Will Brown Reporter email
Will Brown is a reporter and photographer focusing on issues related to race and inequality, as well as sports and photography. He originally joined Jacksonville Today as a Report for America corps member. Will previously reported for the Jacksonville Business Journal, The St. Augustine Record, Victoria (Texas) Advocate and the Tallahassee Democrat. His accolades over his nearly 20-year career include photography for the Health News Florida’s national Murrow Award-winning series “Committed: How and Why Children Became the Fastest Growing Group Under Florida’s Baker Act.” Brown is a graduate of Florida A&M University and has a master’s from the University of South Florida. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and soccer. He lives in Clay County with his wife and son.
Featured image for “NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Northwest Classic”
Chart by Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
October 3, 2025

NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Northwest Classic

In the Northwest Classic, the Vikings (4-0) are one of the best programs in Northeast Florida. The Trojans (1-5) seek…

Featured image for “Black Book Bash draws authors to Jacksonville amid literary backlash”
The Black Book Bash will bring more than 100 authors to Jacksonville. Deesha Philyaw, author of "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," is a Jacksonville native who is slated to attend. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 2, 2025

Black Book Bash draws authors to Jacksonville amid literary backlash

The inaugural Black Book Bash will be held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville from Friday through Sunday.…

Featured image for “Infant mortality efforts in Jacksonville face local funding cut, federal policy changes”
Odille Thomas is a nurse with Ascension St. Vincent's who helped new and expectant parents understand a PURPLE cry during a Brighter Beginnings workshop on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Brighter Beginnings is a program that was created in 2009 to help reduce Duval County's infant mortality rate. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 21, 2025

Infant mortality efforts in Jacksonville face local funding cut, federal policy changes

The Jacksonville City Council is cutting funding to fight the city’s high infant mortality rate, as doctors also bemoan federal…

Featured image for “FHSAA moves basketball tournament to Jacksonville”
Samantha Vance is executive director of the Jacksonville Sports Foundation. The foundation announced that the FHSAA boys and girls basketball tournament will be held in Jacksonville on the campus of the University of North Florida. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 17, 2025

FHSAA moves basketball tournament to Jacksonville

The FHSAA state basketball championships will take place in Jacksonville for the first time in 50 years.…

Featured image for “HBCU experience at forefront of Jacksonville’s Legacy Week”
The Edward Waters University Triple Threat performs during halftime of the Unity Classic on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 16, 2025

HBCU experience at forefront of Jacksonville’s Legacy Week

The HBCU Legacy College Fair will be held at the Jessie Ball DuPont Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.…

Featured image for “NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Jags’ value rises”
September 5, 2025

NUMBER OF THE WEEK | Jags’ value rises

Our number of the week is $5.6 billion, the latest franchise valuation for the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Forbes.…

Featured image for “Ax Handle Saturday commemoration comes amid push to remove equity from public discourse”
Dr. Rodney L. Hurst listens to a commemoration of the 63rd anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday on Aug. 27, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 26, 2025

Ax Handle Saturday commemoration comes amid push to remove equity from public discourse

The 65th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday will be commemorated Wednesday at The Church of Oakland on Jessie Street.…

Featured image for “Investment in early learning may pay dividends for Duval’s literacy woes”
Taylor Brown has loved books and reading since she was a young child. The 16-year-old Ed White High School student is a READ USA tutor who works with elementary-aged students between four and six hours each week. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 25, 2025

Investment in early learning may pay dividends for Duval’s literacy woes

Educators, policymakers and community leaders are focusing on a child’s first five years.…

Featured image for “Sporting Jax stumbles in opening match”
Sporting Jax's inaugural match in the Gainbridge Super League was postponed four times before it kicked off shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 24, 2025

Sporting Jax stumbles in opening match

DC Power spoiled Sporting Jax’s inaugural match in the Gainbridge Super League on Saturday night at Hodges Stadium in the…

Featured image for “Rebuilt Ribault spurs renewed Trojan pride on Northside”
Ribault junior Jasmine Delphonse (14) applauds Trojans setter Rivka Woolf after the Trojans recorded a side out during the first game of the season. Ribault hosted Raines in the first volleyball game inside the new Austin-Wilkes Gymnasium on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 21, 2025

Rebuilt Ribault spurs renewed Trojan pride on Northside

Duval County Public Schools devoted $120 million to rebuilt Ribault High School in Northwest Jacksonville.…

Featured image for “Sporting Jax women’s team about to kick off with local players at heart of squad”
Sydney Schmidt is a Sporting Jax Soccer Academy player who will suit up for the club during its inaugural season in the Gainbridge Super League. The 17-year-old fullback has been called up to multiple U.S. youth national teams. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 14, 2025

Sporting Jax women’s team about to kick off with local players at heart of squad

Sporting Jax will become Jacksonville’s first women’s professional team sport when it takes the pitch on Aug. 23.…

Featured image for “Pinnacle Financial Partners commits to Northwest Jax business corridor”
Pinnacle Financial Partners will expand its presence from one Duval County location to four once its merger with Synovus Bank is complete in Spring 2026. | Submitted, Pinnacle Financial Partners
August 11, 2025

Pinnacle Financial Partners commits to Northwest Jax business corridor

Pinnacle will continue to finance improvements for businesses in Durkeeville and Moncrief.…

Featured image for “Q&A | Duval superintendent lists goals ahead of school year”
Duval County Superintendent Christopher Bernier speaks during a town hall sponsored by the Jacksonville NAACP and Upsilon Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. on June 24, 2025. | Photo by Will Brown
August 8, 2025

Q&A | Duval superintendent lists goals ahead of school year

Superintendent Christopher Bernier met with Jacksonville Today to discuss district finances, literacy efforts and more.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville mayor launches data portal to try to reduce politics in policymaking”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan presents State of Jax, a data analysis portal she hopes will reduce politics in policymaking. Deegan and the city's chief of analytics, Parvez Ahmed, announced the project Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 5, 2025

Jacksonville mayor launches data portal to try to reduce politics in policymaking

The City of Jacksonville launched a data analysis portal, State of Jax, to identify and eradicate local discrepancies in life…

Featured image for “Q&A | Edward Waters president looks ahead to reaccreditation and new strategic plan”
A. Zachary Faison is the president of Edward Waters University. Florida's first HBCU held its 154th commencement on May 11, 2024, at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. The location was moved Downtown to accommodate the growth of the university’s graduating class. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 1, 2025

Q&A | Edward Waters president looks ahead to reaccreditation and new strategic plan

A. Zachary Faison spoke with Jacksonville Today as the HBCU prepares to identify its next aspirations.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville native hopes ‘Callas’ is next blossom of literary career”
Niveah Glover is a 20-year-old playwright and Jacksonville native whose first play, "Callas," will debut at the Jacksonville Arts and Music School on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 31, 2025

Jacksonville native hopes ‘Callas’ is next blossom of literary career

“Callas” will debut at the Jacksonville Arts and Music School on Friday, written by 20-year-old Niveah Glover.…

Featured image for “Hibernian captain says Sporting Jax fans are ‘incredible’ for women’s football”
Sporting Jax captain Sophie Jones, left, shares a moment with Hibernian Women captain Rachael Boyle during a news conference Wednesday, July 30, 2025, inside Visit Jacksonville headquarters. Sporting Jax will host the reigning Scottish Women's Premier League champion in its debut match. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 31, 2025

Hibernian captain says Sporting Jax fans are ‘incredible’ for women’s football

Women’s pro soccer will kick off Saturday as Sporting Jax takes on the Scottish champion Hibernian Women.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Celebrity Basketball Classic”
Betty Burney, founder of I'm A STAR Foundation, supports the celebrity basketball team during a July 26 basketball game crated to raise funds for unhoused students in Duval County Public Schools. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 28, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Celebrity Basketball Classic

The I’m A Star Foundation raised money for unhoused students in Duval County with its annual Celebrity Basketball Classic over…

Featured image for “Will McNeil Jr. plans to sue Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over February arrest”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, right, says he plans to sue the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on behalf of Will McNeil Jr., left, following a February 2025 traffic stop that led to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office punching McNeil during his arrest. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 23, 2025

Will McNeil Jr. plans to sue Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over February arrest

“The entire stop was not just pretextual, racially motivated, it was unlawful,” says McNeil’s attorney.…

Featured image for “Eastside awash in hope and angst over community benefits agreement”
A. Philip Randolph Boulevard is the business corridor of the historic Eastside. After a race riot in 1969, businesses fled and the community suffered from longterm under investment from the public and private sectors. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 17, 2025

Eastside awash in hope and angst over community benefits agreement

Residents, business owners and advocates want to ensure the city fulfills the promises it has made to the Eastside.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville may be hub for urban baseball renaissance”
Oklahoma's Kyson Witherspoon during an NCAA baseball game on Feb. 14, 2025, in Norman, Oklahoma. | Garett Fisbeck, AP
July 14, 2025

Jacksonville may be hub for urban baseball renaissance

Youth baseball coaches and nonprofits have sought to revive the game in Jacksonville’s urban communities.…

Featured image for “Authors seek to curb ‘summer slide’ as Duval gains in literacy”
Paris Richardson is shown with WJCT Public Media Education Coordinator Andrew Williams during a celebration May 20, 2025, at WJCT. Richardson is the author of a children's book, "The Not-So-Perfect Garden Project." | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 2, 2025

Authors seek to curb ‘summer slide’ as Duval gains in literacy

The 51 percent of Duval County third-grade students who scored a Level 3 or higher on the Florida Department of…

Featured image for “Jacksonville NAACP hears outlook on academic funding”
Johna Daniels, grants and project officer for the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, says federal funding cuts will have an effect on the organization. The coalition serves nearly 17,000 children from low-income families in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 25, 2025

Jacksonville NAACP hears outlook on academic funding

The local NAACP and Upsilon Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity hosted a town hall on education.…

Featured image for “Star students create app to empower teen mental health”
I'm A Star Foundation students include the four who created the Empower Me app. (Front row, from left): Kenya Robinson, Calleigh Buchanan, Jamie Edwards, Jhi'nema Philyaw, Mari Dawson and Zamari Brown. (Back row, from left): Kristion Thompkins, Jordan Sanders, Jackson Sanders, Myles McLaughlin, William Heard and Aiden Wright. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 18, 2025

Star students create app to empower teen mental health

Students from the I’m A Star Foundation created Empower Me, which includes daily affirmations and exercises.…