First Coast Connect: Breaking down the budget

First Coast Connect: Foodie funding

A city program to incentivize and ignite the Downtown bar and restaurant scene has been picking up steam, with 11 project grants awarded since 2024 — nearly four times as many as in the program’s first three years. Food writer Hanna Raskin says the often significant grants paved the way for several new additions to the urban core landscape, including a vinyl listening room over Keane’s Tavern, Dorothy’s Downtown restaurant and the Pour Taproom. We talk about what the tax incentives have bought and whether that could be changing in an uncertain budget landscape. Guest: Hanna Raskin, food writer for Jacksonville Today [https://jaxtoday.org/2026/05/31/food-section-public-incentives-downtown-restaurants/] Coffee talk The fight to unionize the world’s largest coffee chain is the subject of a new documentary. In 2021, workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, became the first store in the country to form a union. The film traces the evolution of the movement, which has now spread to 700 stores nationwide, even though workers are still fighting for their first contract. The film, which is narrated by Susan Sarandon, screens at the Museum of Contemporary Art at noon June 20, followed by a Q&A with director Mark Mori, moderated by the city’s film commissioner, Todd Roobin. Guest: Mark Mori, director, Baristas vs Billionaires [https://www.baristasvsbillionaires.com/] Classical history Since its inception in 2007, the St. Augustine Music Festival has focused on uplifting music in an exceptional space. The annual event, held at the Cathedral Basilica on the Plaza de la Constitución, is the brainchild of acclaimed musicians Jorge Peña (viola) and Jin Kim-Peña (cello), who both played with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra before creating the region’s largest free classical chamber music concert series. In honor of its 20th anniversary and the nation’s 250th, this year’s festival is shaped around themes highlighting the spirit of America, as well as the classical sounds that inspire the human spirit. Guests: * Jorge Peña, St. Augustine Music Festival co-founder and artistic director * Jin Kim-Peña, St. Augustine Music Festival co-founder and artistic director See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: New Duval Schools HQ Bids and Historical Markers in LaVilla

The Duval County School Board receives new bids for its Prudential Drive headquarters. Plus, Jacksonville unveils the LaVilla Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Heritage Trail, highlighting the history and culture of one of the city’s predominantly Black communities through new markers and artwork. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: New Pediatric Hospice Care In Jax and Property Tax Amendment Lawsuit

A new pediatric hospice and critical care center has opened on Jacksonville’s Southside, offering a dedicated space for children with serious illnesses and their families. Also ahead, a legal challenge is questioning the wording of Florida’s proposed property tax exemption amendment that voters will consider in November. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: AG candidate José Javier Rodríguez

With qualifying in all Florida races set to wrap this Friday, we catch up with Democratic candidate for state attorney general José Javier Rodríguez. Some recent internal and external polls suggest his challenge of appointed Republican incumbent James Uthmeier is within a handful of percentage points. We ask the candidate if his campaign is being affected by state and national news, how politicians are coping in a field already flooded with AI slop, and get his take on the current AG’s frequent forays into Jacksonville city business. Guest: José Javier Rodríguez, Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general Juneteenth at St. John's Cathedral A “shared call to justice” and a celebration of African American sacred choral music is at the core of a planned Juneteenth observance at St. John’s Cathedral in Downtown Jacksonville. The program’s theme is built around a piece by singer/songwriter Beth Neilsen Chapman, titled How We Love, performed by the Jacksonville Gospel Chorale with assistance from visiting composer, conductor and African American gospel music scholar Dr. Raymond Wise. Wise was the conductor and choir leader in the Emmy and Award Winning PBS documentary Amen: Music of the Black Church [https://www.pbs.org/video/amen-music-of-the-black-church-mjpdrd/]. The annual event, which features the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll as keynote speaker, will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at the cathedral on East Church Street, followed by a reception. Guests: * Dr. Raymond Wise, executive director of the African American Arts Institute and professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University * Dr. Barbara Bouie, Sandalwood High School choral director, former choral activities director at Edward Waters University Shopping under the stars Live music and local art under the oaks at the AMP are de rigueur at the quarterly Night Market in St. Augustine. Since its creation nearly a decade ago, the event has blossomed into a packed attraction: part farmers market, part street festival. In addition to crafts, gifts, a food truck court and cocktail concessionaires, the June event features performances by local artists Claire Vandiver and Bad Dog Mama on the Front Porch stage. The next Night Market will be 5-9 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. The event is free, and overflow parking is available at the Elk’s Lodge next door. Guest: Dianya Markovits, director of public relations and partnerships at SJC Cultural Events, Inc. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Water Restoration in the Trout River and Local Facial Recognition Lawsuit

Efforts to improve water quality along Jacksonville’s Trout River are expanding, as volunteers add new oyster habitats designed to filter pollution. Also, a Fort Myers man is suing the Jacksonville Beach Police Department and other law enforcement agencies after he was arrested following a facial recognition match that was later challenged. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.