Jacksonville Today covers government with clear and accessible reporting. We keep you informed about City Hall decisions, mayoral initiatives, City Council meetings, and elections. Our political coverage extends beyond Jacksonville to include regional and state-level issues that affect Northeast Florida. We aim to provide context, accountability, and clarity so you understand how policies shape your community.
Featured image for “UNF poll: Property insurance bigger concern among Florida voters than property taxes”
A banner posted atop the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department's former training tower off I-10 shows opposition to Amendment 3 by the local Fraternal Order of Police and Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters unions. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 28, 2026

UNF poll: Property insurance bigger concern among Florida voters than property taxes

As Amendment 3 awaits Florida voters on the Nov. 3 ballot, the latest UNF poll shows Floridians more concerned about…

Featured image for “OPINION | Good vibes only: What a clean Jacksonville budget means for 2027 elections”
Council President Nick Howland talks on budget night, Sept. 22, 2026. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 27, 2026

OPINION | Good vibes only: What a clean Jacksonville budget means for 2027 elections

As compared to the shambolic budget vote last year, this year’s 18-1 ratification of Jacksonville’s $2 billion general fund budget…

Featured image for “JEA board selects Jody Brooks as interim CEO; Vickie Cavey steps down”
The JEA board of directors appointed Jody Brooks as interim CEO on Sept. 25, 2026. | JEA
September 25, 2026

JEA board selects Jody Brooks as interim CEO; Vickie Cavey steps down

Board members for Jacksonville’s city-owned utility appointed Brooks interim CEO the same day they accepted Cavey’s resignation.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville’s e-bike crackdown: Lower speed, stiffer standards”
An e-bike sits along a bike path in Santa Monica, Calif., on Aug. 10, 2026. |AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
September 25, 2026

Jacksonville’s e-bike crackdown: Lower speed, stiffer standards

The Jacksonville City Council has approved a 15 mph speed limit and other new rules for e-bike and e-scooter riders.…

Featured image for “Clay County ends JTA transportation contract, seeks scaled-back agreement”
One of the JTA's Clay Community Transportation shuttle buses. | JTA
September 24, 2026

Clay County ends JTA transportation contract, seeks scaled-back agreement

Clay County officials drop a JTA contract for three transit services as a new agreement is under discussion.…

Featured image for “JTA takes first steps with city to solve financial troubles”
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority board approved a plan Wednesday to use $30 million in previously appropriated funds to pay down debt, part of a broader effort to address the authority's financial challenges. | Jacksonville Daily Record
September 23, 2026

JTA takes first steps with city to solve financial troubles

The JTA board approved a plan to pay down its debts with $30 million appropriated for major projects.…

Featured image for “City Council member Kevin Carrico leaves Boys & Girls Clubs executive role”
Jacksonville City Council member Kevin Carrico has resigned from his position with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 23, 2026

City Council member Kevin Carrico leaves Boys & Girls Clubs executive role

Carrico served in executive roles with the Northeast Florida nonprofit children’s group for nearly 11 years.…

Featured image for “Is Jacksonville prepared for the $200M shortfall if Amendment 3 passes? Short answer, no.”
Jacksonville City Council member Will Lahnen, right, who chairs the Finance Committee, has found $30 million in cuts, much of which could end up paying for public-safety projects. That falls well short of the hundreds of millions city officials would have to carve out in future years if voters approve Amendment 3 in November. | City of Jacksonville
September 23, 2026

Is Jacksonville prepared for the $200M shortfall if Amendment 3 passes? Short answer, no.

City Council’s Finance Committee found $30 million in cuts, but that’s far less than needed if Amendment 3 passes.…

Featured image for “Does ‘no-kill’ shelter policy leave dangerous dogs on Jacksonville’s streets?”
Dog attack victim Roland Moore stands in his family's driveway on Marquis Drive on July 10, 2026. | Simone Endress, Jacksonville Today
September 23, 2026

Does ‘no-kill’ shelter policy leave dangerous dogs on Jacksonville’s streets?

No-kill is designed to save animals’ lives, but critics say it can lead to devastating consequences.…

Featured image for “Rep. Angie Nixon to resolve Capitol arrest case without guilty plea”
Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonsville, stages a sit-in at the office of Gov Ron DeSantis on May 15, 2026. | Douglas Soule, WUSF
September 23, 2026

Rep. Angie Nixon to resolve Capitol arrest case without guilty plea

Nixon will pay $250 and complete 15 hours of community service for protesting outside the governor’s office.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville City Council approves $2B budget, restores affordable housing trust fund”
Jacksonville City Council Finance Chair Will Lahnen, left, speaks to Council member Jimmy Peluso during the 2026 budget debate as Council President Nick Howland looks on. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 23, 2026

Jacksonville City Council approves $2B budget, restores affordable housing trust fund

City lawmakers restored some of what was stripped or held back from the mayor’s budget proposal to prepare for Amendment…

Featured image for “New mansions could be built on Cumberland Island”
Each year Cumberland Island hosts 25% to 30% of the loggerhead nests in Georgia | Center for Biological Diversity
September 22, 2026

New mansions could be built on Cumberland Island

A proposed land exchange would allow up to eight homes on Cumberland Island, some as large as 15,000 square feet.…

Featured image for “Why only Flock, and not police, can remove the controversial cameras”
Franklin Sheriff AJ "Tony" Smith places a bags over a Flock automated license plate reader on Sept. 1, 2026. Smith learned the cameras continued to take pictures despite unplugging them.
September 22, 2026

Why only Flock, and not police, can remove the controversial cameras

The cameras belong to Flock, so only Flock can remove them. Some police have covered the cameras instead.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville Civic Council comes out against Amendment 3 tax cut”
Jacksonville Civic Council President and CEO Dennis Whittle speaks Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at Jacksonville City Hall. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 21, 2026

Jacksonville Civic Council comes out against Amendment 3 tax cut

Business Group the Jacksonville Civic Council worries the property tax cut would reduce city and local services.…

Featured image for “Redeveloped FBI building in Arlington in line for $1.5M tax break”
A rendering of the completed Interra Apartments, formerly the FBI headquarters, in Arlington. | Interra Apartments
September 21, 2026

Redeveloped FBI building in Arlington in line for $1.5M tax break

The once-dilapidated office building in Arlington has reopened as Interra Apartments.…

Featured image for “Florida TaxWatch urges ‘no’ vote on Amendment 3”
A statewide government watchdog group issued its "2026 Florida TaxWatch Voter Guide to Florida's Constitutional Amendments" on Friday, September 18, 2026.
September 21, 2026

Florida TaxWatch urges ‘no’ vote on Amendment 3

TaxWatch says Amendment 3 would shift more of the burden to non-homesteaded properties.…

Featured image for “New registry helps Jacksonville renters research housing violations”
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid CEO Jim Kowalski announces a new tool Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, to help renters spot housing violations. | News4Jax
September 18, 2026

New registry helps Jacksonville renters research housing violations

Renters can use a new tool from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid to search code enforcement records.…

Featured image for “Facing shortfall, JTA will cuts jobs, reduce bus service and halt Skyway and NAVI”
JTA Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III speaks to news reporters Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at the transit agency's headquarters in LaVilla. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 17, 2026

Facing shortfall, JTA will cuts jobs, reduce bus service and halt Skyway and NAVI

The transit agency could cut up to 194 jobs and halt some people movers to fill a $39 million budget…

Featured image for “St. Johns County OKs $125K for Black History Museum”
A historical display stands at the future site of the Florida Museum of Black History in West Augustine. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
September 17, 2026

St. Johns County OKs $125K for Black History Museum

County commissioners voted to spend on the museum despite uncertainty about property tax revenues.…

Featured image for “Florida’s emergency agency spent nearly $1B on immigration. Now it’ll get more.”
Jared Perdue, the state Transportation secretary and newly appointed interim director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, asked legislators for $250 million on Sept. 11, 2026, to help pay off debts related to "Alligator Alcatraz." | The Florida Channel
September 17, 2026

Florida’s emergency agency spent nearly $1B on immigration. Now it’ll get more.

Legislators approved $250 million for the Division of Emergency Management, a large portion for “Alligator Alcatraz.”…

Featured image for “St. Johns sheriff defends Flock cameras; commissioners consider moratorium”
A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road. | David Goldman, AP file
September 16, 2026

St. Johns sheriff defends Flock cameras; commissioners consider moratorium

St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick made a passionate defense of the department’s use of the Flock Safety license plate…

Featured image for “‘World-class ingredients:’ Oxford Economics ranks Jacksonville as a top 5 city to watch”
Mayor Donna Deegan speaks about Oxford Economics ranking Jacksonville a top 5 city to watch in North America during a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at City Hall. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
September 15, 2026

‘World-class ingredients:’ Oxford Economics ranks Jacksonville as a top 5 city to watch

“Jacksonville is a standout city — even by fast-growing Florida standards,” the economics firm said.…

Featured image for “St. Johns County reverses course and denies 4,000-home development near Nocatee”
The St. Johns County Commission denied a proposal for developing forested land along the intracoastal waterway in St. Johns County. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
September 15, 2026

St. Johns County reverses course and denies 4,000-home development near Nocatee

The project sought approval under a new state law easing development of “agricultural enclaves.”…

Featured image for “‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees were held in small metal cages, federal report says”
This image released by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General shows a small metal enclosure used to house detainees at the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, Jan. 21, 2026. | DHS OIG via AP
September 15, 2026

‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees were held in small metal cages, federal report says

The cages, usd as “calming areas,” did not meet standards for humane treatment, the report said.…