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 “State Black history museum is still a long ways off”
A historical display stands at the future site of the Florida Museum of Black History in West Augustine. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
March 19, 2026

State Black history museum is still a long ways off

For the second time, a bill regarding the Black history museum in St. Johns County failed to pass the Legislature.…

Featured image for “Pulse building demolished, nearly 10 years after massacre”
Excavators demolish the Pulse nightclub building on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. | City of Orlando, orlando.gov
March 19, 2026

Pulse building demolished, nearly 10 years after massacre

A memorial will replace the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed in a mass shooting in 2016.…

Featured image for “How did Duval Schools’ 7 legislative priorities fare?”
Floor votes are scheduled Tuesday on a proposal to cut property taxes. | Douglas Soule, WUSF
March 18, 2026

How did Duval Schools’ 7 legislative priorities fare?

Most of the district’s legislative priorities went unanswered this session.…

Featured image for “City Council panel seeks testimony from ex-JEA lawyer”
City Council member Ron Salem speaks to news reporters after a meeting Feb. 3, 2026. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
March 18, 2026

City Council panel seeks testimony from ex-JEA lawyer

JEA says it will conduct its own independent investigation of workplace culture and alleged racism.…

Featured image for “Fernandina commissioners fight recall drive over parking”
One of the new signs in downtown Fernandina Beach alerts drivers to the paid parking system now in place. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
March 18, 2026

Fernandina commissioners fight recall drive over parking

A recall drive targets Commissioners Tim Poynter and Genece Minshew for their support of paid parking.…

Featured image for “Lawmakers pass bill to round cash charges to nearest nickel”
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has stopped making pennies. | tethysimagingllc, AdobeStock
March 18, 2026

Lawmakers pass bill to round cash charges to nearest nickel

The nearest-nickel bill will take effect if and when Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it.…

Featured image for “Florida sheriffs criticize mass federal deportations”
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. | Alex Brandon, AP
March 17, 2026

Florida sheriffs criticize mass federal deportations

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he did not endorse the position taken by the State Immigration Enforcement Council.…

Featured image for “Duval School Board should stop inviting prayers, legal groups warn”
Mike Ludwick (center), seen here singing at a protest before an Oct. 7, 2025, School Board meeting, lodged a complaint with the Freedom From Religion Foundation about the School Board's practice of starting meetings with prayer. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
March 16, 2026

Duval School Board should stop inviting prayers, legal groups warn

Church-state advocates say starting school board meetings with prayer violates the First Amendment.…

Featured image for “Bill to restore Ocklawaha River dies in Legislature”
The Rodman Dam on the Ocklawaha River near Palatka.
March 16, 2026

Bill to restore Ocklawaha River dies in Legislature

The Florida House approved the Ocklawaha River cleanup, but the bill did not advance in the Senate.…

Featured image for “Florida’s legislative session: What passed, what failed, what’s next”
The Florida legislative session ended on Friday, but lawmakers are expected back in Tallahassee for special sessions on the budget, redistricting and property taxes.
March 16, 2026

Florida’s legislative session: What passed, what failed, what’s next

The 2026 session has ended — but without a budget. Lawmakers must tackle that in a special session.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Taxation contradiction: Making sense of muddled money messaging”
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks on May 1, 2025, in Miramar. | Rebecca Blackwell, AP file
March 14, 2026

OPINION | Taxation contradiction: Making sense of muddled money messaging

When it comes to local taxation, Republican policy makers want to convince voters that it’s day and night at the…

Featured image for “With ‘These Truths’ public art project halted, funds might be redirected for other courthouse uses”
Rendering of "These Truths," the public art installation that the Cultural Council halted last year. | Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
March 13, 2026

With ‘These Truths’ public art project halted, funds might be redirected for other courthouse uses

The proposed “These Truths” stainless steel sculpture had been in the planning phase for more than a decade before it…

Featured image for “Florida Legislature approves restoring funds to AIDS drug program”
The old Florida Capitol is seen with the tower of the current Capitol rising behind, during a legislative session in Tallahassee on March 6, 2025. | AP Photo, Rebecca Blackwell, File
March 12, 2026

Florida Legislature approves restoring funds to AIDS drug program

A plan to prevent thousands of HIV positive Floridians from losing coverage for their prescriptions for AIDS medication is headed…

Featured image for “City Council president launches JEA probe over fees, workplace complaints”
Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico hold a news conference with Council members Ron Salem and Ju'Coby Pittman on March 11 at City Hall.
March 11, 2026

City Council president launches JEA probe over fees, workplace complaints

The special committee will aid the inspector general in determining if JEA commercial customers owe millions in fees, and will…

Featured image for “Here’s how much state lawmakers make each session”
Florida's legislature meets for 60 days every year. The dates change year-to-year, but lawmakers' pay hasn't changed in about a decade.
March 10, 2026

Here’s how much state lawmakers make each session

Florida lawmakers don’t make the highest pay in the country, but they don’t make the lowest either.…

Featured image for “Florida Legislature approves tighter e-bike regulations”
The rear wheel of Ultra Motor's A2B electric bike. | Mark Lennihan, AP
March 10, 2026

Florida Legislature approves tighter e-bike regulations

The House and Senate unanimously approved rules that require e-bike riders to slow down around pedestrians.…

Featured image for “Florida House passes reforms on homeowners associations”
Florida has nearly 49,000 HOAs covering about 9.6 million residents, according to a recent national report on the topic by a property management trade organization.
March 9, 2026

Florida House passes reforms on homeowners associations

The legislation gives homeowners more tools to resolve disputes — and even dissolve their HOAs.…

Featured image for “Pardoned Capitol rioter gets prison for molesting children”
This image from video provided by the Department of Justice from police-worm body camera shows Andrew Paul Johnson on the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. | Department of Justice via AP
March 6, 2026

Pardoned Capitol rioter gets prison for molesting children

Andrew Paul Johnson, a Florida handyman, is among several pardoned rioters who have been charged with new crimes.…

Featured image for “Marsy’s Law may expand to shield crime victims and police”
An illustration of a police officer and victim under Marsy's Law.
March 5, 2026

Marsy’s Law may expand to shield crime victims and police

Bills in the Florida Legislative would extend Marsy’s Law to protect the identities of victims and police for 60 days.…

Featured image for “Own the home, not the land: A new tack on affordable housing”
March 5, 2026

Own the home, not the land: A new tack on affordable housing

A program of the Jacksonville Community Land Trust helps people buy a home at a lower price.…

Featured image for “Florida’s anti-DEI legislation irks local governments”
Debra Joshua was among the scores of people who participated in the 45th Martin Luther King Jr. Grand Parade through Downtown Jacksonville on Jan. 19, 2026. Joshua says equity is an ideal that is needed more in 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
March 4, 2026

Florida’s anti-DEI legislation irks local governments

Bills filed by Rep. Dean Black and Sen. Clay Yarborough would prohibit funding for DEI efforts.…

Featured image for “Most Floridians would abolish property tax, UNF poll shows”
The Florida Legislature is considering the elimination of property taxes, and a majority of voters support it, a UNF poll found.
March 4, 2026

Most Floridians would abolish property tax, UNF poll shows

Fifty-six percent of people support a proposal to eliminate property taxes, the poll found.…

Featured image for “Homelessness rate improves in Downtown Jacksonville”
Two homeless men sleep in a doorway on Monroe Street. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
March 4, 2026

Homelessness rate improves in Downtown Jacksonville

City Council’s Duval DOGE committee hopes that lower homelessness will keep large employers in the urban core.…

Featured image for “Fernandina waterfront will get a new pirate statue”
A new pirate statue carved by Jett Paxton will soon grace Fernandina Beach's new waterfront park.
March 4, 2026

Fernandina waterfront will get a new pirate statue

A new pirate statue will replace Peg Leg Pete at a new park on the Fernandina Beach waterfront.…