Jacksonville Today seeks to include a diverse set of perspectives that add context or unique insight to the news of the day. Regular opinion columnists are independent contractors who are not involved in news decisions. Want to submit your own column on a matter of public interest? Email pitches to jessica@jaxtoday.org.
Featured image for “OPINION | Molly against the machine”
Duval County sheriff candidates T.K. Waters, right, and Lakesha Burton, left, participated last month in a debate hosted by Jacksonville Today. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
October 23, 2022

OPINION | Molly against the machine

Dozens of endorsements are flying, and most of them are of the “Well, it would be news if they didn’t…

Featured image for “OPINION | Requesting relief for the people”
President Joe Biden speaks about student debt relief on Oct. 17th. | AP
October 19, 2022

OPINION | Requesting relief for the people

I am one of the millions of people who submitted an application for student debt relief. I attended the Florida…

Featured image for “OPINION | Can the insurance crisis be fixed?”
Cars and debris from washed away homes line a canal in Fort Myers Beach. | AP
October 16, 2022

OPINION | Can the insurance crisis be fixed?

As I said in my last column, Northeast Florida was very blessed in that it largely ducked the wrath of…

Featured image for “OPINION | Will Crist’s empty bus hurt in North Florida?”
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist speaks on Sept. 12, 2022, in Miami.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
October 9, 2022

OPINION | Will Crist’s empty bus hurt in North Florida?

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist brought his “Together Florida Tour” to Northeast Florida last week. Sort of. The Crist campaign…

Featured image for “OPINION | Focused on the future”
An undated photo of Emmett Till. | AP
October 5, 2022

OPINION | Focused on the future

Tomorrow, Till will open in theaters (in a limited release) nationwide. Sixty-seven years after the gruesome murder of 14-year-old Emmett…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | Jacksonville could become an oyster town again”
Fisherman Mike Hilchey collecting oysters on Simpson Creek in Jacksonville in 1985. | Florida Memory
October 4, 2022

THE JAXSON | Jacksonville could become an oyster town again

Oysters have been a staple of First Coast diets for thousands of years, although local oyster harvesting ceased in 1994…

Featured image for “OPINION | Why are we giving our water away?”
The St. Johns River | The University of North Florida
October 2, 2022

OPINION | Why are we giving our water away?

For the most part, Duval County dodged a bullet with Hurricane Ian. Many prayers go out to our fellow Floridians…

Featured image for “OPINION | Eastside deserves national historic designation”
September 27, 2022

OPINION | Eastside deserves national historic designation

The history and heritage of Jacksonville’s many Gullah Geechee descendants have been largely overlooked, with little recognition given to the…

Featured image for “OPINION | Auditing Lenny Curry’s budget legacy”
In this file photo, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry presents his proposed budget for 2021-2022 to the Jacksonville City Council. | WJCT News
September 25, 2022

OPINION | Auditing Lenny Curry’s budget legacy

If Jacksonville hadn’t faced budget crunches for years coming out of the 2008 crash, Mayor Lenny Curry might never have…

Featured image for “OPINION | Battle for the best of us”
Artwork from the Deborah Roberts exhibit I'm, now on display at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens through Dec. 4th. | Cummer Museum
September 21, 2022

OPINION | Battle for the best of us

Over the weekend, I visited the Cummer Museum for the opening of the Deborah Roberts exhibition I’m. On a large…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jax’s next sheriff should build bridge with City Hall”
Photo: Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
September 14, 2022

OPINION | Jax’s next sheriff should build bridge with City Hall

It’s September in Jacksonville, which brings some potential relief from brutal summer heat, a heightened focus on tropical weather activity,…

Featured image for “OPINION | Crowded field could mean chaos for Jax mayoral race”
Photo: WJCT News
September 11, 2022

OPINION | Crowded field could mean chaos for Jax mayoral race

The public phase of the mayoral campaign of Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Davis, who didn’t quit his day…

Featured image for “OPINION | The 7-hour solution for work-life balance”
Photo: Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today
September 7, 2022

OPINION | The 7-hour solution for work-life balance

Why isn’t the school day as long as the work day?  That’s the thought that’s been running through my mind…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jax should apply for the Reconnecting Communities grant”
Hogans Creek is a 2.6-mile tidal creek that is prone to flooding, partially due to a culvert constructed as a part of the Union Street Expressway project during the 1950s. | Daniel Herbin
September 6, 2022

OPINION | Jax should apply for the Reconnecting Communities grant

The new federal Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program offers cities funding for projects that restore neighborhoods split and disrupted by highways…

Featured image for “OPINION | Government can work. Here’s proof”
Photo: Morris B. Silas, special to Jacksonville Today
August 31, 2022

OPINION | Government can work. Here’s proof

Spend a lot of time browsing social media or watching Fox, CNN or MSNBC, and it would be easy to…

Featured image for “OPINION | What we learned from the August elections”
April Carney, right, was among three local candidates who won primaries in Jacksonville after landing Gov. Ron DeSantis' endorsement. | Raymon Troncoso, WJCT News
August 28, 2022

OPINION | What we learned from the August elections

The 2022 primaries taught us a lot about how surprises are possible in local politics, even if some things stay…

Featured image for “OPINION | Advocating for humanity is not indoctrination”
Image: Screen shot from rondesantis.com
August 24, 2022

OPINION | Advocating for humanity is not indoctrination

As humans, we have an average of 6,000 thoughts per day. We are also flooded with as much as 34…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | 8 Jacksonville industrial heritage sites ripe for tourism”
August 23, 2022

THE JAXSON | 8 Jacksonville industrial heritage sites ripe for tourism

Industrial tourism — visiting places linked to the industries most common in a particular place — is a growing interest…

Featured image for “OPINION | DeSantis’ influence key in local GOP elections”
Image: DeSantis campaign via Twitter
August 17, 2022

OPINION | DeSantis’ influence key in local GOP elections

As the 2022 primary draws to a close, several storylines have emerged at the local, state and federal levels: Former…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jax’s accessory dwelling unit bill deserves support”
A home in Brentwood in the Northside with an accessory dewlling unit behind it. | Bill Delaney
August 16, 2022

OPINION | Jax’s accessory dwelling unit bill deserves support

The Jacksonville City Council is debating the Keep Our Families Together Act, which would allow accessory dwelling units — garage…

Featured image for “OPINION | Expect status quo for JSO after ‘22 election”
All five Jacksonville sheriff's candidates attended a July 20th forum. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
August 14, 2022

OPINION | Expect status quo for JSO after ‘22 election

Is reform coming to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during the post-Mike Williams era? Based on what we’ve seen thus far…

Featured image for “OPINION | Short on the things we need”
Photo: AP
August 10, 2022

OPINION | Short on the things we need

Monday morning marks back-to-school time for my son along with thousands of other Duval County students. In preparation, I have…

Featured image for “OPINION | For candidates, public scrutiny is part of the process”
Photo: Bill Bortzfield, WJCT
August 3, 2022

OPINION | For candidates, public scrutiny is part of the process

The primary season in Florida politics is always brutal. Because primaries involve battles between members of the same political party,…

Featured image for “OPINION | August is the cruelest month”
Photo: AP
July 31, 2022

OPINION | August is the cruelest month

T.S. Eliot famously posited that “April is the cruelest month.” This tells us that he didn’t follow primary politics in…