School is back across Northeast Florida, with Duval County students returning to class as the district works to improve literacy rates that remain below the state average. Also, heat advisories are in effect across Northeast Florida today as heat index values could reach up to 110 degrees through the middle of the week.

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From her first election in 2002, to her years in the state House and Senate, to her unsuccessful bids for Jacksonville mayor and City Council, Audrey Gibson has acquired more campaign experience over three decades than almost anyone in state politics. We ask her what she hopes to bring to the District 13 House seat and what distinguishes her from her fellow Democratic opponent in the Aug. 18 primary, attorney Leslie Jean-Bart. First Coast Connect is covering a range of local races and election-related topics between now and Nov. 3. Jean-Bart will appear on the program Aug. 12. You can find all of our election coverage here, and you can find detailed information about upcoming elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org. Additional candidate coverage is featured in Jacksonville Today’s political section.

Guest: Audrey Gibson, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 13

Active voice

A 40-year-old chorus gets a new leader — one who literally wrote the book on how to succeed as a choral singer: The Choral Singer's Survival Guide. Ahead of both a new season and regional auditions for vocalists, we sit down with incoming director of the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus to discuss what it means to start anew after his predecessor’s decade and a half tenure and how his own musical experience, from Europe to Carnegie Hall, brought him to the First Coast.

Guest: Tony Thornton, director, Jacksonville Symphony Chorus

Solo show

For nearly four decades, the names Charlotte Mabry and Robert Arliegh White were as synched as their eclectic performances — a duo known for pushing the bounds of performance art, verbal percussion and sheer absurdity. Mabry’s death last year put an end to that collaboration, but White is continuing his work on stage. An upcoming show at Babs’Lab is his first as a solo performer without Mabry (principal percussionist for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and music instructor at UNF). We preview his upcoming RAWtalk as he reflects on his 40 years of Jacksonville performance and 70 years circling the sun.

Guest: Robert Arleigh White, actor, storyteller and arts advocate

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School bus drivers in Duval County are not on strike as the new school year begins after a late-night agreement was reached between Teamsters Local 512 and Durham School Services.  Also, part of the Main Street Bridge is set to close later this month as construction on Riverfront Plaza continues.

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This week, Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall sits down with Education Reporter Megan Mallicoat to break down her candidate profiles for Duval County's District 6 school board race — one of the third most expensive in Florida, with five candidates combining to raise more than $208,000. Mallicoat explains how a University of Florida research tool helped her track campaign finance data, and details Jacksonville Today's collaboration with The Trib and WJXT News 4 Jax to ensure every contested school board race across the region gets covered ahead of the primary. Read Megan's full reporting and explore the Jacksonville Today 2026 voter guides at jaxtoday.org.

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

• First responders sound the alarm over a proposed property tax cut, even as a court-ordered change to ballot language could affect its chance of success.

• A man accused of a sexually explicit act in public will not be punished by police, leaving the victim calling for a change to the law.

• Jacksonville police respond to community outcry over the controversial arrest of a 14-year-old using a police K-9.

Guests:

• A.G. Gancarski, reporter at Florida Politics, columnist for Jacksonville Today

• Deja Mayfield, reporter/weekend anchor, Action News Jax

• Robert Brown, news director at News4Jax

• Tiffany Salameh, anchor and investigative reporter at News4Jax

Enclave outrage

Revelations that a new state law could open up more than 6,000 acres of agricultural land to intensive new development in St. Johns County has sparked anger among residents already feeling the pressure of uncontrolled growth. It’s just one issue facing incumbent state Rep. Kim Kendall, who voted for SB 686 and is now getting “a lot of questions” about her vote. We talk to her Republican challenger about what she’d do now that the law is in place, as well as her position on the future use of state parks, a proposed property tax amendment and criminal investigations over a fake voter guide. (First Coast Connect has reached out to Kendall multiple times to appear on the program but have not yet received a response.) 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 elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org. Additional candidate coverage is featured in Jacksonville Today’s political section.

Guest: Diana Patrice Jordan-Baldwin, Republican candidate for Florida House District 18

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Early voting begins today in Duval County for the Primary Elections and for a special Jacksonville City Council race, with polling locations open through August 16. Plus, we examine the growing use of Flock license plate reader cameras, why local law enforcement uses them, and the controversy behind the technology.

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From its sold-out inaugural game last May to its current standing at the top of the upstart UpShot league, Jacksonville’s first-ever pro women's basketball team is definitely making waves. We take a midseason TV timeout with the coach and two players to ask about their 20-6 record, how the First Coast has received the team and what it means to be dominating the new league at a time when women’s basketball is culturally ascendent. We also watch some tape of the Jacksonville Wave’s finest moments in the paint.

Guests:

• Jessica Bogia, head coach, Jacksonville Waves

• Khayla Pointer, point guard, Jacksonville Waves

• Taylor Soule, forward, Jacksonville Waves

On 4

As part of our ongoing election coverage, we sit down with the fourth of five candidates seeking to represent Florida’s Congressional District 5. Incumbent congressman John Rutherford, who is seeking his sixth term, has not responded to repeated requests to appear on the program, but we have previously spoken to Democratic candidates Rachel Grage, Mark Heggestad and Republican contender Mark Kaye. On Wednesday, we sit down with 29-year-old first-time candidate Alex Hazen, a video game developer who helps create training software for nurses and other healthcare workers. 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 elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org. Additional candidate coverage is featured in Jacksonville Today’s political section.

Guest: Alex Hazen, Democratic candidate for Florida’s 5th Congressional District

Stage to Screen

From the groundbreaking and exuberant Stop Making Sense to the beautifully nostalgic Scorsese passion project The Last Waltz, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is hosting a free concert film series throughout the month of August. The inaugural Stage to Screen series invites music fans to experience performances in a space built for live music and includes four concert films featuring the Talking Heads, The Band, The Rolling Stones and film composer Hans Zimmer. Audiences can experience improved acoustics in the concert hall, which saw major improvements after a nearly $13 million, 14-month renovation. All screenings are free, but registration is required.

Guests:

• Dianya Markovits, director of public relations and partnerships, SJC Cultural Events Inc.

• Tim Kirkpatrick, director of programming and strategy, SJC Cultural Events Inc.

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A major incentive package for Gateway Jax's proposed Publix-anchored development in downtown Jacksonville has been sent back for revisions. Meanwhile, unionized school bus drivers and Durham School Services are returning to the bargaining table as they work to avoid a strike just days before Duval County students head back to class.

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This week, Dr. Joe looks at a scientific breakthrough that sounds like science fiction, the return of a parasite that was thought to be long gone from the US, and a quiet health crisis unfolding among young adults.

• Scientists at the University of Minnesota have constructed what they're calling SpudCell, a living cell built entirely from non-living chemicals that can feed, grow, and replicate. Dr. Joe explains what this milestone could eventually mean for medicine — and why the ethical guardrails around this kind of research matter just as much as the science itself.
• The New World screw worm fly, a flesh-eating parasite largely eradicated from the US more than 50 years ago, has resurfaced in Texas and New Mexico with confirmed cases in pets. Dr. Joe breaks down why this parasite is particularly dangerous and what pet owners in affected areas should know right now.
• A new survey finds that more than one in four Gen Z adults don't have a primary care doctor, with many defaulting to urgent care for routine health needs. Dr. Joe explains the critical difference between solving today's problem and preventing tomorrow's — and why that gap could be fueling the very health trends we're already seeing in younger generations.

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A recent infusion of cash has upped the ante in the race for the Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 1 seat. Democrat Moné Holder now leads the pack, having raised more than $300,000 in her bid to alter the political dynamics of a predominately Republican council. The Aug. 18 Special Election also features Libertarian and frequent City Council commenter Addison Patrick, who beat a Republican court challenge to remove her from the ballot and has since filed her own court challenge alleging the Republican candidate, Deborah Wesley, does not live in her district. (Wesley, who previously committed to participating in the roundtable, canceled last week, citing an “unavoidable personal conflict.”) We discuss the unique challenges of the North and Westside Group 1 district and take your calls and questions. 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 elections, including information about candidates and ballot initiatives in your district, at the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website Vote411.org. Additional candidate coverage is featured in Jacksonville Today’s political section.

Guests:

• Addison "Liberty” Patrick, Libertarian candidate for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 1

• Moné Holder, Democratic candidate for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 1

Decked out

Stephen Jorgensen is a “plank owner,” meaning he was part of the original crew when the USS Jacksonville was christened and launched Nov. 18, 1978. Now, he’s helming an effort to bring the only ship named for the city “home” — at least what’s left of it. As president of Bring The Sail 2 Jax, Jorgensen has worked to display the submarine’s “sail” (the vertical tower located on its topside) next to the USS Orleck and the Jacksonville Naval Museum Downtown. We ask him about the sailors reunion that started the ball rolling and what it will take to make his vision reality.

Guest: Stephen Jorgensen, president, Bring The Sail 2 Jax

Breath work

In 2014, an injured Navy pilot turned her personal recovery into a nonprofit focused on making physical healing and mental well-being accessible to everyone. More than a decade later, Yoga 4 Change operates in 120-plus locations around the state, reaching a range of military veterans, at-risk youth, incarcerated individuals and people recovering from substance abuse. We speak to the group’s head yogi about the power of mindfulness and Yoga 4 Change’s data-driven approach to providing trauma-informed care to communities often overlooked.

Guest: Kim Simon, executive director, Yoga 4 Change

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