Featured image for “PHOTO ESSAY | Jax Today’s 11 favorite images from 2022”
December 29, 2022

PHOTO ESSAY | Jax Today’s 11 favorite images from 2022

Jacksonville Today’s Will Brown shares his favorite images he’s captured over the past year.

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Featured image for “EXPLORE: How DeSantis’ congressional map affected Northeast Florida midterms”
November 20, 2022

EXPLORE: How DeSantis’ congressional map affected Northeast Florida midterms

Republicans narrowly flipped the U.S. House this election cycle, gaining four seats in Florida  — including one in the newly drawn District 4, which covers part of Jacksonville. A Jacksonville Today analysis of voting data show District 4’s predecessor, the former District 5, would have been a close race with a possible Democratic win if Gov. Ron DeSantis hadn’t vetoed

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Featured image for “OPINION | DeSantis’ and Trump’s freedom isn’t free”
November 16, 2022

OPINION | DeSantis’ and Trump’s freedom isn’t free

Freedom.  That’s the word that’s been slung like dice since campaigning began for the 2022 midterm elections. Entire narratives were built around the word to justify politically expedient policies that reopened counties, cities and classrooms from COVID-19 closures. Careers were made by silencing dissent, limiting choice, supporting revisionist history and amplifying bigotry, hatred, violence and harm toward difference — race,

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Featured image for “EXPLORE: Duval GOP leads early voting ahead of Election Day”
November 7, 2022

EXPLORE: Duval GOP leads early voting ahead of Election Day

About 30% of registered Duval County voters have already cast a ballot – that’s more than 136,000 people who voted early and 58,000 mail ballots. Between those combined ballots, Republicans have a slight lead of 2,500 votes. Republicans had more combined early and mail ballots than Democrats in most recent midterm races, except the 2018 midterm under former president Donald Trump.

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Featured image for “‘Poll chaplains’ prep for Jacksonville Election Day”
November 6, 2022

‘Poll chaplains’ prep for Jacksonville Election Day

Southside Jacksonville evangelist Doris Rodgers spent her Friday morning posted outside the Northside’s Highlands Regional Library, one of Jacksonville’s early voting sites. She wasn’t holding a Bible or talking about her faith but saw this morning as another kind of ministry: She’s one of more than 25 Jacksonville faith leaders trained as a “poll chaplain,” tasked with ensuring voters feel

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Featured image for “OPINION | Are we irretrievably broken?”
November 2, 2022

OPINION | Are we irretrievably broken?

The attack ads this election cycle have been vicious. Opponents on both sides have been characterized as racist, dangerous, liars and just all out wrong. While the rhetoric may seem standard for the divisively gerrymandered country at all levels, I’m concerned with the deeper narratives such rhetoric supports.  As a writer, I know that words matter. They can be bent

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Featured image for “Agriculture commissioner race: Simpson vs. Blemur”
October 14, 2022

Agriculture commissioner race: Simpson vs. Blemur

One of Florida’s most-powerful lawmakers and a North Miami Democrat touting a “grassroots” campaign are competing in the Nov. 8 election to become state agriculture commissioner. Outgoing Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican and egg farmer, has more name recognition, political connections and funding as he goes up against Naomi Blemur, the first Haitian-American to be a major-party candidate

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Featured image for “Chief financial officer race: Patronis, Hattersley square off”
October 14, 2022

Chief financial officer race: Patronis, Hattersley square off

Florida voters next month will choose a state chief financial officer who will have a big role in trying to reform the property-insurance system, as the industry faces an uncertain future exacerbated by billions of dollars in claims from Hurricane Ian. Republican Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is seeking another four-year term in the Cabinet post, with Democrat Adam Hattersley,

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Featured image for “Attorney general race: Ayala challenges Moody in ‘longshot’ bid”
October 14, 2022

Attorney general race: Ayala challenges Moody in ‘longshot’ bid

Former Orlando-area State Attorney Aramis Ayala is making a “longshot” bid to unseat Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, saying a key issue is the independence of Florida’s top legal officer. But as with other contests this year for state Cabinet seats, the race between Ayala and Moody is an undercard to elections for governor and U.S. Senate and has made

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Featured image for “NOV. 8 VOTER GUIDE: Amendments 1,2,3”
October 14, 2022

NOV. 8 VOTER GUIDE: Amendments 1,2,3

Florida voters are being asked to decide whether to approve two property-tax measures and the fate of the state’s Constitution Revision Commission. Lawmakers placed three proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot, including two that would provide property-tax breaks. One of those measures, which will appear on the ballot as Amendment 1, would prevent properties’ assessed values from going up because

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