JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Advocacy. Accountability. Results.
Those are three characteristics that anyone a part of the News4JAX I-TEAM carries with them as they tackle each story.
Recommended Videos
For Vic Micolucci, being a member of the I-TEAM was about “making things right for the community.”
“We work for the community. We look for injustices,” he said.
Vic has countless stories where he has worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of issues plaguing the Jacksonville community.
From covering violent crime to exposing awful living conditions, Vic was never shy to roll up his sleeves, get in the mud, and do what needed to be done for the community he served.
When a troubled Eastside apartment complex faced years of safety concerns, Vic’s continuous coverage helped revitalize The Downtown East Apartments, formerly known as Franklin Arms, which were plagued with pests, mold, and violence. The Jacksonville Housing Authority and a local nonprofit are taking ownership and restoring hope for residents.
The I-TEAM also investigated the nearby Eastside Terrace and Gardens apartments. LIFT JAX recently bought those and is making improvements.
“Eastside apartments, Cascase apartments, over the years, the list goes on and on. You have families that are living in conditions that nobody should be living in. Being able to come in there to expose what the conditions are like and to find resources and connect them with city leaders, state leaders, whoever it is that’s supposed to be looking after them and hold the powerful accountable is an incredible thing to do,” Vic said.
What was ultimately important for Vic in his coverage was making a difference — no matter the size.
“You can’t get in there and wave a magic wand and fix all of their problems, but you can hopefully make their life a little bit easier, a little bit better,” he said.
News4JAX Insiders have chimed in with their well wishes and memories for Vic as he makes his transition from the station.
MORE APARTMENT ADVOCACY| Troubled Jacksonville apartment complex declared public nuisance | Troubled Eastside apartment complexes under new ownership, renovations to come in next 60 days | Owner dubbed ‘slumlord’ cites federal underfunding for apartment problems | Security company claims Eastside apartment complex is ‘one of the most dangerous properties’ it ever worked
Investigative journalism can be grueling but it comes with rewards.
“It is a 24-hour job. You are working around the clock and sometimes a three-minute story could take months of research and phone calls and emails and work just for it to finally come to fruition,” Vic said.
Jacksonville is no stranger to violence, and Vic is no stranger to going behind the scenes to learn about police measures to address crime.
He rode along with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office violent crime reduction task forces for several days and nights to learn about the aggressive tactics and advanced technology the sheriff’s office utilizes to crack down on arrests and case leads.
“I love the commitment to investigative reporting because it’s truly impactful,” Vic said. “It’s also very stressful. It’s very hard. You really stretch yourself out,” Vic said. “You have to have a lot of conversations about what is right. You have to learn the law. You have to reach out to people and have uncomfortable conversations. But it’s for the right cause.”
MORE CRIME COVERAGE | Jacksonville violent crime numbers dip as police go after specific ‘trigger pullers’ | Guns, drugs, gangs: An inside look at how these police officers are addressing violent crime | Jacksonville police list 13 homicides as ‘justifiable’ or ‘self-defense’
All it took was a viewer’s news tip about a man who spent at least five days at a bus stop after being discharged from the hospital to launch Vic into investigative mode.
Vic found 46-year-old Mohammad in a situation no one would want to be in: crying on a bus bench, with his leg broken, bruises on his face, and sitting in soiled disposable hospital pants.
So, he started asking questions: What are a hospital’s responsibilities? What happens if a patient refuses treatment? Where does someone like Mohammad end up?
The investigation led to Mohammad having surgery on his broken leg and hand. Since the I-TEAM called for help, he was admitted and spent weeks in the hospital, which his friends said may have saved his life.
He’s currently staying in an assisted living facility and talks to his family every day, according to Vic. The Moroccan government even stepped in.
UPDATES ON MOHAMMAD | Man who spent days at bus stop after being discharged from local hospital to undergo leg surgery | As man left at bus stop for days in front of hospital goes for 2nd surgery, questions about medical care loom
It was a murder in Jacksonville Beach that had residents shaken and perplexed. Jared Bridegan, a father of four, was gunned down in a targeted attack in 2022. Since then, Vic was on top of every development with the case that made national headlines.
He covered each break in the alleged murder-for-hire case from the arrests of Bridegan’s wife, her current husband and the admitted gunman to continuous court developments.
MORE BRIDEGAN CASE UPDATES | Suspect arrested in ambush murder of Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach ‘did not act alone,’ state attorney says | Murder-for-hire plot included practice run along Jared Bridegan’s normal route home: prosecutors | ‘It ain’t looking good’: New evidence shows arrest, calls, interview of triggerman in Jared Bridegan murder
Vic’s community partnership doesn’t end when he officially walks out of the News4JAX doors.
In his new position as the Communications and Community Engagement Executive with JSO, he will still be advocating for the community and hopes that his access to more resources will propel him in a different direction that can help him continue to build bonds with the community.
“Leaving TV news is bittersweet, but I don’t really think that I’m letting go because my new role is going to be community engagement,” Vic said. “So, I’m going to be going out there for the good and the bad. I really believe that I’m going to be doing a lot of the same things just in a little bit of a different capacity with a different set of resources.”
Public service will always be at the forefront of whatever role Vic is in, he said.
“To be able to really get in there and dig into a story that is hyperlocal, that only you can help with...it’s just a honor. And it’s been a blessing to be able to do it,” Vic said.
Ultimately, despite the number of stories he’s covered over the years, Vic said helping someone starts by telling one person’s story at a time.
Vic leaves his fellow I-TEAM members and all of Channel 4 with this message:
“We have an incredible team here at Channel 4. I’m so thankful for everybody, and I know that so many people collaborate to get these results. Good luck. I have nothing but respect for the other team members and really our entire team that’s out there doing good work day in and day out.”
TOUCHING I-TEAM UPDATE | Community steps up for local special needs family after I-TEAM investigates contractor complaints
And he leaves a lasting message for the community as he hopes that the community continues to support local journalism even after his departure.
“We are literally here to help people who need it. It doesn’t matter what your background is, your race, your religion, your politics. It’s about helping our neighbors. And if we stick to that mantra, I think we’ll be able to make this a better place. One story at a time.”
Read more of Vic’s memorable investigative coverage:
- A multi-year I-TEAM investigation uncovered 134 victims who were out nearly $800,000 in a nationwide travel scam. The mastermind behind the operation would later plead guilty and go to federal prison for his expansive crimes.
- The I-TEAM takes you on an inside look at how SWAT teams took down the man suspected of killing Nassau County deputy Joshua Moyers after an intense, days-long manhunt.
- The Navy’s top officer at Guantanamo Bay, who’s from Jacksonville, fell from grace after a Marine Corps. veteran disappeared under his watch. Turns out the two got into a fight - which the base commander kept secret from the military. This Emmy-award winning I-TEAM investigation spans from Cuba to Jacksonville to Pennsylvania, ending with the captain in federal prison.
- Customers at Riverside Chevrolet felt they were getting ripped off but couldn’t quite figure out how. This I-TEAM investigation discovered fraud and dishonesty that helped the owners fetch big profits while buyers were left in a messy situation. The year-long investigation sparked raids from the state, a $1.5 million fine, and eventually sent the owners packing, leaving the Sunshine State.
- What if a bullet casing could talk and solve some of Jacksonville’s most horrific crimes? What if a shell could be the clue to catching killers and saving lives? This I-TEAM investigation, taking us to the ATF offices in Denver, showed cutting-edge technology that’s now commonplace today, before it made its way to North Florida. It’s now a key part of homicide investigations.
- Shoot, don’t shoot? In this Emmy-award-winning story in 2015, put reporters, a retired officer, and an NAACP activist to the test in high-stress scenarios to see how they’d react in life-or-death situations.