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 | Remedial education: It’s time for an elected superintendent”
May 5, 2024

OPINION | Remedial education: It’s time for an elected superintendent

It’s time for Jacksonville to consider a strong, elected superintendent model such as most counties in the state have. …

Featured image for “OPINION | Don’t stop believing, even after Southbank storage approval”
Screenshot of the San Marco Neighborhood Action Plan 2016
May 2, 2024

OPINION | Don’t stop believing, even after Southbank storage approval

The public engagement on this issue by San Marco residents is something of a victory. And a chance to affect…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | A ride on Brightline”
April 30, 2024

THE JAXSON | A ride on Brightline

Operating between Miami and Orlando with a goal of potentially expanding to Tampa and Jacksonville, Brightline is the first privately…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Did Jaguars get better in the draft?”
The Jaguars drafted LSU's Maason Smith, a defensive tackle, seen here at the NFL scouting combine in February. | (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
April 28, 2024

SPORTS | Did Jaguars get better in the draft?

The Jaguars’ draft looks good on one hand, but further inspection brings up some key questions.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Metro Park redesign is déjà vu all over again”
Metropolitan Park as seen in April 2024 | Dan Scanlan
April 25, 2024

OPINION | Metro Park redesign is déjà vu all over again

If you missed the open house, it’s not too late to participate. Citizens may complete a survey about our revitalization…

Featured image for “OPINION | School closures? Blame charters, state government and ‘choice’”
Fishweir Elementary is one of the schools that a consultant has floated as potentially ripe for closure and consolidation.
April 24, 2024

OPINION | School closures? Blame charters, state government and ‘choice’

I ask you to write your state representative and state senator to seek limitations on what charters can do and…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Zeroing in on the Jaguars’ draft targets”
Former Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. is tackled by Indianapolis Colts safety Khari Willis during a 2022 home game. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
April 22, 2024

SPORTS | Zeroing in on the Jaguars’ draft targets

Will there be a man-to-man cornerback available to the Jaguars if they stay at 17 to make their first-round selection?…

Featured image for “OPINION | More than a matter of choice ”
April 21, 2024

OPINION | More than a matter of choice 

Floridians will have an opportunity to restore reproductive freedom through a ballot amendment in November.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Riverfront Plaza’s dizzying complications”
April 18, 2024

OPINION | Riverfront Plaza’s dizzying complications

Redeveloping the former Landing site is overly complicated, defies common sense, is too costly, and is taking too long.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Bob Graham’s legacy and its lessons for today”
Sen. Bob Graham, right, speaks during the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill and Offshore Drilling meeting on Sept. 27, 2010 | AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
April 17, 2024

OPINION | Bob Graham’s legacy and its lessons for today

Graham was arguably the last of the great governors of the state, one who could talk to “old Florida” and…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jim Crow is enshrined in Florida law”
Speakers walk through the metal detector at Jacksonville City Hall on Dec. 13, 2022. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
April 15, 2024

OPINION | Jim Crow is enshrined in Florida law

This Friday, April 26, the state of Florida will celebrate Confederate Memorial Day, one of three official Confederate anniversaries that…

Featured image for “OPINION | If at first you don’t succeed”
The Laura Street Trio at Forsyth and Laura streets Downtown.
April 11, 2024

OPINION | If at first you don’t succeed

It’s tiresome for sure, this yearslong Laura Street Trio restoration project conversation.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Jacksonville deserves a stadium referendum”
The Jacksonville Jaguars have proposed renovating EverBank Stadium into the "Stadium of the Future."
April 7, 2024

OPINION | Jacksonville deserves a stadium referendum

Why can’t Jacksonville taxpayers weigh in on the biggest capital obligation in local history?…

Featured image for “OPINION | A pocketful of miracles: Are parks central to Northbank plan?”
April 4, 2024

OPINION | A pocketful of miracles: Are parks central to Northbank plan?

Are parks central to plans for Downtown Jacksonville’s Northbank? Or are they an after-thought?…

Featured image for “THE JAXSON | What does ‘withintrification’ look like? Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard”
April 3, 2024

THE JAXSON | What does ‘withintrification’ look like? Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard

Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in New Orleans is a model for withintrification that can be easily replicated along Jacksonville corridors…

Featured image for “OPINION | Will she or won’t she: Is State Attorney Melissa Nelson running for re-election?”
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces the indictment of Shanna Gardner-Fernandez in August of 2023. | Dan Scanlan
April 1, 2024

OPINION | Will she or won’t she: Is State Attorney Melissa Nelson running for re-election?

Voters have a right to know if State Attorney Melissa Nelson is running for re-election in the judicial circuit covering…

Featured image for “OPINION | The citizens who stopped, exposed the JEA scheme”
March 28, 2024

OPINION | The citizens who stopped, exposed the JEA scheme

Before we close the book on the JEA scandal, let’s celebrate those who stopped the behind-the-scenes sale effort and revealed…

Featured image for “OPINION | Why the Deegan-Biden dynamic matters to Jacksonville this November”
Mayor Donna Deegan welcomes Vice President Kamala Harris to Jacksonville on July 21, 2023. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
March 25, 2024

OPINION | Why the Deegan-Biden dynamic matters to Jacksonville this November

Mayor Deegan – who often talks about working across party lines – is going to be incentivized to be a…

Featured image for “REVIEW | Jacksonville Zoo monkeys with menu to some fans’ displeasure”
March 24, 2024

REVIEW | Jacksonville Zoo monkeys with menu to some fans’ displeasure

The Jacksonville Zoo says it took food “in a different direction that would allow us to maximize our mission through…

Featured image for “SPORTS | More work left for Jaguars after free agency haul”
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (91) celebrates a hit on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, 2024 | AP Photo/Ashley Landis
March 24, 2024

SPORTS | More work left for Jaguars after free agency haul

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed eight veterans from other teams during free agency, so here are their needs heading into the…

Featured image for “OPINION | Can’t get it out of my mind”
Former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn leaves federal court after his guity verdict on March 15, 2024. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
March 21, 2024

OPINION | Can’t get it out of my mind

With the federal conviction last week of JEA’s former CEO, our local morality tale about extreme self-interest at the public’s…

Featured image for “OPINION | Affordable housing in Northern St. Johns faces familiar opposition”
A rendering of the proposed Preserve at Wards Creek | St. Johns Planning and Zoning Agency
March 18, 2024

OPINION | Affordable housing in Northern St. Johns faces familiar opposition

This affordable housing project is being used as a scapegoat for the previous sins in St. Johns County. …

Featured image for “OPINION | The playground is the battleground ”
March 13, 2024

OPINION | The playground is the battleground 

We’re giving over the health, safety and the sanctity of public education to those who only have their own power…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Jaguars’ free agency start: activity or progress?”
FILE - Buffalo Bills center Mitch Morse (60) looks on during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dec. 23, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. The Bills' salary cap-related purge of players cut deep into the team's core with veteran safety Jordan Poyer and center Morse being among five players the team announced it released Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
March 11, 2024

SPORTS | Jaguars’ free agency start: activity or progress?

Despite talking about the need for a more physical offensive line, the Jaguars are keeping most of their starters.…