Mike Mendenhall Associate Editor email
Jacksonville Today Associate Editor Mike Mendenhall focuses on Jacksonville City Hall and the Florida Legislature. A native Iowan, he previously led the Des Moines Business Record newsroom and served as associate editor of government affairs at the Jacksonville Daily Record, where he twice won Florida Press Association TaxWatch Awards for his in-depth coverage of Jacksonville’s city budget. Mike’s work at the Daily Record also included reporting on Downtown development, JEA and the city’s independent authorities, and he was a frequent contributor to WJCT News 89.9 and News4Jax. Mike began his journalism career at the Newton Daily News, where he was promoted to editor-in-chief and won the Iowa Newspaper Association’s Outstanding Young Iowa Journalist Award and the Harrison Skip Weber Investigative Reporting Award. A graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Mike is the rare combination-Star Wars/Star Trek fan. When he’s not writing, Mike is on the beach or camping with his wife Betsy and their two dogs Jovie and Nessie, enjoying live jazz or at the movies.
Featured image for “Downtown Jacksonville Starbucks wins city incentives”
An illustration shows the interior of the proposed Starbucks in Downtown Jacksonville. | City of Jacksonville
2 days ago

Downtown Jacksonville Starbucks wins city incentives

The Starbucks franchise holder now will turn their attention to construction in the Bank of America Tower Downtown.…

Featured image for “City Council doesn’t support Duval School Board’s push for independent attorney”
City Hall | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
2 days ago

City Council doesn’t support Duval School Board’s push for independent attorney

Without the Jacksonville City Council’s endorsement, the Duval School Board’s push for its own attorney is less certain.…

Featured image for “Why the city thinks incentives for Downtown Starbucks make sense”
A licensed Starbucks franchise is planned on the ground floor of Bank of America Tower at 50 N. Laura St. | Jacksonville Daily Record
October 9, 2025

Why the city thinks incentives for Downtown Starbucks make sense

Jacksonville officials say a Starbucks in the Bank of America Tower would be a sign of health for Downtown.…

Featured image for “Duval DOGE targets city’s group health fund deficit”
Tuesday’s Duval DOGE Committee meeting was held at Jacksonville City Hall | File photo
October 8, 2025

Duval DOGE targets city’s group health fund deficit

The Duval DOGE committee’ will look for ways to reduce the city’s $21 million health care deficit.…

Featured image for “Chief administrator is leaving Jacksonville mayor’s office”
Karen Bowling at the University of North Florida's Center for Entrepreneurship in 2020. | Jacksonville Daily Record
October 2, 2025

Chief administrator is leaving Jacksonville mayor’s office

Chief Administrative Officer Karen Bowling departs after a little more than two years in the administration.…

Featured image for “Rainbow art returning to Five Points ahead of Pride weekend”
Artist and sculptor Mere Mason works on what will be a rainbow fixture to repurpose an abandoned payphone in Riverside ahead of Jax River City Pride on Saturday and Sunday. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
October 1, 2025

Rainbow art returning to Five Points ahead of Pride weekend

In advance of Jax River City Pride, displays are popping up to replace crosswalks the state eliminated.…

Featured image for “Deeper dive: What’s in Jacksonville’s $2B budget?”
Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico, left, listens to Vice President Nick Howland on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at City Hall. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 26, 2025

Deeper dive: What’s in Jacksonville’s $2B budget?

City Council approved the largest operating budget in its history, including a modest property tax cut.…

Featured image for “City Council passes tax cut, ends budget battle by cutting divisive amendment”
The vote to pass the city budget was 15 in favor, two opposed, with two abstained from voting. | City of Jacksonville
September 24, 2025

City Council passes tax cut, ends budget battle by cutting divisive amendment

Jacksonville city lawmakers stripped a divisive amendment from the proposed city budget early Wednesday morning to break a stalemate and…

Featured image for “NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Jax budgets: Proposed vs. passed”
September 19, 2025

NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Jax budgets: Proposed vs. passed

Our number of the week is $26,749,757: the amount of money the Council stripped from Deegan’s proposal so far.…

Featured image for “Florida DOGE claims Jacksonville is overspending by $200M”
Florida chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, says the city of Jacksonville has $200 million in wasteful spending during a news conference Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 17, 2025

Florida DOGE claims Jacksonville is overspending by $200M

Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia says a DOGE audit shows residents are being overtaxed.…

Featured image for “JEA negotiating with Live Oak to sell Downtown tower”
The 19-story former JEA headquarters tower at 21 W. Church St. could soon be sold to a developer led by Live Oak Contracting. | Courtesy of JEA
September 12, 2025

JEA negotiating with Live Oak to sell Downtown tower

Live Oak Contracting wants to convert the former JEA campus into apartments and retail.…

Featured image for “Mayor can veto budget amendments, city lawyer says”
Mayor Donna Deegan speaks to reporters about her veto of a local immigration bill at City Hall. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today.
September 11, 2025

Mayor can veto budget amendments, city lawyer says

But City Council would need only 10 votes to override the veto, the general counsel says.…

Featured image for “Dems’ walkout lifts social spending prohibition from Jax city budget – for now”
Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond is the child of South African immigrants. The Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance has accused Diamond's amendments in the city's proposed 2025-26 budget as anti-immigrant. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 10, 2025

Dems’ walkout lifts social spending prohibition from Jax city budget – for now

The Jacksonville City Council, at least for now, removed language from the city budget that would ban taxpayer funding for…

Featured image for “State attorney won’t investigate City Council text messages”
State Attorney Melissa Nelson | News4Jax
September 9, 2025

State attorney won’t investigate City Council text messages

The State Attorney’s Office says there is no legal basis to investigate text messages between three Jacksonville council members.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville health leaders back vaccine mandates”
Jacksonville's chief health officer, Sunil Joshi, speaks in 2023 | Casmira Harrison, Jacksonville Today
September 5, 2025

Jacksonville health leaders back vaccine mandates

Top medical officials say that ending vaccine mandates will erode decades of progress against preventable diseases.…

Featured image for “Proposed Jacksonville tax cut nears a reckoning point”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, right, listens to a resident at a town hall meeting Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at the Mandarin Senior Center. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 4, 2025

Proposed Jacksonville tax cut nears a reckoning point

City Council is poised to lower the city’s millage rate while Mayor Donna Deegan argues against it at town hall…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Will Bread & Board ever return Downtown?”
The former Bread & Board restaurant at 100 W. Bay St. in Downtown Jacksonville. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
August 29, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | Will Bread & Board ever return Downtown?

VyStar Credit Union is working to find another restaurant for the space left empty by Bread & Board.…

Featured image for “Jax mayor wants to hear what you think of city budget”
Mayor Donna Deegan hosted a community conversation at the Legends Center in the Sherwood neighborhood on Aug. 24, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 27, 2025

Jax mayor wants to hear what you think of city budget

Mayor Donna Deegan has set a series of town hall meetings after City Council cut some of her proposals.…

Featured image for “JEA moves to pursue $1.57 billion natural gas plant”
A GE Vernova natural gas-powered turbine which could power a future JEA power plant. |
August 26, 2025

JEA moves to pursue $1.57 billion natural gas plant

JEA plans to build a natural gas power plant and may need to reevaluate its rollout of more solar projects.…

Featured image for “Jax mayor and City Council president spar over budget cuts”
Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico says police, fire and infrastructure were the financial priorities for City Council for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, 2025. Carrico was joined by eight Republican members of the City Council, including Finance Committee Chair Raul Arias, left, and former Council President Ron Salem on the steps of Jacksonville City Hall on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 26, 2025

Jax mayor and City Council president spar over budget cuts

With budget hearings wrapped up, City Council will now debate whether to cut programs to reduce taxes.…

Featured image for “Health funding partly restored in city budget”
August 22, 2025

Health funding partly restored in city budget

The action came after the medical community lobbied local lawmakers not to scrap funding for teleheath and other programs.…

Featured image for “Daily’s and Bold City Brewery delayed in LaVilla”
An illustration of the LaVilla Daily's as seen from Bay and Broad streets. | Jacksonville Daily Record
August 14, 2025

Daily’s and Bold City Brewery delayed in LaVilla

Jacksonville lawmakers gave First Coast Energy three more years to complete the combined fuel station and brewery.…

Featured image for “City attorney questioned for hiring father-in-law’s firm”
Jacksonville General Counsel Michael Fackler. | Jacksonville Daily Record
August 13, 2025

City attorney questioned for hiring father-in-law’s firm

Jacksonville City Council wants a state ethics opinion about the action of General Counsel Michael Fackler.…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Who’s paying for The Pearl sculpture at RiversEdge?”
The city has issued a permit for a sculpture called The Pearl at the RiversEdge development on the Downtown Southbank. The Pearl is the centerpiece of the development's Central Park. | Jacksonville Daily Record
August 11, 2025

#AskJAXTDY | Who’s paying for The Pearl sculpture at RiversEdge?

The city is kicking in $1 million for the sculpture. The developer will pay the rest.…