To reflect on the news of the day, Jacksonville Today seeks to include a diverse set of perspectives. These opinion columnists are independent contractors who are paid for their contributions and are not involved in news decisions.
Featured image for “OPINION | 4 myths about Jacksonville’s city government”
December 13, 2022

OPINION | 4 myths about Jacksonville’s city government

Jacksonville City Hall provides no shortage of things to criticize, but there are some common complaints that don’t stand up to scrutiny. Looking around the country shows that. Myth 1: Jacksonville City Council is too big Reality: Jacksonville City Council is smaller than the councils of other consolidated cities One recurring claim about Jacksonville’s city government is that its 19-member

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Featured image for “THE JAXSON | List: The urban core’s largest historic public parks”
December 6, 2022

THE JAXSON | List: The urban core’s largest historic public parks

Jacksonville is one of largest cities by area in the contiguous U.S., covering 747 square miles of land area. It also is home to the largest urban park system in the nation. Prior to the city’s 1968 consolidation with Duval County, Jacksonville was a 30-square-mile pedestrian-scale community with 200,000 residents. Here is a look at the city’s five largest urban

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Featured image for “OPINION | The education of Diana Greene”
December 4, 2022

OPINION | The education of Diana Greene

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Diana Greene is nearing half a decade in her position, a remarkable feat. Greene, who was honored as Florida’s Superintendent of the Year last year, is nearing the 21st century tenure record of Ed Pratt-Dannals, who also had roughly five years as supe.  She has a ways to go before she matches superintendents of the

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Featured image for “OPINION | Silence is not assent”
November 30, 2022

OPINION | Silence is not assent

As a child I would sometimes get in trouble in school, and then again at home, for trying to express my point of view when I disagreed with something my teachers or parents did or said. To my insistent protestations I was rebuffed with standard parenting quips: “Stay in a child’s place” or “Stay out of grown folks’ business.” At

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Featured image for “THE JAXSON | Your tabletop Christmas Village is illegal under modern zoning laws”
November 29, 2022

THE JAXSON | Your tabletop Christmas Village is illegal under modern zoning laws

You may think your miniature Christmas Village is a quaint tribute to the building traditions of yesteryear. However, its walkable, mixed-use, architecturally diverse layout is a flagrant violation of modern zoning laws and an affront to the single-family development ascendancy. Christmas villages are popular seasonal displays in no small part because they have the qualities that make real neighborhoods and

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Featured image for “THE JAXSON | The first Thanksgivings on the First Coast”
November 22, 2022

THE JAXSON | The first Thanksgivings on the First Coast

Five decades before the Pilgrims celebrated their feast at Plymouth, Massachusetts, French and Spanish colonists held feasts of celebration on Florida’s First Coast. Origins of Thanksgiving Thanksgiving has its roots in European traditions. All across Europe, it was customary to give thanks to God after the yearly harvest and other important events. In the age of colonization, it became customary

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Featured image for “OPINION | The ‘resign to run’ trap”
November 20, 2022

OPINION | The ‘resign to run’ trap

I’ve written about politics in this town for many years and expressed my share of frustrations, including with candidates running for higher office while still an incumbent. The most glaring example of that obviously has been mayoral races, where a member of the City Council runs more often than not. When candidacy and incumbency converge, it raises questions about what

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Featured image for “OPINION | DeSantis’ and Trump’s freedom isn’t free”
November 16, 2022

OPINION | DeSantis’ and Trump’s freedom isn’t free

Freedom.  That’s the word that’s been slung like dice since campaigning began for the 2022 midterm elections. Entire narratives were built around the word to justify politically expedient policies that reopened counties, cities and classrooms from COVID-19 closures. Careers were made by silencing dissent, limiting choice, supporting revisionist history and amplifying bigotry, hatred, violence and harm toward difference — race,

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Featured image for “THE JAXSON | LaVilla’s Railroad Row in color”
November 15, 2022

THE JAXSON | LaVilla’s Railroad Row in color

Between 1890 and 1920, more than 20 million immigrants arrived in the United States. Many found Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood as a destination to pursue the American dream, as the district was home to the largest passenger railroad station south of Washington, D.C. Sandwiched between the city’s major railroad depots and the riverfront, West Bay Street emerged as a place where

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Featured image for “THE JAXSON | The last days of Adventure Landing”
November 8, 2022

THE JAXSON | The last days of Adventure Landing

For 27 years, Jacksonville Beach’s Adventure Landing has been one of the most popular attractions for kids and their families anywhere on the First Coast, but current plans for the property will shutter the park in the near future. The Jaxson’s Bill Delaney and photographer Erik Hamilton stopped by to take one last look. The adventure begins Adventure Landing came

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