudeville” and his performances blended humor, vernacular dancing and blues piano playing. His untimely death in Jacksonville remains an unsolved mystery though some speculate it was the result of a Freemasonry initiation ceremony that went terribly wrong.

Guest: Tim Gilmore, author, educator and historian at JaxPsychoGeo

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

• Is Moms For Liberty losing its grip on local school board elections?
• Mayor Donna Deegan unveils her budget, with the stadium and other infrastructure topping her list of priorities.
• St. Johns County lawmakers charged over fraudulent voter guides were criticized as no-shows at this week’s commission meeting.
• New law enforcement drones promise to be a force multiplier — even as they raise questions about increased police surveillance.

Guests:

• Trinity Webster-Bass, education reporter, Florida Trib
• Frank Powers, former assignment manager at News4Jax
• Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter with Jacksonville Today
• David Bauerlein, metro reporter at the Florida Times-Union

A familiar favorite among Jacksonville java fans is expanding its purview from sourcing, roasting and serving coffee to publishing its own indie ‘zine. The visual exploration, titled Origin: Colombia, features 55 photos from coffee farms in and around Tolima, Colombia. Shot by photographer Matt Young and featuring essays by Bold Bean Coffee Roasters owner Zack Burnett and coffee farmer Herbert Peñaloza Correa, the project is the first step in a larger project documenting the work of coffee farming around the globe. The zine’s official release date is Friday, with a book signing at the shop’s Riverside location from 5 to 7 p.m.

Guests:

• Zack Burnett, owner, Bold Bean Coffee Roasters
• Matt Young, photographer, Origin: Columbia

Starting a business out of “fear and desperation” may not be ideal, especially when you do it in the midst of a global economic crisis. That’s exactly what Marc Robertz-Schwartz was up against when he founded the marketing agency that would become Red Apples Media. But the circumstances provided valuable life lessons and made the eventual success of the business even sweeter. The former Jacksonville resident chronicles his path from the dynamic, stressful and often exciting world of local television to the self-help shelves in his book The Red Apples Way. The book offers a playbook for entrepreneurs hoping to craft a corporate culture that reflects nine “core” values. We ask him about the inspiration behind his governing acronym and whether the changing media landscape has affected his management principles.

Guest: Marc Robertz-Schwartz, author of The Red Apples Way

A candidate who hiked the length of Florida’s Congressional District 5 now wants to run it — at least figuratively. Mark Heggestad is approaching the three-way Democratic primary on Aug. 18 with a bit of retro-politicking, evoking the statewide pedestrian tour of former Democratic Gov. “Walkin’ Lawton” Chiles. The Jacksonville-to-St. Augustine District 5 is smaller but the political challenge no less daunting for a Democrat, given the area’s strong Republican demographics and the dominant fundraising of the district's entrenched incumbent, John Rutherford (now seeking his fifth term). We ask Heggestad why he’s choosing to run now and what perspective he brings to the primary challenge against Rachel Grage and Alex Hazen (who has been invited to appear on First Coast Connect on Aug. 6).

First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.

Jacksonville is home to one of the largest military populations in the United States, anchored by two Naval stations. The First Coast YMCA serves the 150,000 active duty soldiers and their families with specialized programs, including a program for active duty military children in first through sixth grade to cope with the challenges of being a military child, and an eight-week wellness program that focuses on general physical and mental wellness for both teens and veterans. Ahead of the school year, the First Coast YMCA is hosting its annual Military Appreciation Day Back-To-School Bash from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at multiple YMCA locations across North Florida. Free backpacks stuffed with school supplies, as well as household groceries, are provided as needed to children in military families.

Guests:

• Melissa Yuchasz, district executive director and military outreach co-leader, YMCA at Wildlight and McCarthur Family YMCA
• Sean Dougherty, military affairs manager, VyStar Credit Union

A Democrat in a heavily Republican district takes on a well-financed incumbent. If it sounds familiar, it’s because she’s lived this before. Democratic candidate Rachel Grage, now challenging District 5 Republican congressman John Rutherford, previously mounted a campaign for the Beaches-area House district seat held by Republican state Rep. Kiyan Michael. In both cases, Grage has expressed determination not to let incumbency amount to a free pass to reelection. We ask Grage about taking on uphill battles and what change she believes is needed in the Jacksonville-to-St. Augustine district.

First Coast Connect will be covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. You can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your specific district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org.

Guest: Rachel Grage, Democratic candidate for Florida's 5th Congressional District

A recent bike tour of the city’s Northside showcased a handful of new murals adorning everything from community centers to beloved barbecues. The event was an effort to promote the area’s cultural infrastructure, which advocates note has traditionally gotten less focus and funding than similar projects elsewhere. We sit down with the founder and CEO of Northside Pride of Jacksonville, which organized the ride, as well as two local muralists whose works in Sherwood and Moncrief celebrate the area’s colorful and culturally impactful past and present.

Guest:

• David Nickashi, artist and muralist behind The Cookout mural at Charles Boobie Clark Center
• Vic Alexander, visual artist and creator of the Jack Holley Legend Mural at Holley’s Bar-B-Q on Moncrief Road
• Dana Maule, founder, Northside Pride of Jacksonville

Rethreaded, the Jacksonville program for survivors of sex trafficking, began as a startup, founded and funded at the OneSpark crowdfunding festival held for several years in Downtown Jacksonville. The nonprofit hits a significant milestone this year, celebrating 15 years of existence. In honor of its quinceañera, Rethreaded is hosting a community party from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The event is at the Delores Barr Weaver Campus of Hope in Springfield and is free, though donations and purchases are doubled during the party up to $30,000. We talk to the group’s founder about the group’s evolution and the lives it has changed in that time.

Guest: Kristen Keen, founder and CEO, Rethreaded

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan presented her $2.03 billion budget Monday, choosing not to presage the fiscal impacts of a proposed property tax cut, which goes before voters in November. Deegan’s 1.1% ($22.6 million) increase over last year’s budget is modest by most measures, but diametrically opposed to the austerity budget that the Jacksonville City Council leadership has said it wants in anticipation of potentially massive ad valorem revenue reductions starting in the 2027/28 fiscal year. We break down the messaging and the meat of the budget proposal, as well as the kind of reception it can expect from lawmakers as it moves into August and September committee and public hearings.

Guest: Chris Hand, local government expert, attorney and co-author with the late Sen. Bob Graham of America, the Owner's Manual

Former WAPE Big Ape morning show host-turned-conservative podcaster Mark Kaye is challenging incumbent congressman John Rutherford. We ask the first-time candidate why he’s targeting the four-term incumbent lawmaker, what he’s learned about politics in his almost 20 years in media, and why he thinks he’s equipped to take on D.C. politics. We also ask him about courting controversy for retweeting a photo of President Trump surrounded by AI-generated Black supporters and what leadership style he plans to bring to the Jacksonville-to-St. Augustine 5th Congressional District.

Guest: Mark Kaye, candidate for Florida's 5th Congressional District and host of Mark Kaye Saves the Republic

Today, former Republican lawmaker Jeff Brandes discusses what he calls “the blast radius nobody is talking about” if a property tax cut is approved by Florida voters. Amendment 3, which appears on the November ballot, would dramatically curtail state property tax revenues, which fund most local government services, including police, fire, libraries, maintenance and community events. Brandes, who now runs a nonpartisan research institute and think tank, the Florida Policy Project, says by stripping municipal and county governments of revenue, the tax cut proposal effectively neuters local control and shifts power to the state. Earlier this month, Brandes joined former Northeast Florida Democratic Congressman Al Lawson in a bipartisan lawsuit challenging the legality of the ballot language.

Guest: Former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes, founder and president of the Florida Policy Project

A new poll takes the pulse of voters ahead of the midterm elections, including their views on candidates seeking office in Florida, AI and President Trump, as well as their biggest affordability concerns. The poll also gets an early look at how state residents might decide the all-important property tax cut amendment, which goes before voters in November. We break down the results with the head of the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab.

Guest: Sean Freeder, faculty director, UNF Public Opinion Research Lab

The choice of a storied local business to fill the role as one of two Riverfront Plaza restaurants wasn’t a given — European Street Cafe won the slot in a competitive bid process — but it has proved gratifying for longtime residents and city officials alike, who say the recognizable, longstanding business will reinforce the plaza’s First Coast identity. We sit down with the owner of the five-decade-old sandwich shop to discuss what customers can expect from the fourth Jacksonville location and what the mini-chain hopes to gain from a partnership with the city and its first Downtown location.

Guest: Andy Zarka, owner, European Street Cafe