INSIDER
A new zoning ordinance introduced at City Council this week may allow a new restaurant or bar on Hendricks Avenue, with alcohol sales permitted just steps from a nearby church.
The Jacksonville City Council is set to consider a new bill that would require all city employees to report instances of abuse, contract mismanagement, fraud, and similar issues to the city’s Office of the Inspector General.
The Jacksonville City Council passed a bill with a 12 to 7 vote that prohibits food trucks from preparing and/or selling food or beverages at gas stations.
The Special Committee on Duval DOGE, led by Jacksonville City Council Member Ron Salem, has launched a webpage to enhance transparency and public engagement. The site provides details on the committee’s objectives, meeting schedules, and related documents.
Jacksonville city council members are advocating for a significant change to honor a local legend with a proposed bill to rename Oakland Park after Dr. Eartha White, a renowned philanthropist and humanitarian who left a lasting mark on the River City. The Legacy of Oakland Park, located at the corner of Ionia and Union Streets, has been a staple of Jacksonville for over a century.
A few months ago, a mayor in Massachusetts was relishing a rare victory over a newspaper for its years of personal attacks.
In a unanimous 16-0 vote, the Jacksonville City Council passed a resolution to recognize April 2025 as Arab American Heritage Month in the city.
On Tuesday night, Jacksonville City Council members are set to vote on a proposed ordinance that would create a special development review board for Northeast Jacksonville, despite facing some council opposition. Ordinance 2024-0851, introduced by Councilmember Mike Gay, aims to protect the area from overdevelopment and give people in the neighborhood a chance to weigh in on how development is conducted.
A proposed Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act is now on its way to a full vote by the Jacksonville City Council.
Two Jacksonville lawmakers are pushing for tougher local immigration policies through two proposed bills.
The city of Jacksonville is proposing extending its stadium naming rights deal with the Jaguars and EverBank -- with some tweaks, including a change to the Jaguars' mailing address.
Dozens of the 37 City Council employees who participated in the survey were highly critical of two particular people in leadership: council director and secretary Margaret Sidman and former legislative services chief Merriane Lahmeur.
A shooting outside the Sulzbacher Center in downtown Jacksonville this past January is prompting a big change at the East Adams Street facility. The shooting left a man with critical injuries, and as a result, the Jacksonville city council will now consider a bill that would set aside $100,000 to pay Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers to provide security.
A new surf park planned in Jacksonville’s eTown development is one step closer to becoming a reality after the City Council gave its final approval on Tuesday.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is set to expand its operations into the Florida Blue building on the Downtown Northbank, following unanimous approval from the City Council. The new office space will allow JSO to consolidate its staff and enhance operational efficiency.
Jacksonville City Council introduced two bills related to illegal immigration Tuesday. Protesters shared their concern about those bills ahead of that meeting.
Jacksonville Today reader Judy J. is curious about the division of labor inside City Hall. “It seems like the mayor and the City Council are always sparring over whose responsibility different decisions are,” she says.
Jacksonville City Council Vice President Kevin Carrico filed legislation to ensure the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has the resources needed to enforce illegal immigration laws.
Councilman Ron Salem is calling for a special meeting on Wednesday to figure out the next steps when it comes to the Meridian Waste contract, which comes as the trash hauler is threatening to sue the city of Jacksonville over how it’s paid.
Councilman Ron Salem is calling for a special meeting on Wednesday to figure out the next steps when it comes to the Meridian Waste contract, which comes as the trash hauler is threatening to sue the city of Jacksonville over how it’s paid.
Jacksonville City Council is considering legislation to raise trash fees in order to address a growing debt for a solid waste loan, which could reach $500 million by fiscal year 2031-2032.
Dozens of students gathered at City Hall for a mock city council session led by Councilmember Jimmy Peluso to introduce young people to the workings of local government.
Meridian Waste threatens legal action after Jacksonville’s General Counsel invalidates a City Council-approved 29% pay raise for waste haulers.
It’s been almost a month since Jacksonville unveiled a hologram of Mayor Donna Deegan at Jacksonville International Airport; however, it hasn’t been well-received by every member of the City Council since its reveal.
The Jacksonville City Council is set to discuss an ordinance introduced by Mayor Donna Deegan at tomorrow’s council meeting, aiming to allocate $1.5 million for the LaVilla Transit Innovation and Equity Project.
It’s been almost a month since Jacksonville unveiled a hologram of Mayor Donna Deegan at Jacksonville International Airport; however, it hasn’t been well-received by every member of the City Council since its reveal.
The Jacksonville City Council secretary is on paid administrative leave following complaints about the work environment and issues surrounding the opening of council members' mail.
The city of Jacksonville is setting aside $4 million to help for garbage and recycling services as one city council member proposed raising garbage fees.
Councilmember Jimmy Peluso made headlines when he declined an invitation to a holiday party hosted aboard Jaguars team owner Shad Khan’s 410-foot yacht, the Kismet.
Tenants searching for an apartment in New York City have long been forced to pay thousands of dollars to real estate brokers.
In September, Jacksonville City Councilmember Rahman Johnson introduced a resolution that highlighted what he said is a pressing need for broader healthcare coverage in Duval County. The resolution would have called upon state legislators to work toward Medicaid expansion.
The Jacksonville City Council approved a $500,000 grant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Drone Replacement Program.
In a step toward tackling affordable housing and homelessness in Duval County, the Jacksonville City Council approved an ordinance allocating $1 million from the city’s contingency fund to support affordable housing projects.
Jacksonville’s City Council unanimously approved an amendment that appropriated $137,000 for the Homeward Bound Program, which helps unhoused residents return to their hometowns or reunite with family.
The family and friends of Erma Lee Cole gathered around a newly installed sign ordained by city council on Jacksonville’s Westside on Saturday.
The Jacksonville City Council will vote on Tuesday in an emergency move for an ordinance that would give $10,000 to extend a pilot program in the King and Park Street area of Riverside.
The Jacksonville City Council’s Public Safety Committee will consider Tuesday two bills -- totaling $2.5 million -- that are part of a $10 million budget proposal to help the city comply with a new state law banning sleeping in public spaces.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is defending her proposed budget and bracing for a tough fight in the coming weeks over funding for initiatives like affordable housing, the arts, and equity in city government.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is defending her proposed budget and bracing for a tough fight in the coming weeks over funding for initiatives like affordable housing, the arts, and equity in city government.
A historic marker to honor the victims killed in a racially motivated Dollar General shooting last year is planned for the Grand Park neighborhood.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan presented a $1.9 billion budget, the first composed entirely by her administration, to the City Council on Monday.
Mayor Donna Deegan will present her budget to the city council on Monday at 9:30am. So, we want to know what questions you have about the budget that we can bring to the mayor?
Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer is frustrated, claiming the DIA’s work is on hold until the Jacksonville City Council decides how the agency will operate.
The head of the group in charge of development and growth in Downtown Jacksonville says the City Council’s efforts to intervene are responsible for more delays in long-awaited projects.
Since being sworn in on July 1, 2023, Mayor Donna Deegan has passed her first budget, launched several new programs and helped negotiate the Jaguars stadium deal. She already has a full plate as she begins year two with two key issues taking center stage this month.
Some Brentwood residents are incensed over the construction of a huge city morgue and forensic lab in their neighborhood, claiming the city moved the project forward in secret.
The city of Norfolk, Virginia, has repealed a 45-year-old ban on palm reading and clairvoyance for money.
An independent filmmaker said the three new programs created to attract production companies and filmmakers could take Jacksonville to the next level.
Jacksonville City Council President Ron Salem announced a Special Committee that will look into the efficacy of the Downtown Investment Authority.
Jacksonville’s downtown revitalization project is one step closer to completion.
The Jacksonville Beach police chief outlined recommendations on how to keep people safe ahead of the annual Beach Fest and the official opening of the beaches.
Members of the Jacksonville City Council stood in front of a memorial Monday for the three innocent lives that were taken after a hate crime to announce a solution to a broken community’s demand for change.
Black immigrants have turned out in the hundreds across from a City Hall, drawing attention to racial inequities in the city’s shelter and immigrant support systems.
The rural city of Grants Pass in southern Oregon has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Jaguars’ “Stadium of the Future” took a big step forward Tuesday night when the Jacksonville City Council voted in favor of a plan to spend $10 million to get started on the stadium's construction design and engineering services.
Several members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office attended a Tuesday city council meeting to support a bill that the law enforcement agency said would give officers a seat at the table for legal settlements involving JSO.
A proposed affordable housing complex on the Northside was met with hours of opposition from concerned residents after the Land Use and Zoning Committee voted to approve the rezoning on Tuesday.
On Monday at 2 p.m., Jacksonville’s City Council Rules Committee will discuss a bill that would require approval from the sheriff for future settlements in police shooting lawsuits.
Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. will meet Thursday with Northside residents who are concerned about a plan to bring an affordable housing apartment complex to their neighborhood.
NYPD officers will have to record the race of people they question under new police transparency law.
New York City’s mayor has vetoed bills aimed at banning solitary confinement in city jails and requiring more transparency in police encounters with civilians.
A push to move the Duval County jail is gaining steam and now a conversation is brewing about also moving the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office administrative headquarters.
Severe weather anticipated Tuesday, including the potential for heavy downpours, tornadoes and small hail, led government and other offices around the area to announce closures for the day.
Jacksonville City Council members want answers from the city's top attorney after Mayor Donna Deegan’s decision to remove a Confederate monument from Springfield Park, using private funds.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan will sign a nearly $26 million spending plan Wednesday that addresses everything from homelessness to health care.
The Jacksonville City Council voted Tuesday to pass Mayor Donna Deegan’s Task Force Bill with 13 of 17 council members showing support of the bill.
After several years of division recently, with the city and local groups hosting dueling MLK breakfasts, Mayor Donna Deegan and other city leaders announced Monday that there will again be a single MLK breakfast in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville City Council’s Special Committee on Homelessness and Affordable Housing was announced by City Council President Ron Salem in October 2023. The group held its first meeting on Monday.
Jacksonville city leaders say the current Duval County Jail is falling apart and millions needs to be spent to bring it up to par. During a special city council meeting Friday, council members talked about problems at the jail, including mold and structural issues.
City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass legislation against Florida PACE Funding Agency, which city leaders say is responsible for "predatory lending."
The owners of a Westside mobile home park have four more days to explain to city inspectors why they’re charging some tenants thousands of dollars a month for water or they could face consequences.
The lawyer for a small Kansas newspaper raided by police last month said he believes officers didn't follow the search warrant's requirements to only seize computers believed directly involved in suspected identity theft.
Saying her nominee for general counsel is “facing a smear campaign,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan held a news conference Wednesday to rally support for Randy DeFoor’s appointment.
Newly released video shows the 98-year-old mother of a Kansas newspaper publisher confronting police officers as they searched her home in a raid that has drawn national scrutiny.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's administration hopes to meet with the Jaguars to formally discuss stadium renovations by the end of next month.
Activists have announced an effort to force a referendum that would allow Atlanta voters to decide whether the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center should proceed.
A federal jury in Florida has awarded $63.5 million to a pair of businessmen who claimed a city of Miami commissioner used his office to harass them after they supported the commissioner’s political opponent.
A federal judge has now given final approval to a settlement that ends a lengthy legal battle over redistricting between several civil rights groups and the city of Jacksonville.
Democratic leaders in major U.S. cities are finding themselves politically squeezed when it comes to addressing homelessness.
Five major U.S. cities and the state of California will receive federal help to get unsheltered residents into permanent housing.
While most eyes were on the mayor’s race Tuesday — which was clenched by Democrat Donna Deegan — seven City Council seats and the race for property appraiser were also in runoffs after the first election in March.
From May 1 to May 14, every Duval County registered voter will be able to cast a ballot at any one of nearly 20 early voting locations around the county in races for Jacksonville mayor and at least two other city races.
The Jacksonville community is invited to speak Tuesday night at the City Council meeting in support of or opposition to a proposal to relocate the Jacksonville Fairgrounds from its current location to the Westside on Normandy Boulevard.
A $711 million plan to make housing more affordable statewide is headed to the governor’s desk, and there is also help on the way for people in Jacksonville who are struggling to pay bills.
On Tuesday night’s City Council agenda is a proposal that would move the Museum of Science and History from its longtime home on Jacksonville’s Southbank to a new home on the Northbank that is yet to be built.
The two candidates who received the greatest number of votes — Republican Daniel Davis and Democrat Donna Deegan — will now face off during the May 16 general election.
