Noah Hertz 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.
Featured image for “St. Augustine settles on site for Anastasia Island fire station”
Lion statues guard St. Augustine's iconic Bridge of Lions. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
November 13, 2024

St. Augustine settles on site for Anastasia Island fire station

The city says Anastasia Island is in dire need of a new fire station, but finding a site has taken…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Clay County leads state in removing schoolbooks”
School library books, like these at R.L. Brown Gifted and Talented Academy in Jacksonville, remain a controversial issue in Florida. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
November 12, 2024

Clay County leads state in removing schoolbooks

Clay County was responsible for 287 of more than 700 schoolbooks removed from classrooms and libraries statewide.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “St. Johns County Commission now has majority who committed to slowing growth”
Ann Taylor and Clay Murphy were elected on Nov. 5. | Credit: Taylor/Murphy campaigns
November 11, 2024

St. Johns County Commission now has majority who committed to slowing growth

Next week, two new St. Johns County commissioners will join the board.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “St. Johns School Superintendent Tim Forson announces plan to retire”
St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson. | News4Jax
November 7, 2024

St. Johns School Superintendent Tim Forson announces plan to retire

St. Johns County Schools Superintendent Tim Forson will retire next year.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Newcomer elected to St. Johns County School Board”
St. Johns County's entryway on State Road A1A. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
November 5, 2024

Newcomer elected to St. Johns County School Board

Voters also continued a half-cent sales tax and approved a new 1-mill property tax to help fund teacher salaries.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Duval voters choose Shayla Lee as county judge”
Shayla E. Lee
November 5, 2024

Duval voters choose Shayla Lee as county judge

Lee, a public defender, won the judgeship by more than 50,000 votes.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “3,000-home ‘agrihood’ rejected in St. Johns County”
Freehold Communities' Arden development in South Florida is an agrihood with a 5-acre farm and event barn. | Freehold Communities
November 5, 2024

3,000-home ‘agrihood’ rejected in St. Johns County

The agrihood would have combinded homes with agricultural elements, but many residents opposed it.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “‘Agrihood’ coming to a vote in St. Johns County”
Freehold Communities' Arden development in South Florida is an agrihood with a 5-acre farm and event barn. | Freehold Communities
November 1, 2024

‘Agrihood’ coming to a vote in St. Johns County

County commissioners will consider a 3,000-home “agrihood” that would combine housing with elements like community farms.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Restrained students still an issue for St. Johns parents”
October 30, 2024

Restrained students still an issue for St. Johns parents

The federal government found that St. Johns County has reduced the use of restraint, but some parents say it isn’t…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Street closed for good in downtown St. Augustine”
The intersection at Cuna and Spanish streets in downtown St. Augustine is now the end of the line for cars going north on the bricked street. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville
October 29, 2024

Street closed for good in downtown St. Augustine

A portion of Spanish Street is closed to vehicles to make the city more walkable, but some businesses objected.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “One School Board seat still up for grabs in St. Johns County”
St. Johns County District 5 School Board candidates Linda Thomson, left, and Bethany Hilbert.
October 28, 2024

One School Board seat still up for grabs in St. Johns County

Linda Thomson and Bethany Hilbert are competing for the School Board seat in District 5.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Matanzas Riverkeeper joins call to protect native turtle species”
This diamondback terrapin lives at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in St. Johns County. | Amy Howard
October 23, 2024

Matanzas Riverkeeper joins call to protect native turtle species

The Matanzas Riverkeeper is joining a national effort to protect the diamondback terrapin, a small, spotted turtle found in Northeast…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | How did DeSantis get so much public funding for his campaigns?”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the VyStar Credit Union headquarters in Jacksonville to sign a pair of bills on May 2, 2024. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 22, 2024

#AskJAXTDY | How did DeSantis get so much public funding for his campaigns?

Public funding is available to level the playing field in statewide elections. So why do well-funded candidates get so much?…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Tourism council ready to promote Black History Museum”
St. Johns County leaders have identified a West Augustine site, near the former location of Florida Memorial College, as a potential home for a Florida Museum of Black History. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 21, 2024

Tourism council ready to promote Black History Museum

Tourism officials are recommending St. Johns County commit $50,000 to marketing and communication for the museum.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “UF Health opens 2 new urgent care centers in St. Johns”
In addition to a new hospital planned in St. Johns County, the medical system just opened two new urgent care centers. | UF Health
October 21, 2024

UF Health opens 2 new urgent care centers in St. Johns

UF Health converted two existing clinics into its first full urgent care centers in St. Johns County.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “St. Augustine comes to the aid of family rocked by hurricane”
Crews remove a fallen tree from a home belonging to the Bruce family in St. Augustine. | Amy Tarmey
October 18, 2024

St. Augustine comes to the aid of family rocked by hurricane

The Bruce family suffered thousands of dollars of damage to their home during Hurricane Milton, but caring neighbors helped them…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “St. Johns County sued over panhandling restrictions”
A driver hands money to a man panhandling at University Boulevard at Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
October 16, 2024

St. Johns County sued over panhandling restrictions

Civil rights organizations are challenging panhandling bans in cities across the state, including Jacksonville.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Explaining your ballot: Mosquito Control and Beach District in St. Johns”
In addition to spraying pesticides to keep the bugs at bay, the Anastasia Mosquito Control District also operates the Vector Education Center and Science Museum. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today.
October 16, 2024

Explaining your ballot: Mosquito Control and Beach District in St. Johns

St. Johns County voters will have more than just the big ticket local races for County Commission and School Board…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Hastings, Florida’s Potato Capital, aims to become a weekend getaway destination”
Hastings’ once-bustling main drag is quiet most days. But some buildings that were long vacant have been filled with businesses in the last year. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
October 2, 2024

Hastings, Florida’s Potato Capital, aims to become a weekend getaway destination

Hastings was once a roaring hub for agriculture in Florida. Now, local efforts are underway to get it noticed again.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “AdventHealth plans expansion into St. Johns County”
AdventHealth plans to expand its hospital system to St. Johns County with a new ER. | AdventHealth
October 2, 2024

AdventHealth plans expansion into St. Johns County

AdventHealth, one of the largest faith-based health systems in the U.S., plans a freestanding emergency room southwest of St. Augustine.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Pastor receives St. Augustine’s highest honor”
From left are St. Augustine City Commissioner Cynthia Garris, the Rev. Laverne March, City Commissioner Barbara Blonder and Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline. | City of St. Augustine
September 24, 2024

Pastor receives St. Augustine’s highest honor

The Rev. Laverne March is the latest person to receive St. Augustine’s highest honor — and she’s likely to be…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Art you can touch comes to St. Augustine next month”
Guests take in the art at a past Tactile Art Show in St. Augustine. | St. Augustine Art Association
September 20, 2024

Art you can touch comes to St. Augustine next month

Visitors will get to touch the art at the upcoming Tactile Art Show co-hosted by the Florida School for the…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “Fix on the way for St. Johns County Ocean Pier”
The pillars of the pier are fully exposed after the beach renourishment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. | News4Jax
September 17, 2024

Fix on the way for St. Johns County Ocean Pier

St. Johns County OK’d spending $3 million to fix up its oceanfront pier.…

By Noah Hertz

Featured image for “376-home neighborhood axed near St. Augustine Lakes over overcrowding, flooding fears”
St. Johns County's entryway on State Road A1A. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
September 17, 2024

376-home neighborhood axed near St. Augustine Lakes over overcrowding, flooding fears

The St. Johns County Commission denied a proposal to build 376 homes near St. Augustine Lakes.…

By Noah Hertz