Dan Scanlan Reporter email
Dan Scanlan is a veteran journalist with almost 40 years as a radio, television and print reporter in the Jacksonville area, as well as years of broadcast work in the Northeast. An avid automobile enthusiast who has written about classic cars and events for national magazines, Dan began his broadcast career at radio stations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He moved to Jacksonville in the early 1980s to be news director at a local station, then shifted to WJXT-TV as overnight and morning news anchor and reporter. That led to three years at the NBC station in Jacksonville as police reporter and morning news anchor, followed by time as a public relations and advertising director involved in a number of political campaigns. 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.
Featured image for “Ex-wife indicted in Jared Bridegan’s ambush killing”
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces the indictment of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez in August of 2023. | Dan Scanlan
August 17, 2023

Ex-wife indicted in Jared Bridegan’s ambush killing

Businessman Jared Bridegan was shot to death in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022 as he drove his young daughter home.…

Featured image for “More mental health teams hit Jacksonville’s streets with cops”
August 16, 2023

More mental health teams hit Jacksonville’s streets with cops

The “co-responder” teams at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office try to get help for mentally ill people rather than send them…

Featured image for “Aldi to buy Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie and Harveys”
Aldi bought Southeastern Grocers Inc., the parent company of Winn-Dixie. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today
August 16, 2023

Aldi to buy Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie and Harveys

The discount grocer is buying all shares of Winn-Dixie’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers Inc. Some stores could be converted to…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Why are machines running 24/7 on San Pablo Road?”
August 16, 2023

#AskJAXTDY | Why are machines running 24/7 on San Pablo Road?

Why are pumps running 24 hours a day during road construction on San Pablo Road, a reader asks. JTA and…

Featured image for “Boy, 9, accidentally shoots 6-year-old to death”
August 15, 2023

Boy, 9, accidentally shoots 6-year-old to death

Investigators were trying determine how the 9-year-old got the gun and whether it had been stored securely.…

Featured image for “$13,000 reward offered in San Marco slayings”
This SUV hit a passing train in San Marco after the woman driving it was shot to death. | News4Jax
August 15, 2023

$13,000 reward offered in San Marco slayings

Police say they have no suspects or a motive for shootings that killed two women in San Marco.…

Featured image for “Clay County school police officer dies while scuba diving”
School resource officer Anthony “Tony” Reno died while diving.
August 14, 2023

Clay County school police officer dies while scuba diving

Anthony “Tony” Reno, the school resource officer at Plantation Oaks Elementary School, died during a recreational dive in South Carolina.…

Featured image for “Mandarin bridge project will close road until late September”
The Julington Creek Road Bridge over Oldield Creek, as seen looking east. | Google Maps
August 14, 2023

Mandarin bridge project will close road until late September

Commuters, parents and school buses have to find other routes during the closure of Julington Creek Road.…

Featured image for “5 hospitalized after fire aboard Mayport destroyer”
August 14, 2023

5 hospitalized after fire aboard Mayport destroyer

The cause of the fire on board the USS Winston S. Churchill was unknown. The destroyer was launched in 1999…

Featured image for “The heat goes on: Cooling centers could open again”
August 14, 2023

The heat goes on: Cooling centers could open again

More than 400 people have used Jacksonville’s cooling centers since extreme heat began Aug. 7.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Why is there so much trash on Jacksonville’s streets?”
August 13, 2023

#AskJAXTDY | Why is there so much trash on Jacksonville’s streets?

A reader wonders what happened to the clean city streets he saw when he moved here 16 years ago.…

Featured image for “Late-night bar restrictions spark debate in St. Augustine”
Bar and restaurant owners in St. Augustine feel they've been left out of a discussion about late-night operations. | News4Jax
August 10, 2023

Late-night bar restrictions spark debate in St. Augustine

St. Augustine is considering whether to require that bars and restaurants obtain permits to operate between midnight and 2 a.m.…

Featured image for “10 arrested after gunbattle that left hole in mayor’s window”
Sheriff T.K. Waters speaks at a new conference Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, as confiscated guns are shown nearby. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
August 8, 2023

10 arrested after gunbattle that left hole in mayor’s window

A gunfight in James Weldon Johnson Park, across from City Hall, was part of a wider conflict between rival groups,…

Featured image for “Two sex trafficking victims rescued and 26 suspects arrested”
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters speaks at a news conference announcing the results of "Operation: Hot Summer." | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
August 7, 2023

Two sex trafficking victims rescued and 26 suspects arrested

“Operation: Hot Summer” was part of a national initiative to combat the sexual trafficking of children and women.…

Featured image for “The brutal heat is back; Jax opens cooling centers”
August 7, 2023

The brutal heat is back; Jax opens cooling centers

Temperatures are forecast in the upper 90s this week, with a heat index that could reach 110 degrees or more.…

Featured image for “JTA wants your thoughts about commuter rail stations”
This illustration shows a commuter rail station in the West King Neighborhood of St. Augustine. | JTA
August 7, 2023

JTA wants your thoughts about commuter rail stations

Workshops this week will explore how to develop the areas around First Coast Commuter Rail stations.…

Featured image for “Ben Frazier’s daughter assumes reins of Northside Coalition”
Kelly Frazier attends a memorial service for her father in June 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 3, 2023

Ben Frazier’s daughter assumes reins of Northside Coalition

Kelly Frazier has been a member of the Northside Coalition since her father founded it.…

Featured image for “Expanded Mandarin Museum will reopen Saturday”
The Mandarin Museum will reopen Saturday after three years of renovations.
August 3, 2023

Expanded Mandarin Museum will reopen Saturday

The museum includes new exhibits on the community’s history, the Civil War-era Maple Leaf shipwreck and the story of Black…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Why is the Southbank Riverwalk restroom closed? ”
August 1, 2023

#AskJAXTDY | Why is the Southbank Riverwalk restroom closed? 

Q: Ruth N., a Jacksonville Today newsletter reader, was recently walking along the Southbank Riverwalk near the Lone Sailor statue when…

Featured image for “TIAA Bank sale completed; EverBank name is back”
An illustration shows the EverBank name atop the 30-story tower on Bay Street. | Jacksonville Daily Record
August 1, 2023

TIAA Bank sale completed; EverBank name is back

The office building Downtown and the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium soon will take on the EverBank name.…

Featured image for “Now you can pay for JTA rides with Cash App”
August 1, 2023

Now you can pay for JTA rides with Cash App

JTA says it is the first transit agency in the country to offer Cash App for mobile ticketing.…

Featured image for “Mayo Clinic Jacksonville rated best hospital in Florida”
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville was among the local hospitals receiving an "A" grade.
August 1, 2023

Mayo Clinic Jacksonville rated best hospital in Florida

This is the seventh time in eight years that Mayo has taken the top spot in the “Best Hospitals” rankings…

Featured image for “MOSH money adding up for new Northbank museum”
July 31, 2023

MOSH money adding up for new Northbank museum

A $1 million donation this week from the Harden Family Foundation put the MOSH Genesis capital campaign close to $20…

Featured image for “Nuclear Plant Vogtle begins delivering power to JEA”
The Plant Vogtle nuclear facility is in Waynesboro, Georgia. | Jacksonville Daily Record
July 31, 2023

Nuclear Plant Vogtle begins delivering power to JEA

Unit 3 of Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia, entered commercial service at 10 a.m. Monday.…