February 15, 2022
Downtown Jacksonville has its fair share of “gamechanger” developments that have failed to deliver, but when done right, major projects…
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.
February 14, 2022
OPINION | History is happening now
Tomorrow would have been Jordan Davis’s 27th birthday. Trayvon Martin would have made 27 on February 5th. Instead, we remember…
February 13, 2022
OPINION | Ron DeSantis isn’t bluffing about his map
Many of those reading this rejoiced last week when the Florida Supreme Court rebuffed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unprecedented ask for…
February 9, 2022
OPINION | Florida’s surgeon general fight is a preview of 2024
Before the 2000 Bush/Gore election, Tim Russert, the late Meet the Press host, was asked what he would be watching…
February 7, 2022
OPINION | The value of being
There’s a notion that has circulated in the Black community for generations: Black people have to be twice as good…
February 6, 2022
OPINION | Lawson for Lt. Gov?
Will Florida’s 5th Congressional District, which connects Jacksonville’s Urban Core to Gadsden County while hugging the Georgia border, become a…
January 31, 2022
OPINION | Erasing Black history does not erase Black people
In my other life, I write books and host a podcast. I am unabashed about centering the point of view…
January 30, 2022
OPINION | Bring Byron home
It’s hard for me to understand, as a longtime observer of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise, why it’s taken the team…
January 25, 2022
OPINION | A sad lesson from Broad Street’s past
If you travel down Broad Street in Downtown Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood today, you won’t pass by much that’s open. In…
January 24, 2022
OPINION | I am American
“African-American voters are voting at just as high a percentage as Americans.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made the offhand…
January 23, 2022
OPINION | Corrine’s revenge? Ron DeSantis goes after Al Lawson
Is Gov. DeSantis trying to do what Jacksonville Democrats could not, in removing Al Lawson from Congress? That is one…
January 19, 2022
SPORTS | What Trevor Lawrence needs from the Jags
Former NFL coach Bill Parcells famously said, “You are what your record says you are.” Considering the Jaguars have the…
January 18, 2022
OPINION | Rethinking Jacksonville’s convention center dilemma
A new convention center has been in Jacksonville’s long-term plans for decades, but the Downtown Investment Authority now says it…
January 17, 2022
OPINION | An open letter to Gov. DeSantis
Dear Governor DeSantis, My daughter has COVID. She’s 7 months. I’m watching her little body battle an invisible bully. She’s…
January 10, 2022
OPINION | Rebirth of a nation, state
Today marks the first day of the Florida legislative session. A session where our elected legislators will tackle a myriad…
January 9, 2022
OPINION | Ben Frazier makes his point
A week ago, the world hadn’t heard of Ben Frazier. The president of the Northside Coalition was known locally, but…
January 5, 2022
OPINION | 2022 will be a Republican rout in Florida
In 2002, Jeb Bush was a runaway political freight train. His first four years in the Governor’s Mansion resulted in…
January 4, 2022
OPINION | Changing the urban landscape in 2022
Jacksonville’s Urban Core is growing again after decades of decline, the Emerald Trail has broken ground, and the Downtown Northbank…
January 3, 2022
OPINION | Feel free to begin, again
Happy New Year! 2021 marked the first time in a long time that I did not set traditional goals for…
January 2, 2022
OPINION | Ron DeSantis doesn’t owe you an explanation
Where was the governor at the end of 2021? Ron DeSantis stopped doing press events for the most part. His…
December 21, 2021
OPINION | What Shad Khan gets right – and wrong – about Downtown
Jaguars owner Shad Khan recently criticized the progress of Downtown revitalization in Jacksonville, saying the area has “gone downhill” over…
December 20, 2021
OPINION | In search of holiday peace
As the year comes barreling toward an end, I’m keenly aware of how tired I am. I’m spending the holiday…
December 17, 2021
OPINION | GOP 2023 race: Death, taxes, and Lenny Curry
What to make of last week’s 13-5 Jacksonville City Council repudiation of LeAnna Cumber’s attempt to turn back the gas…
December 15, 2021
SPORTS | Urban Meyer couldn’t overcome his ‘trust issues’
There’s a difference between coach speak and dishonesty. Coach speak happens every week in news conferences at all levels of…