Dan Scanlan Reporter email
Dan Scanlan is a veteran journalist with 40 years as a radio, television and print reporter in the Jacksonville area, as well as years of broadcast work in the Northeast. After a stint managing a hotel comedy club, Dan began a 34-year career as police and current events reporter at The Florida Times-Union before joining the staff of WJCT News 89.9.
Featured image for “Duval DUI death sparks $10.5M in damages to family”
A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department rescue unit. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
2 days ago

Duval DUI death sparks $10.5M in damages to family

The driver who hit and killed an FSCJ student in early 2023 must now pay a $10.3 million settlement to…

Featured image for “Brown sues Trump administration for ‘illegal’ removal as NTSB vice chair”
Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, recently removed as vice chairman of the NTSB by the administration. | NTSB
June 6, 2025

Brown sues Trump administration for ‘illegal’ removal as NTSB vice chair

Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is suing President Donald Trump’s administration in federal court, challenging what the suit calls his…

Featured image for “Appeals court hears bid to revive Jacksonville Confederate monuments lawsuit”
Statues that decorated the monument to the Women of the Confederacy were removed from Springfield Park in Jacksonville and placed in storage in December. | Jacksonville Today
June 5, 2025

Appeals court hears bid to revive Jacksonville Confederate monuments lawsuit

A Jacksonville civil rights attorney asks a federal appeals court to allow his suit against Confederate monuments to go ahead.…

Featured image for “Active shooter drill held at Mayport Middle School”
Police officers rush into Mayport Middle school on Thursday, June 5, as part of an active shooter drill. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
June 5, 2025

Active shooter drill held at Mayport Middle School

An active shooter drill saw Jacksonville police and Beaches city officers join together for the first time Thursday to handle…

Featured image for “Friday’s ‘Skip Day’ could crowd the waters off Bayard Point”
Hundreds of boats and thousands of boaters attended 2023's Skip Day at Clay County's Bayard Point. | News4Jax
June 4, 2025

Friday’s ‘Skip Day’ could crowd the waters off Bayard Point

The annual “Skip Day” at Clay County’s Bayard Point could see upwards of 7,000 people on the water on Friday,…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Who decides which creek gets dredged?”
Deep Bottom Creek is overgrown with trees as it passes under Scott Mill Road, just a few hundred feet before it empties into the St. Johns River. | Google
June 4, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | Who decides which creek gets dredged?

A Jacksonville Today reader asks what qualifies a specific creek for dredging by the city.…

Featured image for “UNF poll shows support for sheriff and mayor, but less for City Council”
Mayor Donna Deegan speaks with City Council member Rory Diamond before signing his Heroes Act bill into law on March 29, 2024. | News4Jax
June 3, 2025

UNF poll shows support for sheriff and mayor, but less for City Council

The poll also found that people consider housing the most pressing problem in Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “60 vehicles still trapped in burned airport parking garage”
Workers are seen inside the fire-damaged parking garage at Jacksonville International Airport. | Jacksonville Airport Authority
May 30, 2025

60 vehicles still trapped in burned airport parking garage

No one knows when the garage will be safe enough to remove the remaining vehicles.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | What is the law about weapons at City Council meetings?”
The folding knife confiscated by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. | JSO
May 30, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | What is the law about weapons at City Council meetings?

A Jacksonville Today reader asks about the regarding concealed weapons at a City Council meeting.…

Featured image for “Former lawmaker and FSU President John Thrasher dies”
John Thrasher is shown during the 2024 Veteran's Day parade in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 30, 2025

Former lawmaker and FSU President John Thrasher dies

Thrasher, 81, was lauded as a dedicated and honorable public servant. He died after battling cancer.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Do I have to trim my tree if it hangs over my neighbor’s house?”
A magnolia tree hangs over a house on the Southside of Jacksonville. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
May 29, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | Do I have to trim my tree if it hangs over my neighbor’s house?

A Jacksonville Today reader wonders whether she has to trim her tree if it hangs over her neighbor’s house.…

Featured image for “City Hall security under review after arrests at council meeting”
Protesters rally Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in support of three people arrested at a City Council meeting the day before. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
May 28, 2025

City Hall security under review after arrests at council meeting

Mayor Donna Deegan says officials will review security options after a protester sneaked a knife into a meeting.…

Featured image for “Deaths reach 70 on Jacksonville’s roads this year”
A man was killed late Monday in a hit-and-run in Arlington. | News4Jax
May 27, 2025

Deaths reach 70 on Jacksonville’s roads this year

Deaths this year are in line with last year’s, but Memorial Day weekend was particularly deadly in Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “UNF basketball coach leaves for Kansas State after 16 years”
Matthew Driscoll, men's head basketball coach at the University of North Florida, has resigned to take a position with Kansas State. | UNF
May 22, 2025

UNF basketball coach leaves for Kansas State after 16 years

Matthew Driscoll is credited with making the University of North Florida into a perennial contender.…

Featured image for “Atlantic Beach redesigns lifeguard station”
Atlantic Beach redesigned the lifeguard station on Ahern Street. | City of Atlantic Beach
May 22, 2025

Atlantic Beach redesigns lifeguard station

The lifeguard station was upgraded for better response, but it maintains the original design from the 1990s.…

Featured image for “24 men accused of seeking sex with minors on the internet”
Sheriff T.K. Waters announces 21 arrests in Operation Rescue Our Children. | News4Jax
May 22, 2025

24 men accused of seeking sex with minors on the internet

The men were arrested in a weeklong investigation called Operation Rescue Our Children.…

Featured image for “U.S. flag retirement box set up at Jacksonville City Hall”
The drop box for U.S. flags is on the first floor at City Hall. | City of Jacksonville
May 22, 2025

U.S. flag retirement box set up at Jacksonville City Hall

The drop box is accessible during City Hall business hours — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.…

Featured image for “Students design a sustainable Jax — with a Minecraft twist”
Students from Sandalwood and KIPP Bold City high schools compete in the Minecraft New Jax City Build Challenge Finals on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at WJCT Studios. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
May 21, 2025

Students design a sustainable Jax — with a Minecraft twist

Teams from local schools used an educational version of the Minecraft game to rethink Downtown Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “Councilman pushes safety upgrades on Baymeadows”
A car passes Wicked Barley on Baymeadows Road, where a man and his child were killed on Friday, May 16, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
May 20, 2025

Councilman pushes safety upgrades on Baymeadows

City Councilman Joe Carlucci is pressing for improvements after a teacher and his son died crossing the street.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | When will the Northbank Riverwalk reopen?”
A JB Coxwell video about the McCoys Creek project shows part of the Northbank Riverwalk and pedestrian crossover dismantled for the time being. | JB Coxwell
May 20, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | When will the Northbank Riverwalk reopen?

City projects have closed several sections of the Riverwalk, but the work could wrap up before long.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville zoo is now a botanical garden too”
A tiger walks in an overhead enclosure at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, where palm trees and ferns are integrated into the design. | Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens
May 19, 2025

Jacksonville zoo is now a botanical garden too

The zoo changed its name to the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens to reflect its emphasis on plants and animals.…

Featured image for “Cargo door popped open just before fatal Yulee plane crash”
Police closed Blackrock Road in Yulee after a plane crash May 10, 2025. | News4Jax
May 19, 2025

Cargo door popped open just before fatal Yulee plane crash

A security camera showed the cargo door open on a Piper aircraft that crashed seconds later.…

Featured image for “Parking garage fire shuts down Jacksonville’s airport”
Smoke billows from the hourly parking garage at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday, May 16, 2025. | News4Jax
May 16, 2025

Parking garage fire shuts down Jacksonville’s airport

The fire began in one vehicle and spread to about 50, causing a partial collapse in the parking garage.…

Featured image for “37 who died on USS Stark remembered 38 years later”
Former crew members of the USS Stark lay a wreath in front of a memorial to the 37 men killed in an Iraqi attack on the ship in 1987. The ceremony was part of an annual memorial Friday, May 16, 2025, at Naval Station Mayport, the ship's home port. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
May 16, 2025

37 who died on USS Stark remembered 38 years later

Crew members and family remembered the tragedy Friday during an annual memorial at Naval Station Mayport.…