Will Brown Reporter email
Will joined Jacksonville Today as a Report for America corps member. He previously reported for the Jacksonville Business Journal, The St. Augustine Record, Victoria (Texas) Advocate and the Tallahassee Democrat. He also contributed to WFSU Public Media’s national Murrow Award-winning series “Committed: How and why children became the fastest growing group under Florida’s Baker Act.” Will is a native Floridian who has earned journalism degrees from Florida A&M University and the University of South Florida.
Featured image for “Nassau school district finds racial slurs unsubstantiated; calls for accountability mount”
The Rev. Darrien K. Bolden Sr. prayed for unity and love at the outset of a Sept. 15 community conversation following racism accusations at a Sept. 10 volleyball match in Fernandina Beach. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
3 days ago

Nassau school district finds racial slurs unsubstantiated; calls for accountability mount

On Tuesday evening, more than 200 people gathered inside First Missionary Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach to demand more accountability…

Featured image for “Pediatric illnesses illuminate hunger challenge facing Northeast Florida families”
Jaguars punter Logan Cooke helped families affected by childhood cancer enjoy a shopping spree inside a Winn-Dixie in Jacksonville's Arlington neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. Winn-Dixie and the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund combined to provide groceries to 31 families during the middle of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
3 days ago

Pediatric illnesses illuminate hunger challenge facing Northeast Florida families

Winn-Dixie, The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund and The Players Championship provided food to 31 families.…

Featured image for “How Jacksonville’s unprecedented commitment to girls’ sports sprouts opportunity”
The University of North Florida celebrates a side out during the second game of its victory over Florida International University on Sept. 3, 2026. The Ospreys improved to 3-1 after their 25-21, 25-20, 10-25, 25-19 win in the UNF Invitational. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 11, 2026

How Jacksonville’s unprecedented commitment to girls’ sports sprouts opportunity

Investment in women’s sports in Jacksonville has never been higher at the professional, collegiate or varsity level.…

Featured image for “UF Health Jacksonville mobile health unit targets barriers to healthcare”
UF Health Jacksonville Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chirag Patel says UF Health's first mobile care unit will allow the system to expand its compassion, preventive medicine and care. The converted residential vehicle was unveiled Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 9, 2026

UF Health Jacksonville mobile health unit targets barriers to healthcare

UF Health Jacksonville expects its mobile health unit to provide screenings and preventive services.…

Featured image for “Dimon Foundation donation to elevate Edward Waters endowment”
Edward Waters University has been located in Jacksonville's New Town neighborhood since 1904. The university has called Jacksonville home since 1892. | Ben Brown, special to Jacksonville Today
September 4, 2026

Dimon Foundation donation to elevate Edward Waters endowment

The $1 million gift will go toward an endowment that has quadrupled since 2018.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville Waves quelled in inaugural Upshot League Championship”
Lele Grissett and the Charlotte Crown lift the Upshot League championship trophy after winning the inaugural league title on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. The Crown beat the Jacksonville Waves 81-76. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 30, 2026

Jacksonville Waves quelled in inaugural Upshot League Championship

Charlotte was crowned the inaugural Upshot League champion with its 81-76 win over the Jacksonville Waves in Saturday night’s Upshot…

Featured image for “Jacksonville commemorates Axe Handle Saturday with Civil Rights Trail marker unveiling”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, as well as retired Air Force Lt. Col. Alton Yates and Dr. Rodney L. Hurst Sr., helped unveil a marker to commemorate Axe Handle Saturday on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Rodney L. Hurst Sr., one of the organizers of the civil rights demonstrations in 1960 says Deegan is the first sitting mayor to participate in the commemorations. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 27, 2026

Jacksonville commemorates Axe Handle Saturday with Civil Rights Trail marker unveiling

The city of Jacksonville unveiled a historic marker in the corner of James Weldon Johnson Park on the 66th anniversary…

Featured image for “Carr, Gallion, Laguerre remembered on anniversary of racist Dollar General shooting”
The Laguerre family lights candles in memory of Anolt "A.J." Laguerre Jr. at the Kings Road Memorial Park on Aug. 26, 2026. Laguerre, 19, was shot and killed by a white supremacist inside a Dollar General in Grand Park three years ago. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 26, 2026

Carr, Gallion, Laguerre remembered on anniversary of racist Dollar General shooting

Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion and Anolt “A.J.” Laguerre Jr. were remembered on the third anniversary of their deaths at a…

Featured image for “Local food banks see more need amid federal-assistance restrictions, rising prices”
LaRosa Benn, left, chants as she packs apple sauce during the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation's Community Day on Aug. 20, 2026, on the Eastside. The Jaguars Foundation has partnered with Feeding Northeast Florida to provide food for the last seven years. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 25, 2026

Local food banks see more need amid federal-assistance restrictions, rising prices

Feeding Northeast Florida expects to surpass its 2025 record of 38.1 million pounds of food distributed from its food banks.…

Featured image for “Military kids in city-funded Cathedral Arts Project arts programs saw academic gains”
Cathedral Arts Project Teaching Fellow in Strings Josh Stone, center, bows following a performance at the Riverside Arts Market on Saturday, May 2, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 17, 2026

Military kids in city-funded Cathedral Arts Project arts programs saw academic gains

With city funding, the Cathedral Arts Project collaborated with the University of North Florida to provide military families arts education.…

Featured image for “How Duval Schools literacy compares to Florida’s largest districts”
A partnership between Communities in Schools Jacksonville, Kids Hope Alliance and the city of Jacksonville led to a Little Free Library at Sallye B. Mathis Elementary School in Northwest Jacksonville on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The effort provided nearly three dozen picture books and chapter books for students. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 10, 2026

How Duval Schools literacy compares to Florida’s largest districts

Duval Schools has historically lagged Florida’s other large urban districts in literacy proficiency.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Sporting Jax Women’s club donates to local grocery store”
Sporting Jax donated money to The Corner at Debs for every save Jamie Gerstenberg (pictured) and fellow goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks made in the team's inaugural season. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 4, 2026

BIT OF JOY | Sporting Jax Women’s club donates to local grocery store

The Sporting Jax Women’s soccer club has donated $9,900 to The Corner at Debs ahead of their second season in…

Featured image for “Florida Fresh Access Bucks program pauses amid funding shortage”
The Corner at Deb's Store on Florida Ave. in Jacksonville's Eastside is one of five outlets in Duval County that accepts Fresh Access Bucks. The Fresh Access Bucks program allows people who utilize food assistance programs to expand their benefits to purchase produce. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 31, 2026

Florida Fresh Access Bucks program pauses amid funding shortage

Fresh Access Bucks allowed SNAP users to extend their benefits at Florida-based farmers markets and retailers.…

Featured image for “Back-to-school giveaway grants Jacksonville moms a chance to honor lost children”
LaTiffany Gallion founded Austin's Voice to celebrate the life of her son Austin General Jr. Austin's Voice was among the organizations that donated backpacks and school supplies through the Silent Women Speaking supply giveaway at the Wiley Road Playground on Saturday, July 25, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 28, 2026

Back-to-school giveaway grants Jacksonville moms a chance to honor lost children

Silent Women Speaking Foundation and partner groups distributed 500 backpacks in 40 minutes.…

Featured image for “Funding timeline announced for Eastside community benefits agreement”
Marchers participate in a parade as part of the Melanin Market on the Eastside on March 3, 2024. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 23, 2026

Funding timeline announced for Eastside community benefits agreement

Applications for the first round of grants are due to the Eastside Grants Committee by Aug. 3.…

Featured image for “Upshot League announces inaugural championship location”
Charlotte Crown guard Jasmyne Roberts, right, backs down Jacksonville Waves forward Rennia Davis during the second half of the Upshot League inaugural game. Roberts scored 13 points off the bench to help Charlotte defeat the Jacksonville Waves 103-95 on May 15, 2026, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 22, 2026

Upshot League announces inaugural championship location

The top two finishers in the Upshot League’s 2026 regular season will advance to the inaugural championship.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville’s back-to-school giveaways continue this weekend”
Boeing collaborated with Communities in Schools Jacksonville, as well as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to giveaway backpacks and school supplies to Duval County students on Saturday, July 11, 2026. Students also participated in hands-on STEM activities during the event. | Submitted, Boeing
July 21, 2026

Jacksonville’s back-to-school giveaways continue this weekend

Duval County organizations will provide school supplies across Jacksonville ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.…

Featured image for “Democratic Senate race: Jacksonville progressive Angie Nixon vs. ret. Lt. Col. Alex Vindman”
Alex Vindman (left) and Angie Nixon (right) seek to become the first Democrat from Florida elected to the United States Senate in 14 years. | Submitted
July 20, 2026

Democratic Senate race: Jacksonville progressive Angie Nixon vs. ret. Lt. Col. Alex Vindman

Alex Vindman and Angie Nixon face off in the 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Both hope to unseat Republican…

Featured image for “Jacksonville Alphas provide voter information ahead of August primary”
Duval County Judge Group 13 candidate Marquita H. Green, left, and Duval County School Board, District 4 candidate Rhodesia “Rho” Butler, second from right, speak with members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. following a voter information seminar on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 15, 2026

Jacksonville Alphas provide voter information ahead of August primary

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. held a voter education forum to spur turnout ahead of the 2026 election season.…

Featured image for “Are these truths self-evident at America 250? Some Black Jaxsons say no.”
Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph. D., narrated a performance of the Ritz Chamber Players’ commemoration of Juneteenth and celebration of Black Music Month on Saturday, June 20, 2026. “Free at Last: The Evolution of the American Spiritual” was a 20-song performance to the music that honed and energized enslaved people. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 30, 2026

Are these truths self-evident at America 250? Some Black Jaxsons say no.

Ahead of America 250, some believe Florida and the U.S. are not living up to the ethos of the country’s…

Featured image for “Jacksonville leaders identify solutions in early childcare gaps”
Students from Kreative Minds Academy received books about a secret seahorse, birds, and a moose and 20 mice as part of a literacy initiative from Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration on Jan. 9, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 26, 2026

Jacksonville leaders identify solutions in early childcare gaps

The Jacksonville Early Learning Task Force suggested several steps to increase childcare access.…

Featured image for “How the Christobel sewer project improves community connections”
U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, says connections between his office, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's office and the federal Environmental Protection Agency helped secure $6.7 million in funding to remove septic tanks from the Christobel community in Northwest Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 23, 2026

How the Christobel sewer project improves community connections

The Christobel Septic Tank Phase Out Project fulfills a longstanding infrastructure promise to Northwest Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “Where to commemorate Juneteenth across Northeast Florida”
The Melanin Market's Juneteenth Celebration, along A. Philip Randolph Blvd. on the Eastside, is one of its largest festivals of the year. | Submitted, Melanin Collaborative Group
June 17, 2026

Where to commemorate Juneteenth across Northeast Florida

Jacksonville and St. Augustine groups will observe the 160th anniversary of the first Juneteenth celebration.…

Featured image for “LaVilla heritage trail is unveiled at Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park”
From left, Jacksonville City Council member Ju'Coby Pittman, Mayor Donna Deegan and urban planner Ennis Davis observe one of the heritage markers that were placed as part of the LaVilla Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing Heritage Trail. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 12, 2026

LaVilla heritage trail is unveiled at Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park

The LaVilla trail features 22 markers that celebrate history and culture within the Downtown Jacksonville community.…