First Coast Connect: Week in Review

First Coast Connect: Council President-elect Nick Howland

The city’s commitment to nonprofit spending — from healthcare for the poor to programs for at-risk youth and families — will be thrown into stark relief as the city crafts a budget in the shadow of potentially massive tax cuts. It’s a difficult posture for any lawmaker, but one that incoming City Council President Nick Howland will inherit ahead of a statewide vote on property taxes this November. We ask Howland how that fiscal reality might distill local priorities, and how it could affect projects likely to be decided on his watch, like a new Duval County jail and future Downtown incentives. We also ask how a series of investigations, including a State Attorney’s Office probe of current council President Kevin Carrico, may be affecting public perceptions of the office. Guest: Nick Howland, Jacksonville City Council president-elect Legend has it ... After a 46-year career in law enforcement, including three decades with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and 15 years as a school resource officer at Parkwood Heights Elementary, Officer Willie Perry got his flowers — and then some. A recent schoolwide sendoff included a children's book, The Legend on the Sidewalk: A Story for Officer Willie Perry, written by the school’s reading coach about Perry's lasting effect on the students. A copy of the book was also provided to every student at the school. We talk to the author and “The Legend” himself about the impact and rewards of his years of service to the Arlington school. Guests: * Amy Clark, author of The Legend on the Sidewalk [https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Sidewalk-Officer-Willie-Legends/dp/B0GRG4WTYW], reading interventionist at Parkwood Heights Elementary * Officer Willie Perry, recently retired school resource officer, Duval County School Police See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: School Bus Camera Tickets and New Grocery Openings in Jacksonville

During today’s episode, we look at the first month of Duval County’s new school bus camera enforcement program, which resulted in nearly 3,200 citations for drivers accused of illegally passing stopped school buses. We’ll also preview Aldi’s continued expansion in Jacksonville, with several former Winn-Dixie and Harveys locations set to reopen as Aldi stores in the coming weeks. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: Week in Review

Each Friday, our media roundtable dives into the biggest stories of the week. Among our topics this week: * Famed environmental attorney Erin Brockovich enters the data center controversy even as Nassau County hits pause on their construction.  * A St. Johns County teacher is fired over a yearbook rap lyric she says she didn’t quote. * Local governments start to grapple with the possibility of losing as much as half their funding to property tax cuts. * A zoning proposal that some say would have limited public participation is withdrawn from City Council. Guests: * Obi Umunna, attorney and political consultant * Jack Webb, attorney and former Jacksonville City Council president * Jake Stofan, city and state government reporter at Action News Jax * Noah Hertz, St. Johns County reporter, Jacksonville Today Love fest A St. Marys community theater presents a darker but still comedic spin-off of one of the most popular sitcoms in TV history. Trouble at the Tropicabana parodies the iconic characters of I Love Lucy, featuring Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred as they get involved with mobsters and movie moguls in an interactive murder mystery. Hosted for one day at Cottle and Gunn, a locally owned vintage shop in downtown St. Marys, the performance also includes a three course, Cuban-inspired meal. Guests: * David Wyttenbach, director, Trouble at Tropicabana * Vicki Wyttenbach, actor playing Lucy * Deborah Cottle, actor playing as Ethel * Carlos Semidei, actor playing Ricky See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: School Security Expansion in Duval County Elementary Schools

Duval County Public Schools is expanding weapons detection systems at some elementary schools starting this school year and we look at some of the events happening in Jacksonville to get you ready for the weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: Murder case shake-up

A high profile murder case saw some high stakes legal developments with the recent disclosure of a statement allegedly made by the defendant to an informant in the Duval County jail. According to a document released by prosecutors last week, the inmate claims accused killer Mario Fernandez Saldana revealed that his wife, Shanna Gardner, was the mastermind of the fatal 2022 ambush that claimed the life of St. Augustine father of four Jared Bridegan (Shanna Gardner’s estranged ex-husband). The document says Fernandez Saldana also asked the inmate to help frame Bridegan’s widow (his second wife) after the inmate bonded out. With jury selection in Fernandez Saldana’s murder trial set to begin Aug. 10, we get legal perspective on how consequential the new disclosure could be, both for him and his co-defendant, Shanna Gardner. Guest: Belkis Plata, criminal defense attorney School of thought It’s been burned to the ground, rebuilt, destroyed, relocated, repurposed and ultimately operated under at least eight different names, but the Stanton moniker and what it signifies remains an indelible piece of local history, one deeply embedded in Jacksonville’s African American community. We talk to the authors of Stanton, a new book exploring the 140-plus year history of an institution that began as the first school for Black students in post-Emancipation Florida and was for a time led by civil rights activist and writer (then-Principal) James Weldon Johnson. Stanton later became Duval County’s first magnet school and remains the oldest continually operating high school in the state. The book tells the story through hundreds of photographs, memories of famed alumni, sports records, cultural endeavors and decades of academic achievements. Guests:   * Ronald Galvin, co-author, Stanton * Tiffany Galvin Green, co-author, Stanton Power Ranger Amid our seemingly inescapable technological landscape, it’s increasingly rare to find kids engaging in simple things like going outside to play, searching for critters and getting their hands dirty. But one Jacksonville 8-year-old is bucking that trend and getting recognized for doing so. Raza Syed’s interest in nature and wildlife led him to the Junior Ranger program and later the Jr. Ranger Competition, a National Wildlife Federation event that asks young explorers to share their outdoor adventures in a bid for the national title. Raza placed second  [https://jr-ranger.org/2026/raza-b40e]in the competition semifinals, ranking in the top 1% out of more than 100,00 kids participating nationwide. We ask Raza about his favorite animal facts and hear how the competition allowed him to gain a deeper appreciation for the great outdoors. Guests: * Raza Syed, Jr. Ranger quarterfinalist * Asghar Syed, Raza’s father See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.