PerspectivesNikesha Elise Williams Jacksonville Today Contributor
Featured image for “OPINION | Feel free to begin, again”
People stand in Times Square for the annual New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City on Dec. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
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…

Featured image for “OPINION | Ron DeSantis doesn’t owe you an explanation”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fist bumps with legislators Tuesday, March 2, 2021, as he enters the House of Representatives prior to his State of the State address at the Capitol in Tallahassee. | Phil Sears, Associated Press
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…

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Doug Eng
December 22, 2021

Doug Eng: Environmental activism through art

Through his art, Jacksonville photographer Doug Eng is trying to help people gain more of an appreciation for the natural…

Featured image for “OPINION | What Shad Khan gets right – and wrong – about Downtown”
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…

Featured image for “OPINION | In search of holiday peace”
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…

Featured image for “Under JEA’s SolarMax program, companies can get 100% electricity from solar”
December 17, 2021

Under JEA’s SolarMax program, companies can get 100% electricity from solar

Companies including Florida Blue and Johnson and Johnson are signing onto a new program from JEA that allows corporations to…

Featured image for “OPINION | GOP 2023 race: Death, taxes, and Lenny Curry”
Lenny Curry discusses his campaign on TV on May 12, 2015. | AP Photo/Brendan Farrington
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…

Featured image for “How 4 Jacksonville artists made it to Miami Art Week”
Long Roads Project booth at Untitled Art in Miami featuring works by Jax-based artists Dustin Harewood, Mark Creegan, Tony Rodrigues and Hiromi Moneyhun | Credit: Photograph courtesy of Long Road Projects
December 16, 2021

How 4 Jacksonville artists made it to Miami Art Week

It’s just after 5 p.m. on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Artist and Professor Dustin Harewood dons a paint-splattered denim apron…

Featured image for “SPORTS | Urban Meyer couldn’t overcome his ‘trust issues’”
Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Credit: Heather Schatz, WJCT News
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…

Featured image for “OPINION | Duval Schools headquarters must stay Downtown”
The Duval County School Board administration building. Michael Rivera at Wikipedia
December 14, 2021

OPINION | Duval Schools headquarters must stay Downtown

Duval County Public Schools’ announcement that it plans to sell its Southbank headquarters and relocate is welcome news for those…

December 13, 2021

OPINION | When are we going to get back to normal?

My son lied to me about wearing his mask. He lied for nearly two weeks straight. I had been sending…

Featured image for “OPINION | Polson’s problem”
December 12, 2021

OPINION | Polson’s problem

The First Election of the Jacksonville City Council At Large Group 3 race is in the books, and nobody won.…

Featured image for “OPINION | The forgotten factor behind Downtown Jax’s struggles”
December 7, 2021

OPINION | The forgotten factor behind Downtown Jax’s struggles

Analyses of Downtown Jacksonville’s continued struggles typically focus on factors within Downtown’s boundaries. Though generally overlooked, one external factor may…

Featured image for “OPINION | Voting is the price of freedom”
Signs in front of an early voting site | Claire Heddles, WJCT News
December 6, 2021

OPINION | Voting is the price of freedom

Today is election day. Albeit it’s a small election, a special election to fill the seat of the late at-large…

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Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci has abandoned his bid for mayor.
December 5, 2021

OPINION | Carlucci bails out

Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci surprised some people last week when he abandoned his bid for Jacksonville Mayor. Carlucci launched…

Featured image for “Rising seas swamp Black, Spanish and Indigenous history in St. Johns County”
December 2, 2021

Rising seas swamp Black, Spanish and Indigenous history in St. Johns County

A city reliant on heritage tourism struggles to protect its most valuable assets.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Congress should get out of the marijuana business”
Credit CannabisMD TeleMed via Wikimedia Commons
December 1, 2021

OPINION | Congress should get out of the marijuana business

When Ron DeSantis was in Congress, he wasn’t a big fan of the institution. He criticized its ineptitude while he…

Featured image for “3 local photojournalists frame up the First Coast in ‘Last Coast’”
"Blue" by Malcolm Jackson is on view at the Lark as part of the group show of photography Last Coast. The image was inspired by the movie Moonlight, says Malcolm Jackson. "I chose to shoot it near the Talbot Islands off Heckscher Drive because of the the area's ties to the Atlantic slave trade. I felt a Black woman was best subject for this because nobody has a better combination of power, grace and resilience." | Photograph courtesy of the artist
November 30, 2021

3 local photojournalists frame up the First Coast in ‘Last Coast’

The term First Coast is synonymous with Jacksonville and its four surrounding counties: Clay, Nassau, Baker and St. Johns. A…

Featured image for “OPINION | 5 development myths that hold Downtown Jax back”
November 30, 2021

OPINION | 5 development myths that hold Downtown Jax back

Does demolishing old buildings prime the pump for flashy ones? Is 10,000 residents the magic number necessary to enliven Downtown…

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November 30, 2021

Site-Scale Green Infrastructure Solutions For Shoreline Management

This is the first event of the “Let’s Talk About Resilience” webinar series presented in partnership with the GTM Research…

Featured image for “OPINION | Relief and belief in justice are not the same”
People gather in front of a mural of Ahmaud Arbery painted on the side of The Brunswick African American Cultural Center in Brunswick, Ga.,
November 29, 2021

OPINION | Relief and belief in justice are not the same

“Verdict watch . . . one guilty but this is stressful.” I fired off that tweet after Travis McMichael was…

November 28, 2021

OPINION | Primary battles to watch in 2022

We will have a few live August contests in this region next summer. While top-of-the-ticket stuff leaves some intrigue for…

Featured image for “OPINION | What hotels can do for Downtown vibrancy”
November 23, 2021

OPINION | What hotels can do for Downtown vibrancy

A new Home2 Suites in Brooklyn is the latest hotel project moving forward in Downtown Jacksonville. With more hotels in…

Featured image for “OPINION | My Thanksgiving wish for a less divided Jacksonville”
Courtesy The Jaxson
November 22, 2021

OPINION | My Thanksgiving wish for a less divided Jacksonville

Thursday, most of us will gather together around tables in homes to share Thanksgiving dinner. I have often been struck…