Featured image for “Magic Beach Motel will be demolished after all”
The Magic Beach Motel, located just minutes from the water in Vilano Beach, has been featured in several TV shows since it opened the better part of a century ago. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
August 5, 2025

Magic Beach Motel will be demolished after all

The St. Johns County Commission decided it does not have the legal authority to stop the demolition.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville mayor launches data portal to try to reduce politics in policymaking”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan presents State of Jax, a data analysis portal she hopes will reduce politics in policymaking. Deegan and the city's chief of analytics, Parvez Ahmed, announced the project Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 5, 2025

Jacksonville mayor launches data portal to try to reduce politics in policymaking

The City of Jacksonville launched a data analysis portal, State of Jax, to identify and eradicate local discrepancies in life…

Featured image for “Trash fees are going up in St. Johns County”
FCC Environmental Services took over trash pickup in St. Johns County on Aug. 1, 2024. | FCC Environmental Services
August 5, 2025

Trash fees are going up in St. Johns County

Residents can expect to pay $200 more annually over the next five years.…

Featured image for “3 resign St. Johns airport board after criminal charges”
From left are St. Johns' County Airport Authority Board members Len Tucker, Dennis Clarke and Reba Ludlow. | News4Jax
August 5, 2025

3 resign St. Johns airport board after criminal charges

The three are accused of violating Florida’s Sunshine Law on multiple occasions.…

Featured image for “Deegan tries to head off conflict over state DOGE audit”
Mayor Donna Deegan speaks at a groundbreaking March 26, 2025, for the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Jacksonville University. | Jacksonville University
August 5, 2025

Deegan tries to head off conflict over state DOGE audit

Mayor Donna Deegan responded to criticism by the state CFO, who suggested the city is trying to stifle a DOGE…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Free zoo days for kids”
Take the kids to the zoo for free this month. | Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens
August 5, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Free zoo days for kids

This month, the Jacksonville Zoo is offering families a budget-friendly way to meet the city’s wildest residents. Through the end…

Featured image for “Florida’s record executions lead nationwide increase”
Abraham Bonowitz of the national advocacy group Death Penalty Action speaks at an event outside the state Capitol in Tallahassee on March 19, 2025, to advocate against the execution of Edward James scheduled for March 20, 2025. | Kate Payne, AP
August 5, 2025

Florida’s record executions lead nationwide increase

Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has executed nine people in 2025, more than any other state.…

Featured image for “Judge orders release of Alligator Alcatraz agreements”
A protester stands outside the migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Facility on July 12, 2025, in Ochopee. | Alexandra Rodriguez, AP
August 5, 2025

Judge orders release of Alligator Alcatraz agreements

State and federal officials must provide written agreements showing who has legal custody of detainees at the facility.…

Featured image for “Former Duval teachers union VP pleads guilty”
The Duval Teachers United building on July 27, 2025. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today
August 4, 2025

Former Duval teachers union VP pleads guilty

Ruby George faces up to 20 years in prison on each of three counts. She will be sentenced later.…

Featured image for “Next phase of First Coast Expressway due to open soon”
Part of the First Coast Expressway is shown under construction. | FDOT
August 4, 2025

Next phase of First Coast Expressway due to open soon

The latest segment, from Blanding Boulevard to U.S. 17 in Clay County, could open within two weeks.…

Featured image for “Barber bestows his cutting wisdom on a new generation”
Imsety Aten-Re leads a barber boot camp for high school and middle school students on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
August 4, 2025

Barber bestows his cutting wisdom on a new generation

Imsety Aten-Re wants to give back to the community by sharing his passion for cutting hair.…

Featured image for “Jacksonville gets CSX’s first rail hazmat training center”
The fire academy at Florida State College at Jacksonville has this railroad tank car to help train firefighters in handling hazmat spills. The new CSX facility will be built nearby. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
August 4, 2025

Jacksonville gets CSX’s first rail hazmat training center

CSX and FSCJ will team up to build the Hazardous Materials Training Institute at the college’s existing fire academy.…

Featured image for “Sculpture called The Pearl is rising at RiversEdge”
The city has issued a permit for a sculpture called The Pearl at the RiversEdge development on the Downtown Southbank. The Pearl is the centerpiece of the development's Central Park. | Jacksonville Daily Record
August 4, 2025

Sculpture called The Pearl is rising at RiversEdge

The Pearl will anchor Central Park in the sprawling mixed-use development on the Southbank.…

Featured image for “New Asian grocery in Jax will open next month”
The Tampa Lotte Plaza Market opened in 2023 | Lotte Plaza Market
August 4, 2025

New Asian grocery in Jax will open next month

The Lotte Plaza Market will offer products from all over Asia and will include a food court.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Carvill Park pool reopens”
August 4, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Carvill Park pool reopens

The public pool at Carvill Park in Northwest Jacksonville was shut down close to a decade ago, and the city…

Featured image for “14-year-old accused of killing his parents in Middleburg”
Detectives investigate a double slaying in Middleburg. | News4Jax
August 4, 2025

14-year-old accused of killing his parents in Middleburg

The boy walked to a church and called police to say he had shot his parents, the sheriff said.…

Featured image for “Tropical Storm Dexter forms; forecasters watch 2 other areas”
August 4, 2025

Tropical Storm Dexter forms; forecasters watch 2 other areas

Tropical Storm Dexter is moving away from the U.S. and won’t affect Florida.…

Featured image for “OPINION | Pictures don’t lie. But do they even matter?”
August 3, 2025

OPINION | Pictures don’t lie. But do they even matter?

The current City Council has said very little to criticize policing under T.K. Waters, and previous councils flailed when they…

Featured image for “Hard Rock on Northbank would not include casino, city says”
The Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is illuminated on Jan. 19, 2021, in Hollywood, Florida. | Wilfredo Lee, AP
August 1, 2025

Hard Rock on Northbank would not include casino, city says

Several groups are looking at Downtown Jacksonville for development, including a possible Hard Rock hotel.…

Featured image for “Fernandina gangway collapse blamed partly on large crowd”
This is the gangway that collapsed as people stood on it to watch July 4th fireworks from the Fernandina Harbor Marina. | City of Fernandina Beach
August 1, 2025

Fernandina gangway collapse blamed partly on large crowd

The gangway was supporting more weight than it was designed for when it collapsed during July 4 fireworks.…

Featured image for “Heat illness: What to look for on these sweltering days”
August 1, 2025

Heat illness: What to look for on these sweltering days

Heat killed 199 Americans in 2024, making it the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.…

Featured image for “Q&A | Edward Waters president looks ahead to reaccreditation and new strategic plan”
A. Zachary Faison is the president of Edward Waters University. Florida's first HBCU held its 154th commencement on May 11, 2024, at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. The location was moved Downtown to accommodate the growth of the university’s graduating class. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 1, 2025

Q&A | Edward Waters president looks ahead to reaccreditation and new strategic plan

A. Zachary Faison spoke with Jacksonville Today as the HBCU prepares to identify its next aspirations.…

Featured image for “It’s August: Here’s where tropical storms typically form”
Areas for tropical storm formation in August.
August 1, 2025

It’s August: Here’s where tropical storms typically form

Tropical activity tends to ramp up in August with more tropical waves emerging from Africa.…

Featured image for “Rapper Ksoo and cousin guilty of 1st-degree murder”
Jacksonville rapper Hakeem Robinson — known as Ksoo — looks back as he learns of his guilty verdict in a Jacksonville courtroom on Thursday, July 31, 2025. | News4Jax
July 31, 2025

Rapper Ksoo and cousin guilty of 1st-degree murder

The two were charged in the 2020 shooting death of Charles McCormick Jr. at a shopping center in Arlington.…