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 | The ‘dangerous homeless person’ myth”
People camp in Downtown Jacksonville on March 12, 2024. | Jessica Palombo
August 19, 2024

OPINION | The ‘dangerous homeless person’ myth

Last week, several media outlets, reported that a large employer is moving out of Downtown due to safety concerns.…

Featured image for “SPORTS | What we learned from the Jaguars’ win over the Buccaneers”
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) looks up at a video screen during the preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Jacksonville. The Jaguars defeated the Buccaneers, 20-7. | AP Photo/Gary McCullough
August 18, 2024

SPORTS | What we learned from the Jaguars’ win over the Buccaneers

The Jaguars’ preseason record is now 2-0. Here’s what we learned from the Jaguars’ 20-7 victory over the Tampa Bay…

Featured image for “OPINION | Deegan’s affordable housing loans should be restored in city budget”
Mayor Donna Deegan speaks at a groundbreaking Monday, May 13, 2024, for the Village at Cedar Hills. At left is Shannon Nazworth, president and CEO of Ability Housing. | Ability Housing
August 15, 2024

OPINION | Deegan’s affordable housing loans should be restored in city budget

The Jacksonville City Council needs to get on board and restore affordable housing funding proposed by Mayor Deegan.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Social-cultural issues are the classroom ”
School library books, like these at R.L. Brown Gifted and Talented Academy in Jacksonville, remain a controversial issue in Florida. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 13, 2024

OPINION | Social-cultural issues are the classroom 

School officials shouldn’t act like differences don’t exist and aren’t being discussed by students themselves in the classroom. …

Featured image for “OPINION | ‘The silly season nears a close! Will we be laughing in the end?’”
The Schell-Sweet Community Wellness Center on the campus of Edward Waters University is one of 24 early voting sites in Duval County in 2024. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 12, 2024

OPINION | ‘The silly season nears a close! Will we be laughing in the end?’

Florida primary elections are a reminder that the most partisan and least moderate candidates often prevail and shape our laws.…

Featured image for “SPORTS | What we learned from the Jaguars’ preseason opening win”
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4). The Jaguars defeated the Chiefs 26-13. | AP Photo/Gary McCullough
August 11, 2024

SPORTS | What we learned from the Jaguars’ preseason opening win

If the Jaguars are going to return to the playoffs, they’ll need to play better than they did in the…

Featured image for “OPINION | Don’t Blow It: Jacksonville’s Special Committee on the Future of Downtown”
August 8, 2024

OPINION | Don’t Blow It: Jacksonville’s Special Committee on the Future of Downtown

Let’s rethink our understanding of and approach to reinvigorating Jacksonville’s historic Downtown urban core.…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | West Palm Beach: A redevelopment example for Jacksonville’s historic Eastside”
August 7, 2024

THE JAXSON | West Palm Beach: A redevelopment example for Jacksonville’s historic Eastside

Here’s are eight Northwest West Palm Beach projects that would also be appropriate for Jacksonville’s historic Eastside.…

Featured image for “REVIEW | Gemma Fish + Oyster ”
August 6, 2024

REVIEW | Gemma Fish + Oyster 

Reviewer Hanna Raskin writes, “Gemma is a restaurant where style is prized so highly above substance that when diners at…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Jaguars defense shining as preseason opener approaches”
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun (23) celebrates a fourth down stop during the Dec. 31, 2023, win over the Carolina Panthers. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 5, 2024

SPORTS | Jaguars defense shining as preseason opener approaches

When new Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was hired, he promised to instill an attacking defensive approach. So far, he…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jacksonville’s disheartening Downtown development discourse”
August 1, 2024

OPINION | Jacksonville’s disheartening Downtown development discourse

Just when we thought the former Landing site development puzzle couldn’t get more complicated, along comes site number 2.…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Jaguars saying all the right things as training camp enters second week”
Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32), seen here in 2022, is now the highest-paid cornerback to never make the Pro Bowl. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 29, 2024

SPORTS | Jaguars saying all the right things as training camp enters second week

Unlike last year, when the Jaguars were the hunted, this year, they can return to the mentality of being the…

Featured image for “OPINION | The presidential election is a #jaxpol proxy war and the stakes are high for both sides.”
Left: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan welcomes Vice President Kamala Harris | City of Jacksonville; Right: Former Mayor Lenny Curry posted this photo to X the day Donald Trump was inaugurated | Florida Politics
July 28, 2024

OPINION | The presidential election is a #jaxpol proxy war and the stakes are high for both sides.

Much is at stake in this election, not least of which for local political figures, many of whom have a…

Featured image for “OPINION | ‘Go outside and play’ -Every Boomer’s mother”
The "after" photo from a green schoolyard makeover at a Colorado elementary school. | Children & Nature Network, "Green Schoolyards" report
July 25, 2024

OPINION | ‘Go outside and play’ -Every Boomer’s mother

Green schoolyards is a movement to turn public school playgrounds into “outdoor classrooms,” with plant and vegetable gardens, trails, trees,…

Featured image for “SPORTS | 5 biggest questions for the Jaguars’ first week of training camp”
Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen (41) produced two sacks in the first half of a Dec. 31, 2023, game against the Carolina Panthers to set the Jaguars’ single-season franchise record for sacks with 15.5. Roy Robertson-Harris (95) helped Allen celebrate the second of his three sacks. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 22, 2024

SPORTS | 5 biggest questions for the Jaguars’ first week of training camp

Here are five key questions to be answered in the first week of Doug Pederson’s third camp as the head…

Featured image for “OPINION | Violence’s greatest hits, or don’t you remember?”
Police investigate a shooting outside the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee | AP Photo, Alex Brandon
July 16, 2024

OPINION | Violence’s greatest hits, or don’t you remember?

The violence in Pennsylvania Saturday is merely par for the course in America.  …

Featured image for “OPINION | What Jacksonville City Council Republicans expect from Mayor Deegan’s budget”
Ron Salem and Donna Deegan at her 2023 budget presentation | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 12, 2024

OPINION | What Jacksonville City Council Republicans expect from Mayor Deegan’s budget

Mayor Donna Deegan is set to present her second year’s budget proposal on Monday.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Summer in the city: Hotter than a match head in Downtown Jax”
ZIP code 32202 is among the nation's hottest | screenshot from USPS.com
July 11, 2024

OPINION | Summer in the city: Hotter than a match head in Downtown Jax

Jacksonville’s Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods are in the nations top 2% for heat.…

Featured image for “At tea time, everybody’s aggrieved (by the price)”
Sweet tea prices have gotten less sweet, some diners have noticed | Hanna Raskin
July 9, 2024

At tea time, everybody’s aggrieved (by the price)

Jacksonville diners are experiencing sticker shock when they order a sweet tea.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Sorry, sheriff, Duval is Florida’s murder capital”
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters talks about a deadly mass shooting at a Dollar General store on Aug. 27, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 8, 2024

OPINION | Sorry, sheriff, Duval is Florida’s murder capital

Jaguars fans like to chant “Duuuval” for their pro football team. But when it comes to the murder rate, sheriffs…

Featured image for “OPINION | School choice is a lifesaver for parents of color ”
July 1, 2024

OPINION | School choice is a lifesaver for parents of color 

I am living proof that giving Black families more options, and more opportunity, is the key.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Why is Tom Leek all over your TV when you probably can’t vote for him?”
A screenshot from a Tom Leek ad
June 30, 2024

OPINION | Why is Tom Leek all over your TV when you probably can’t vote for him?

Tom Leek’s establishment cred and big spending haven’t helped him in what’s now a three-way primary battle.…

Featured image for “OPINION | An alternative vision for historic Downtown Jacksonville”
Downtown Jacksonville | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today
June 27, 2024

OPINION | An alternative vision for historic Downtown Jacksonville

Our path to a more welcoming, vibrant, and distinctive historic Downtown Jacksonville offers an alternative vision to the city’s prevailing wisdom, guided…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Can the Jaguars return to the playoffs?”
Trevor Lawrence celebrates a Jaguars touchdown Oct. 15, 2023, against the Indianapolis Colts. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
June 25, 2024

SPORTS | Can the Jaguars return to the playoffs?

The No. 1 question for the Jaguars? Can they regain the form they showed late in 2022 and early in…