Land near State Road 208 in St. Johns County. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today

From left, Aoife Lewis, Shannialia Perez Montero and Nicole Jiang were the winners of the Duval County Public Schools Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest. The trio were celebrated during a luncheon at the Schultz Center on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Elaine Seaver heads up research on a small species of marine worm at the University of Florida's Whitney Lab in Marineland. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today

Martin Kakabi stands with 132-pound sacks of Kenyan coffee beans that he roasts in Downtown Jacksonville. | Simone Endress, Jacksonville Today

The Paysafe Envision Formula E race car was unveiled Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at The Block in Jacksonville. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today

Rainfall totals forecast through Saturday morning, left, and the area where there could be tropical development later this week.

Hooters on San Jose Boulevard was the last remaining location in Jacksonville. | News4Jax

State Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, filed his intention to run for Jacksonville mayor on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at the Duval County Supervisor of Elections office. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters speaks with Jacksonville Today on Thursday, July 9, 2026. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today

City Councilman Jimmy Peluso, left, and ACPS Chief Mike Bricker pose with a dog named Leo outside the ACPS building in December 2023. | Jimmy Peluso, Facebook

The proposed Hard Rock Hotel includes a disc-shaped 18th-floor nightclub that developer Michael Munz described as a “record album floating out of the hotel.” | Downtown Development Review Board

Periods of heavy rain can obstruct visibility on the road and make driving dangerous.

Purple flags are planted on the lawn of the Duval County Courthouse to represent injunctions filed in domestic abuse cases. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today

Janelle Cox, a Venetia Elementary parent, tells district officials she's looking forward to a rebuilt school at a community meeting on Sept. 29, 2026, as School Board member Reggie Blount and district COO Jim Culbert look on. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today

The design for the rooftop lounge at Grafton & Fleck’s includes views of the beach community. | Charlene Shirk Public Relations

Henry Mack, as senior chancellor with Florida Department of Education, tours St. Petersburg College in February 2022. Mack was approved as Florida education commissioner on July 22, 2026. | St. Petersburg College, Facebook

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Florida International University call on the school to divest from Israeli military contractors. | Diego Perdomo, courtesy of WLRN.

The Floribunda show (seen here in 2024) returns this weekend to CoRK.

JEA's electric and water/sewer rate increases go into effect Oct. 1, 2026. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today

Currently, Duval Schools does not allow guns on school property. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today

Travelers approach the TSA security check at the Jacksonville airport on Sept. 30, 2026. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today

Inmates in the Duval County jail are among those awaiting transfer to a state hospital for mental health treatment, a lawsuit says. | Simone Endress, Jacksonville Today

Eartha and her mother Clara White circa 1910 (left). Eartha circa 1896 (right). | State Archives of Florida