A JEA water pump sits at the ready at the corner of Landon Avenue and San Marco Boulevard in San Marco.

This home in the College Gardens neighborhood went up for rent in May 2022. Rent in the 32209 ZIP code, where the home is located, has increased 31.9 % during the pandemic. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

JEA CEO Jay Stowe. Credit: Karen McAllister, JEA

In this file photo, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry presents his proposed budget for 2021-2022 to the Jacksonville City Council. | WJCT News

Madelyn Dinkins-Smith says it’s become near impossible to access her family’s burial grounds, even though she’s allowed to under Florida law. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today

Artwork from the Deborah Roberts exhibit I'm, now on display at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens through Dec. 4th. | Cummer Museum

Gullah/Geechee Nation representative Glenda Simmons-Jenkins (right), a group of archaeologists and Nassau County and Rayonier representatives visit a Gullah/Geechee cemetery on proposed Wildlight development land. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today

Photo | Erik Hamilton

Jaguars running back James Robinson evades Stephon Gilmore's tackle en route to a 37-yard touchdown run in a Sept. 18, 2022 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars (1-1) have won eight straight games over the Colts at TIAA Bank Field. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Members of the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce following a Sept. 13 kickoff for Hispanic Heritage Month. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Jacksonville sheriff candidates T.K. Waters, right, and Lakesha Burton, left, participate in a debate hosted by Jacksonville Today and the Jax Bar Association on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

Photo: Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today

Photo: WJCT News

Brentson Buckner is in his first year as Jaguars defensive line coach. Buckner has been in the NFL for 21 seasons, 12 as a player and nine as an assistant coach. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Photo: Ric Anderson, Jacksonville Today

Photo: Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today

Hogans Creek is a 2.6-mile tidal creek that is prone to flooding, partially due to a culvert constructed as a part of the Union Street Expressway project during the 1950s. | Daniel Herbin

Audrieanna Burgin is the director of the Diversity in Business Program at the University of North Florida. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Photo: Morris B. Silas, special to Jacksonville Today

KaCheryl Gantt, born and raised on the Eastside, is the sole proprietor of the Avenue Grille on A. Philip Randolph, and has simultaneously run the kitchen and cash register for nine years. “It’s been good actually for me,” she says, referring to the 2019 announcement of a new soccer stadium to be built nearby. “Everyday it’s been getting better. I didn’t even have to close during Covid.” Because her family owns property close to the construction site, Gantt stands to gain from the eventual opening of the stadium. But it’s the citizens of the Eastside that keep her restaurant going. “As long as I have the support of the neighborhood, I don’t see myself leaving.”

Suzanne Pickett is the president and CEO of the Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation. She grew up Out East and returned to the neighborhood six years ago. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today