First Coast Connect: Ask the Mayor

First Coast Connect: The 'Fee State' of Florida

After the Legislature hastily approved a ballot initiative to slash property taxes, Florida is just beginning to reckon with the costs. If approved by 60% of the voters in November, the measure would almost instantly slash the budgets of cities and small towns by more than $8 billion, according to a new nonpartisan analysis by the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference. That loss would compound over time, as additional property tax cuts — including for business and out-of-state homeowners — are phased in. Though the Revenue Estimating Conference is supposed to evaluate the cost of state proposals before they’re approved, the after-the-fact analysis is the first detailed examination of local impacts. Investigative reporter Jason Garcia breaks down the story behind the numbers, including the service cuts and fee hikes that would likely result. Guest: Jason Garcia, investigative reporter, publisher of the Seeking Rents website [https://jasongarcia.substack.com/] and podcast [https://jasongarcia.substack.com/podcast] Miracle workers A nascent partnership between First Coast Crime Stoppers and Jacksonville’s animal welfare agency, Animal Care and Protective Services, led to the arrest of a dog owner on animal cruelty charges earlier this year. In part inspired by that success, Crime Stoppers is expanding its animal cruelty tip line to include Nassau County. Though the great dane “Miracle” didn’t survive after it was discovered injured, emaciated and abandoned by a Jacksonville roadside, the case helped raise awareness of the anonymous animal cruelty tip line and the cash rewards offered for information leading to an arrest. We discuss how the partners hope the expanded effort helps stem animal abuse and neglect across the region. Guests: * Chase Robinson, executive director, First Coast Crime Stoppers * Steve MacKinnon, director, Nassau County Animal Services 250 plus 4th Two days of celebrations mark Independence Day in Jacksonville this year in recognition of the nation’s semiquincentennial. On July 3, from 5:30-10 p.m., Friendship Fountain on the city’s Southbank will be home to Freedom Fest, an event featuring live music, food trucks and free apple pies to the first 1,000 guests. On July 4th, the city’s Riverfront Plaza will feature local art, live bands and the largest fireworks display in Jacksonville's history. The event runs from 4 to 9:30 p.m., with fireworks getting underway at 9 p.m. We talk to organizers to get tips on viewing, parking and celebrating safely. Guests: * Alex Alston, executive director of sports and entertainment, city of Jacksonville * Garrett Callis, parks community programs manager, city of Jacksonville See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Affordable Housing Push in JAX and New State Laws

A new pilot program in Jacksonville between the city and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development aims to expand affordable housing through modern manufactured homes, with the first site planned for the city’s Northside. Also, a wide range of new Florida laws take effect as the state begins its new fiscal year. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: Wild ideas on Cumberland Island

A series of secretive proposed land swaps involving private property owners and the National Park Service have raised alarms that Georgia's largest barrier island could be facing more, and more intensive development. The swaps involve trading publicly held land for environmentally strategic, privately held parcels — something the Park Service says will allow the agency to conserve more vulnerable lands, but which advocates fear will permit private landholders to build larger projects on bigger properties. We discuss the often fraught relationship between land advocates and its federal and state stewards, as well as what a new administration’s priorities mean for an island required to be preserved in a “primitive” state. Guest: Kelly Cox, senior policy specialist, National Wildlife Refuges and Parks Program, Defenders of Wildlife [https://defenders.org/] Not My City Stopping domestic violence by putting the onus on men. We discuss a new prevention initiative that aims to instill in boys and men both the skills and the sense of obligation needed to effectively combat domestic violence. The program is an outgrowth of Hubbard House’s volunteer program Men Against Violence Against Women. Titled “Not My City,” the effort focuses on ways men can effectively support girls and women, while fostering empathy and engagement among their peers. An organizational meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cox Media Group Jacksonville’s Farah & Farah Performance Studio (11700 Central Parkway). Registration [https://www.hubbardhouse.org/events/] is requested. Guests: * Stephanie Brown, director of community education, Hubbard House [https://www.hubbardhouse.org/] * Stephen Dackiewicz, board president, Hubbard House In the Limelight For the past 35 years, St. Augustine’s only year-round community theater has provided a stage for amateur and rising professional artists alike. Whether staging broad, campy productions like the musical “Hairspray,” or thoughtful absurdist pieces like last year’s “Rhinoceros,” Limelight has proven itself a key fixture on St. Johns County’s cultural landscape. The theater also hosts a monthly open mic night for local performers, comics and artistic upstarts to test drive material in a welcoming, experimental atmosphere. We discuss the theater’s evolution on its path to the the 35-year mark and what its upcoming season will bring. Guest: Missy Schmotzer, interim executive director and director of education, Limelight Theatre [https://www.limelight-theatre.org/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Morning Report: Duval School Principal Arrested and State Budget Vetoes

The Baldwin Middle-Senior High School principal is facing a felony charge after an allegation that he failed to report child abuse. Also, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the state’s new budget while using his veto power to cut more than $800 million in proposed spending. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

First Coast Connect: In the blood

Decades of industrial manufacturing has polluted both ground and water in Brunswick, Georgia, and surrounding Glynn County, which is home to four federally designated Superfund sites and 12 state-regulated hazardous waste sites. That pollution is showing up in the bloodstreams of residents. Research into the health effects of chemical exposure dates back to 1997, when a local health department said the toxic legacy was due to “dirty industry … cheap labor … [and a] lack of enforcement of regulations.” A 2023 Emory University study found the presence of one chemical, produced exclusively in Brunswick, present in the bloodstream of 40% of study participants at levels higher than 95% of the U.S. population. That research prompted a new, long-term study and the creation of the inaugural Coast Superfund Research Center, funded by a $15 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health. We talk to a study participant and a social justice advocate about what the project means for residents’ health and efforts to clean up the lingering contamination. Guests: * Anita Collins, Healthy Coastal Neighborhoods [https://healthycoastalneighborhoods.com/] community consultant, chairperson, Urbana Perry Park NPA * Josiah "Jazz" Watts, community consultant, Healthy Coastal Neighborhoods Building Downtown For the past 10 years the Jessie Ball duPont Fund has opened its doors to other nonprofits, community groups, arts organizations and ordinary folk — part of its mission to provide “social purpose real estate” in the heart of Downtown. The national charitable foundation occupies the most striking instance of mid-century modern architecture in the core city, the old Hayden Burns Library, designed by the late, visionary architect Taylor Hardwick. We talk to two fund principals about their decade Downtown, the importance of promoting art and architecture and how they balance nonprofits needing affordable workspaces with the costs of maintaining a desirable Downtown address. Guests: * Mari Kuraishi, president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund Art Cart Mart After the closure of Jacksonville’s oldest art supply store, Reddi Arts, in 2025, two longtime crafters wanted a new space where creatives could shop and swap sustainably. The result is Art Cart Jax, a free, secondhand art and craft pop-up, designed with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of new supplies and providing a community-supported craft store. With 100% of the inventory composed of donated materials and contributions growing, the group moved into a new studio space at Margaret Street Studios and dubbed it “The Mart.” The space opened June 21 and is open from noon to 5 p.m. every Sunday. We ask the group’s founders about taking the leap of faith to open the new space and how the community is responding. Guests: * Jessica Grist, co-founder, Art Cart Jax * Blake Riley, co-founder, Art Cart Jax See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.