The Florida Times-Union
Fleet Landing plan heads to vote
Fleet Landing’s residential tower on the former site of Haskell’s headquarters in downtown will move forward to a vote by the Downtown Investment Authority Board on $49 million in incentives. The proposed 31-story tower would be the tallest in the...
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DINNER CRUISE DENIED GRANT
Jacksonville City Council torpedoed an economic development agreement that would have awarded a $70,000 grant that Jax Yacht Charter said it needed as a “bridge” to make the yearold service financially viable for dinner and brunch cruises from...
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Defense spending rise a boon to South Florida
South Florida is trending toward becoming a defense industry hub along the lines of Northern Virginia. Daniel Kahan, a lawyer who handles financial transactions for emerging companies, especially in the technology and defense sectors, believes that...
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METEOROLOGISTS: ISAIAS AN ODDITY
Isaias did things hurricanes don’t, snapping pines like pencils and prying sides and roofs from homes that were opposite of the so-called dirty side of the hurricane. Climatological tradition says areas east of the Oct. 9 Destin landfall should be...
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THE KICK HEARD ’ROUND LONDON
Cam Little booted a 57-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Jacksonville Jaguars past the Philadelphia Eagles in the first of two consecutive games in London. h The field goal came just 8 seconds after the Eagles had seized a 17-16 lead. h But...
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It’s all about putting food on the table
When an agency pitched today’s front-page story to the Times-Union, it almost immediately made me think about how increasingly high grocery store prices have completely changed my purchases. Mostly it’s meant making sacrifices and buying less. I’m a...
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A FLORIDA REGION IMPACT BREAKDOWN
Hurricane Isaias has strengthened to Category 3 intensity on final approach to a landfall between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, which was expected between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. CT Friday. This intensification increases the wind and surge threats to...
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WORRIES ABOUT HURRICANE SURGE
Hurricane Isaias is barreling toward the Gulf Coast with fears of far-reaching nighttime tornadoes increasing and hurricane warnings pushing deep inland for what is forecast to reach a high-end Category 2 tempest ahead of landfall. Isaias was upgraded...
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Fate of downtown Publix on pause until after election
The fate of a Publix envisioned for downtown Jacksonville will wait until after the dust settles on Amendment 3 and its proposed expansion of the homestead exemption. The City Council Finance Committee deferred taking a vote on legislation containing...
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Mental health gaps fueling domestic violence deaths
In 2025, 16 homicide cases in Duval County were connected to domestic violence, with mental health a factor in 12 of the cases, according to Jacksonville officials. So expansion of “affordable and accessible mental health care programs, including not...
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Do rights to free speech extend to AI chatbots?
Are the ChatGPT outputs to the accused Florida State University shooter the “hazardous” outcome of a product – or is the information protected speech under the First Amendment? In a new court filing, ChatGPT owner OpenAI says it’s the...
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ON TOP IN OHIO
It wasn’t easy, but the Jaguars survived 13 penalties as well as 428 passing yards from Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow to improve to 3-1, downing the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bengals nearly rallied from 22-10 down, but safety...
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Botched TN execution was chaotic scene
For well over an hour, the state of Tennessee tried to kill Christa Pike. Then they raced to save her life. Seven members of the news media who witnessed Pike’s botched execution Sept. 30 for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer described an...
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Board confirms Shannon as UNF president
Governors of Florida’s State University System approved Michael P. Shannon as the University of North Florida’s eighth president Sept. 30, trusting him to amplify UNF’s gains in enrollment and academic standing. “We ended up with the best finalist,”...
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Dems deliver message at a packed Florida church
BOYNTON BEACH – At an event that was part revival, part political rally, top Democratic candidates addressed enthusiastic voters at St. John Missionary Baptist Church. It was just a midterm snapshot, but a positive one for the party that has been...
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UNUSUAL HURRICANE SEASON CONTINUES
The 2026 hurricane season has been remarkable, from the potentially record-breaking calm in the Atlantic Ocean to the hyperactive eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Only seven tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic, while 18 tropical storms and...
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Low-Earth orbit a major milestone for Starship
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TX – “Go for orbit.” SpaceX’s Starship soared off its Starbase, Texas, launch pad early Monday, Sept. 28, and for the first time in 14 test flights, the spaceship ascended into low-Earth orbit. Despite a near-perfect on-time...
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DEFENSIVE DOMINATION
Jacksonville Jaguars Travis Hunter intercepts a pass during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium on Sept. 27. Jacksonville intercepted Drake Maye twice and recovered a Maye fumble en route to a rout of New England....
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What’s your go-to coffee order and/or your favorite coffee shop?
I’ll take a larce coTTee over a “Grande Iced Brown Sucar Oatmeal Smaken Espresso” any day oT tme week. I’m only aTter tme caTTeone; tme rest os just set dressonc.
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PLOWING AHEAD
Jacksonville drivers passing the old Regency Square mall on the Arlington Expressway have had a front-row seat to a very visible teardown this month as demolition on the nearly six-decadesold mall is underway. This marked a major step in the...
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Trump seeks trade win amid ceremonies for Xi
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Sept. 24 for a state summit expected to be heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with both leaders keen to showcase stable ties despite a deep...
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FL gas prices rise again as $5 a gallon gets closer
Florida gas prices jumped overnight Sept. 23 to a statewide average $4.29 per gallon, up 5 cents from Sept. 22, according to AAA Auto Club. In the Daytona Beach area where the average price for regular as of Sept. 23 is now $4.33 per gallon, up 6...
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Global diesel shortage unlikely to ease by 2027
NEW YORK — A global diesel shortage fueled by wars in Iran and Ukraine is unlikely to ease before next year, according to storage market indicators and industry participants, extending a spike in fuel costs that is weighing on economies worldwide. The...
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WINTER EL NIÑO BRINGS NEW THREAT
South Florida Water Management District Governing Board chairman during a Sept. 10 meeting In the El Niño winter of 1998, tornadoes stole into Florida in the overnight hours of Feb. 22 with ruinous, murderous intent. Newspaper articles talk of a...
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100 years later, storm’s stories still resonate
The stories of loss and survival still resonate 100 years after the ferocious storm hit. As hurricane-fueled floodwaters inundated the town of Moore Hayes, Florida, on Sept. 18, 1926, one woman tied herself to her three children and ventured into the...
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The one about Watercate
For me, the favorite still has to be "All the President's Men." It made a huge impression on me as a teenager just after Watergate. "Spotlight" and "Absence of Malice" are up there. I didn't care much for the Russell Crowe movie "State of Play." The...
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Survey: Americans put off purchases, celebrate on payday
Americans approach payday in different ways. In a survey of 2,000 people by FinanceBuzz and Wells Fargo, 80% of respondents said they pay bills as soon as they get a paycheck, while 71% said they immediately move money into savings. Nearly nine out...
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COULD GATEWAY JAX ELEVATE DOWNTOWN?
The proposed Gateway Jax tower with luxury condominiums and hotel rooms in Riverfront Plaza would sell condos for an average price of $3.5 million apiece in another test of what price people will pay for high-end residences on the downtown...
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CBO: Cost of Iran war likely to mount rapidly
WASHINGTON – The six-month-old U.S. war with Iran has cost $38 billion so far and that amount is projected to rise by $3 billion a month, Congress’ nonpartisan bookkeeper reported on Sept. 15, as the Trump administration searches for ways to end the...
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Race, party lines blur in contest
Republican candidate for governor Byron Donalds stands on the sidelines of the Florida State game against the SMU Mustangs on Sept. 7. On the surface, the Florida gubernatorial match between Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and former Democratic...
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Luxury tower proposed for Riverfront Plaza site
Gateway Jax unveiled how its planned downtown tower filled with luxury hotel rooms, condominiums and a sky-view terrace would fit into Riverfront Plaza and won unanimous backing Sept. 10 from the Downtown Development Review Board in the first of...
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BROWNOUT IN JACKSONVILLE
The Jacksonville Jaguars open the season with a rout of the Cleveland Browns. Above, Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (23) walks off with the ball after his interception during the first quarter of the matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sept. 13 in...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you. SCAN FOR THE...
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25th anniversary of 9/11 commemorated
As the United States marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and to reflect on the day that forever changed the nation. Loved ones of those...
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More grieving, healing for Flight 93 families
Lori Guadagno dug through one of the boxes on the floor of her father’s home in Cypress Village, searching for a couple of things from her younger brother Richard’s childhood. h “Where’s his head and his hand?” she said. “There’s this little plaster...
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‘Hanging chads’ & ‘unsung’ heroes
The chads in the “hanging chads” display of ballots used in 2000 are so small they could fit under a closely-trimmed fingernail. The voting booths used a century ago used a wall of levers for voters to pull when selecting their choices behind a...
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Flock blocks audit data that led to misuse probes
At least 19 police and sheriff ’s office employees in five states were arrested, fired, put on administrative leave or placed under investigation over the past two months for using Flock Safety’s vast network of license plate reader cameras to track...
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Notorious apartments to be replaced with senior housing
The apartments once known as Franklin Arms were a notorious hot spot in the Eastside for crime, drug dealing and building code violations before the Jacksonville Housing Authority bought the site in 2023 with plans for renovating the 55-year-old...
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Outbreak shows health system under strain
YPSILANTI, MI – During the height of the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, Dea Lancaster set aside her usual duties as nurse coordinator at Michigan’s Washtenaw County Health Department to call patients, asking about their symptoms and tracing the...
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The time is now
Jacksonville seeks year-to-year consistency, a playoff run and potential shot at a Super Bowl
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U.S. to NATO: Prepare in case Putin attacks
BRUSSELS – Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be planning an imminent assault on NATO nations, but the United States says its military allies need to train and invest like he is, so they’re ready to fend off a sudden attack. After leaked U.S....
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Iran buries victims of U.S. military strike
DUBAI – Iranian mourners carried caskets on Sept. 3 at a funeral for victims of a U.S. military strike said to have struck a wedding party, and Tehran launched missiles and drones overnight at a U.S. base in Kuwait, after the war’s biggest escalation...
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Donalds picks up DeSantis’ endorsement
TAMPA – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had been conspicuously silent during the primaries about any endorsement for a potential Republican successor, announced his full endorsement for U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds. And for DeSantis, the leadership forum he...
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50K-seat concert venue could be coming to city
A new outdoor entertainment venue that could hold as many as 50,000 fans for concerts may soon rise on Jacksonville’s Westside. The venue, tentatively called The Grounds, would cost in the neighborhood of $120 million and would be privately financed...
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Iran says it still wants negotiated end to war
DUBAI – Iran is still seeking a negotiated solution to its conflict with the United States, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Aug. 31, a day after the two countries resumed hostilities for the first time since late July, driving oil prices up more...
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All eyes on Nixon
State Rep. Angie Nixon is everywhere, everything all at once. h A few days after her Aug. 18 Democratic primary upset of Lt. Col. Alex Vindman for U.S. Senate, it was hard to miss Nixon. She seemed to hit every news show, national and local, often...
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AI
A mobile learning lab with career simulators allows students to experience skilled trades
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‘WHAT HE DID WAS UNPRECEDENTED’
When Alan Alwakeel was in kindergarten, he saw his physician father watching a video about deep brain stimulation, a type of brain surgery for Parkinson’s disease patients. h He watched, too. h “I was just fascinated by all of the surgery, the brain...
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HEFTY COST OF SKYWAY OPTIONS
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority revealed the estimated cost of various alternatives for the future of the Skyway that show a $294 million price tag for converting the elevated structure so rubber-tired Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle...
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Fernandez Saldana is found guilty of murder
It took a jury of seven women and five men about four hours to convict Mario Fernandez Saldana of the plot to kill Jared Bridegan, the ex-husband of his wife Shanna Gardner. Fernandez Saldana showed no reaction as the verdict was read. He was charged...
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LOVE, ALWAYS
Dolly Parton, the “Queen of Country” singing and songwriting icon with a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestone-encrusted outfits, has died. She was 80. Parton’s death was announced by her family on her social media pages and...
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Race pits Dem socialist against GOP incumbent
For years, Florida rapidly grew to be a deep red state at the forefront of culture war battles and conservative reforms to higher education. That, plus its evolution into a Republican powerhouse of major party leaders, is one of many reasons why...
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ROWER RECORDS
Despite a devastating interruption, a Nassau County ocean rower and his British captain have set three world records in their latest expedition — and they haven’t even finished the 2,500-mile trip yet. Paul Lore, 63, who lives in Fernandina Beach, and...
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‘Next 11’ worth watching
List of rising high school football prospects doesn’t stop with Super 11
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Democratic socialist may affect Florida midterms
Florida Democrats and Republicans now are turning to November, reloading campaign themes and war chests to power newly minted nominees following primaries that brought a Jacksonville state lawmaker into national prominence. State Rep. Angie Nixon’s...
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What Jaguars fans will find different in 2026
Fans heading to EverBank Stadium for Jaguars games this season are going to find that it’s not the same place they left in January. The upper decks are completely closed for this season and will be removed entirely next year, when the team plays its...
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Most Trump candidates prevail
Florida’s biggest primary contests turned out mostly as polls and campaign vibes predicted they would on Aug. 18. But there were some exceptions. And there’s plenty to take away from the primary results. Trump still holds sway among Florida...
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Bridegan’s widow takes stand at murder trial
Jared Bridegan’s widow testified, often tearfully, in the first day of Mario Fernandez Saldana’s trial in her husband’s death that the two couples did not get along. Fernandez Saldana was married to Bridegan’s ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, and their names...
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Attorneys state cases as Bridegan trial opens
The stage was set for attorneys from opposing sides to make their cases for or against Mario Fernandez Saldana during opening statements. A national audience tuned in as local media and Court TV/Law&Crime Network were livestreaming as well as the 4th...
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Military bases delay toxic PFAS cleanup
It’s been almost five years since Brandi and Brad Hyatt found out the well at their home next to an Army base in Washington is contaminated with “forever chemicals.” h They started using bottled water for everything from making coffee to rinsing off...
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Funds to help with senior programs
Duval, Nassau projects win AARP grants for accessibility.
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Rebuilt Met Park Marina now open for business
Lisa Almeida wanted to be one of the first boaters to dock at the newly built Metropolitan Park Marina in downtown Jacksonville when she pulled into one of the slips at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 12 behind the wheel of her 34-foot Monterey sports boat with twin...
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New details ‘jarring’ in 1987 cold case
Casie Ellison and her family waited 38 years saddled with “the not knowing and the speculation and the hurt” of her mother’s unsolved death in 1987. In July a 70-year-old man came forward claiming responsibility after reading a cold case article about...
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UNF campus in middle of $100M transformation
The clamor of construction carried across the University of North Florida courtyard to the spot where state Rep. Wyman Duggan was highlighting the state’s latest round of funding for UNF. “I love the sounds in the background,” he said. “It’s the sound...
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Razing begins for Publix site as incentives in flux
Demolition is knocking down walls of the former First Baptist Church main auditorium where a developer plans to build an apartment tower with a Publix in it, but city incentives for the development remain a work in progress. The incentive package for...
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LAURA STREET TRIO GETS NEW OWNER
The historic Laura Street Trio in downtown Jacksonville has a new owner and potentially a fresh path for redevelopment of the long-vacant buildings that a City Council member compares to the epic sea chase for Moby Dick. h BMG Trio LLC, which is...
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Making laughter part of the best medicine
In his new day job, Scott Kashman supervises Ascension St. Vincent’s four Jacksonville-area hospitals, about 90 other care sites and 5,300 staff. Together, they have the lives of thousands of people in their hands. His side gig — comedy writing and...
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What’s a field trip you remember taking when you were in school?
Anne Hammock I grew up in Brevard County, and sometime in elementary school (maybe fifth grade), my class took a trip to St. Augustine. It was the first time I ever visited the Ancient City, and I distinctly remember being in awe of how old it was....
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Jolly, Graham aim to end GOP dominance
David Jolly stood before an Orlando ballroom of Florida Democrats recently and delivered a message that would have sounded far-fetched a couple of years ago. “I’m telling you, folks, if the election were tonight, we would win this race,” the former...
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Trump endorsement steers GOP faithful
Four prominent Florida Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination for governor, but only one – Byron Donalds – has the endorsement of President Trump. That’s made all the difference. Polls show that GOP voters in the Aug. 18 primary look...
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Iran, Oman move closer to Hormuz agreement
DUBAI – A proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Aug. 5, in one of the biggest concessions yet to...
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CLOCK’S TICKING
In January 1974, Florida joined most of the nation in going to year-round daylight saving time. Three students were killed walking to school in the dark in the first 12 days. Five more would die in pre-dawn accidents walking to school or waiting for...
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A MAJOR MEDICAL LANDMARK
When Baptist Health doctors told Phil Ramirez that he required major emergency abdominal surgery, the Apple online trainer and sometime actor and musician insisted a special requirement be met. No blood transfusions. Ramirez, 63, is among the growing...
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Making the grade
With the school year starting Aug. 10 in Jacksonville, the man running Duval County Public Schools is emphasizing effort to help the school district’s academic gains outweigh its challenges. “We know our families have choices” on where to enroll their...
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Luxury
At the halfway point of 2026, Northeast Florida racked up some significant luxury home sales, starting with the sale of a 12-acre estate belonging to the heirs of Winn-Dixie’s founders. Sold May 22 for $16.5 million, the Intracoastal Waterway home at...
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