Image

About

Jacksonville Today is a nonprofit local journalism service that includes a weekday email newsletter.
Sign up for the newsletter to stay informed, with:
  • The local news you need to know about, from a variety of sources and presented in an easy-reading format
  • Original reporting you won’t see anywhere else, sometimes based on input from you, our readers
  • A heads-up on how to get connected with local decision making
  • Exclusive analysis and perspectives on local politics, culture, and urban planning from a diverse set of contributors
  • A calendar of cultural happenings
  • Photo essays that capture our region through the eyes of local photographers
  • And more (but if you want to just scan the top news of the day, that’s OK too).

Jacksonville today is a different place than it was yesterday, and the decisions we make as a community now will shape the Jacksonville of tomorrow. Our goal is to help our readers feel more connected to where we live and to each other, so they can make those decisions in a more informed way.

Jacksonville Today is independent and locally owned and operated by WJCT Public Media.

Jacksonville Today is a member of The Institute for Nonprofit News. The Institute for Nonprofit News strengthens and supports more than 425 independent news organizations in a new kind of news network: nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service.

INN Network Member

Mission Statement

Jacksonville Today produces and distributes audience-engaged journalism that expands civic discourse and fosters a vibrant, inclusive, and knowledgeable community.

Our Team

author image Editor email Jacksonville is Jessica’s hometown, and today, she hopes to contribute toward making sense of our collective past and present, with an eye toward the future she wants for her own children. Her work as an editor and journalist has been recognized with national and statewide awards, and her bylines include NPR, Jacksonville Magazine, and Experience Magazine. She has a master’s in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University. In her previous life, you may have seen her on stage at one of the area’s community theaters. Her favorite breakfast is the double down biscuit from Sweet Theory. author image Senior News Editor

Randy comes to Jacksonville from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where as metro editor, he led investigative coverage of the Parkland school shooting that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for public service. He has spent more than 40 years in reporting and editing positions in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Florida. 

 author image Arts & Culture Editor email Matthew Shaw is a writer, editor and musician. His writing has appeared in Folio Weekly, Edible Northeast Florida, The Surfer's Journal, and SURFER Magazine, and he's reported on national stories for The New York Times. He was previously editor in chief of the Void Magazine. author image Newsletter Writer email Heather Henderson is a writer, editor and artist. Originally hailing from South Florida, she has lived in Jax for close to 20 years. Previously a staff writer at Void, she also worked as a global trade researcher and wrote about trade policy for American Shipper. Most recently, she served as assistant editor for the National Culinary Review and We Are Chefs. In her free time she loves to paint, watch bad reality shows and read. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of North Florida. author image Reporter email

Will Brown is a Report for America corps member focusing on race, poverty and inequality for Jacksonville Today.

He previously reported for the Jacksonville Business Journal. And before that, he spent more than a decade as a sports reporter at The St. Augustine Record, Victoria (Texas) Advocate and the Tallahassee Democrat.

Over his 15-year career, Brown has won awards for breaking news, social media and photography. And in 2020, he contributed photographs for WFSU News/Health News Florida’s national Murrow Award-winning series “Committed: How and Why Children Became the Fastest Growing Group Under Florida’s Baker Act.”

Brown has an undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s from the University of South Florida. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and soccer. He lives in Clay County with his wife and son.

 author image Reporter email

Casmira Harrison is a Jacksonville Today reporter focusing on local government in Duval County.

Harrison has a wide range of experience in more than 20 years in newspapers across Central Florida. From her beginnings as an ad designer at the Citrus County Chronicle to county government reporting at the Daytona Beach News-Journal and, most recently, as the editor for the Palatka Daily News, she enjoys all aspects of covering a community.

When she isn’t knee-deep in meeting agendas, Harrison enjoys playing guitar, riding motorcycles, traveling and seeking out truly outstanding restaurants. author image Reporter email Noah Hertz is a Jacksonville Today reporter focusing on St. Johns County. From Central Florida, Noah got his start as an intern at WFSU, Tallahassee’s public radio station, and as a reporter at The Wakulla News. He went on to work for three years as a general assignment reporter and editor for The West Volusia Beacon in his hometown, DeLand. Noah won an award for his breaking news coverage at The Wakulla News and he went on to help The Beacon take home awards from the Florida Press Association. A Florida State University graduate, Noah is happy to be back up in North Florida. When he isn't writing, Noah likes reading, baking and playing video games. author image Reporter email Megan Mallicoat is a Jacksonville Today reporter focusing on education. Her professional experience includes teaching at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, as well as editing, communications management, web design, and graphic design. She has a doctorate in mass communication with an emphasis in social psychology from UF. In her "free time," you'll most likely find her on the sidelines of some kind of kids’ sports practice, holding a book.

Contributors

author image Jacksonville Today Contributor email A.G. Gancarski's work can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, Florida Politics, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He writes about the intersection of state and local politics and policy. author image Jacksonville Today Contributor Nikesha Elise Williams is an Emmy-winning TV producer, an award-winning author, and host/producer of the Black & Published podcast. Her latest novel, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by the Black Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBook Literary Awards, as well as the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Nikesha’s debut novel Four Women received the 2018 NABJ Outstanding Literary Work Award and the Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Award for Adult Contemporary/Literary Fiction. Her bylines include The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and Vox. Nikesha lives in Jacksonville with her family. author image The Jaxson email Bill Delaney is a writer whose work focuses on the history and culture of the First Coast. He currently serves as City Council liaison for Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. He is co-owner and editor of The Jaxson, Modern Cities, and Edible Northeast Florida magazine, and author of the book Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of North Florida. Reach Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com. author image The Jaxson email Ennis Davis, AICP, is an urban planner and member of the city of Jacksonville's Downtown Development Review Board. He is also co-owner of The Jaxson and Modern Cities. A civic activist dedicated to improving communities, Ennis is also vice president of membership services and outreach for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, a Florida Trust for Historic Preservation trustee, Groundwork Jacksonville board member, and author of award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville. He holds a bachelor’s of architecture degree from Florida A&M University. author image The Jaxson Mike Field is a banking analyst and real estate developer who holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Florida State University. In 2015, he was named the state of Florida’s small business advocate of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. A member of the 2014 Next City Vanguard and 2019 Hightower Fellowship class, Mike is the co-founder of Modern Cities and TransForm Jax. author image Jacksonville Today Contributor Sherry Magill founded the JaxLookout in 2018 to reflect on local issues and encourage local citizens to engage as she was retiring from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund presidency, ending a 27-year career in private philanthropy. During her tenure, Magill spearheaded the development of the defunct Haydon Burns Library into the Jessie Ball duPont Center, a nationally recognized nonprofit and philanthropic center. Sherry currently chairs the Local Initiatives Support Corporation-Jacksonville (LISC) advisory committee and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation board and serves as member of the board of directors of Virginia-based Locus Bank. author image Jacksonville Today Contributor

Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.

 author image Jacksonville Today Contributor

Mike Clark devoted about 47 years to Jacksonville's two daily newspapers. He retired in 2020 after 15 years as editorial page editor at The Florida Times-Union, where he and his staff won local, state, regional and national journalism awards.

He is currently writing a book and producing a podcast based on the letters that his great-great-grandfather, Edgar W. Clark, a Union private, sent to his wife during the Civil War. More information at civilwarsurvivor.com.

Financial Support

Jacksonville Today is supported by individuals, corporations, and foundations with an interest in the vital role journalism plays in our civic life.

Funders and sponsors have no influence on editorial decision making.

Support is provided through the Local Journalism Initiative at WJCT Public Media.

Major support provided by*:

  • The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
  • The Jessie Ball duPont Equity and Placemaking Fund

Additional support provided by*:

  • The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
  • Florida Blue
  • VyStar Credit Union
  • First Horizon Foundation
  • The Fund for Nonprofit News (NewsMatch) at The Miami Foundation
  • Report For America
  • Susannah and Craig Albright
  • The Martha and Tom Baker Family Fund
  • Gilchrist and Amy Berg
  • Marion and David Cangemi
  • The Cascone Family Foundation
  • The DuBow Family Foundation
  • The Egan Family Advised Fund
  • Holly and Tim Finchem
  • Caroline D. Fitzgerald
  • Cynthia and Walter Graham, Jr.
  • The Ann and David Hicks Family Charitable Fund
  • The David M. Hicks Jr. Family Fund
  • The J.B. Foundation
  • Farley Kern and Mike Petro
  • The Henri Landwirth Family Advised Fund
  • Barney and Edward Lane, III
  • Drs Ilene and Jeffrey Levenson
  • LION Publishers and The Google News Initiative
  • David and Katharine Loeb
  • The Meyers-Labenz Family Fund
  • The David C. Miller Family Foundation
  • Pamela Y. Paul
  • In Honor of Timothy D. Payne
  • Sally and Anthony Perez
  • Matthew Rapp
  • The Rueger Family
  • Susan and Fred Schantz
  • Fiona Strathern and Thad Moseley
  • The Glenn and Lisa Ullmann Advised Fund
  • Jim Van Vleck
  • Dori and Bill Walton
  • The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund
  • Tracey S. Westbrook
  • Kimmie Winston
  • Jim and Ellen Wiss

* As of November 2024