Gov. Ron DeSantis is enthusiastic about the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars and their chances in the playoffs this weekend and potentially beyond.
Ahead of their tilt Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, DeSantis said the “very dangerous” team could go far this year.
“I think the Jags are playing as good as anyone. It’s been really exciting to see that turnaround. I know people up here are going to be very excited to see what happens in the playoffs,” DeSantis said outside an immigration prison in Baker County.
Ron DeSantis praises AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars as dangerous playoff team before Bills matchup.
“I wouldn’t want to have to play them if I were one of these other teams. I think they’re very dangerous.”
The 13-4 Jaguars are the No. 3 seed this year, behind the second-seeded New England Patriots and the top-seeded Denver Broncos. Jacksonville did not play New England during the regular season, but dominated Denver during a game at Mile High Stadium.
DeSantis has been public about his sports fandom since becoming Governor and has often discussed the Jaguars, including telling a crowd in Iowa in 2024 that the team was “getting their butts kicked” in a season finale against Tennessee.
He also has told the story of being in attendance at Jacksonville’s last home playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which featured a miracle comeback by Jacksonville, though he said at one point he stuck around for the whole game and at another point that he left at halftime because “the Jags were getting killed.”
Keep reading for Cole Pepper’s preview of Sunday’s game.
DEI dunk
Two Jacksonville Republicans’ bid to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from local governments is gaining momentum statewide, via an enthusiastic endorsement from Gov. DeSantis.
“Florida has led the nation on DEI elimination. Now, Sen. (Clay) Yarborough and Rep. (Dean) Black have filed a bill to eliminate DEI in local government. Let’s go,” DeSantis said Wednesday.
Dean Black and Clay Yarborough push bill eliminating DEI in governments, backed by Ron DeSantis.
Senate Bill 1134 and House Bill 1001 would prohibit counties and cities from funding or promoting DEI initiatives, including offices dedicated to those efforts. Violating the law would result in misfeasance or malfeasance charges against officials who defined the state mandate.
The bill would also create a cause of action for individuals challenging such efforts by subsidiary governments.
DEI would be defined as any effort to “manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of employees with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation other than to ensure that hiring is conducted in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws.”
Additionally, “preferential treatment” and “special benefits” based on specific demographic criteria would be banned, as would diversity training.
However, “equal opportunity” would be protected, as would commemorations such as Black History Month.
DeSantis has taken steps against DEI throughout much of his tenure, including targeting it at the University level last year.
The Florida Young Republicans also back the latest anti-DEI measure in Tallahassee.
“The Florida Young Republicans urge the Legislature to put an end to state-sanctioned discrimination,” said Werther Marciales, Chair of the Florida Young Republican Policy Committee. “Gov. DeSantis, working with previous state legislatures, has made great strides in eliminating DEI within state government. It’s time to finish the fight at the local level and finally make Division, Exclusion, and Intolerance a relic of the past.”
What are the odds?
A wide-ranging gambling reform bill from Jacksonville Republican Yarborough would make several key changes in Florida.
SB 1164 proposes removing language from the statute requiring the Florida Gaming Control Commission to select “appointees who reflect Florida’s racial, ethnic and gender diversity.”
Similarly, it would remove consideration of “minority vendors” and “minority residents” in the distribution of slot machine licenses and would also strike the current requirement to report to the Gaming Control Commission regarding its efforts to hire members of minority groups.
Clay Yarborough files gambling reform bill tightening penalties, targeting illegal betting, slots, internet gambling statewide.
The bill would also increase penalties for those who stake, bet, or wager on purportedly legitimate contests with predetermined outcomes, making such conduct a third-degree felony.
Agents or employees of gambling houses would also be subject to penalties. These would range from a first-degree misdemeanor for the first offense to felony charges of increasing severity for repeat offenses.
Landlords who rent out places to be used for gambling houses would also be charged with felonies.
The bill also targets internet gambling outside Florida’s Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe, which permits sports betting through Hard Rock Bet. Gambling outside the legal framework would result in misdemeanor penalties, while an operator or promoter of illegal online gambling would face felony charges.
Rigged cardrooms are also targeted in the proposal, with third-degree felony penalties for those who fix games. That same penalty would also apply to those who set up internet games with “dice, cards, numbers, hazards or any other gambling device.”
Operators and smugglers of illegal slot machines could also face harsher sanctions under this proposal.
First-degree felony penalties would apply to those convicted of bringing in more than 15 devices or parts thereof, with progressive fines contemplated. The harshest financial sanction proposed here is a $500,000 fine for bringing 50 machines or parts of them into Florida.
Bringing people into the state to gamble illegally would also be a felony offense. Bringing five or more adults of any age would be punishable by a first-degree misdemeanor, with third-degree felony penalties contemplated for bringing people over the age of 65 or under the age of 18.
Transporting 12 or more people also constitutes a third-degree felony.
Advertising illegal gambling would also be defined as a criminal act. First offenses would be first-degree misdemeanors. Subsequent offenses would be third-degree felonies.
The bill would also explicitly revert regulation of illegal gambling to the state, stripping localities of the theoretical latitude to circumvent the law if enacted.
The measure takes effect in October if enacted.
Legal eagles
The Duval County School Board could have its own General Counsel next year, breaking with almost six decades of precedent in Jacksonville’s consolidated government.
House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan’s HB 4049 seeks a General Counsel independent of the one atop local government, although the Board lawyer ultimately would be “subject to the opinion” of the city’s General Counsel, and would otherwise be subordinate in litigation and contract preparation, in a condition to which the Board agreed.
Wyman Duggan backs Duval School Board bid for independent General Counsel, challenging Jacksonville consolidation precedent.
The local bill faced opposition from the Jacksonville City Council when presented for approval. Some Council members said it threatened the consolidated government model and, ahead of voting, voted against recommending the charter change to the delegation.
The controversy that a majority of the City Council couldn’t abide centered on whether DCSB could circumvent the independent authority of the city’s General Counsel.
Explaining the proposal earlier this year, Chair Charlotte Joyce noted that the School Board was concerned that candidates who applied for an opening earlier this year were not certified in education law and said other districts select their own lawyers, who are eligible for the Florida Retirement System.
County consolidation
Duggan isn’t just looking for changes in School Board administration.
He is also eyeing a reduction in Florida’s 67 counties, arguing that there are too many that are not viable fiscally and that the map bloat was a function of Jim Crow.
“Any area of the state had a vested interest in becoming a county because it gave them a member of the Florida House of Representatives,” said Duggan to Action News Jax.
DeSantis is proposing that property taxes for the state’s fiscally constrained counties be paid by the state this year as he attempts to get a repeal of homestead taxes on the 2026 ballot.
However, Duggan suggests those counties may be better off not existing in their current form.
AI tension
House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison believes artificial intelligence will dominate next year’s Legislative Session, spurring unusual coalitions amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for regulation.
“I think this year, outside of property tax, I think AI policy is going to be probably the biggest area of tension that we’re going to see because it doesn’t fall on traditional partisan lines. You can have very conservative Republicans and very liberal Democrats who might find common cause,” the Clay County Republican said on “First Coast Connect.”
Sam Garrison says artificial intelligence policy will dominate Legislative Session, driving bipartisan tension, regulation debates.
DeSantis has proposed a “far-reaching artificial intelligence bill of rights” during next year’s Legislative Session. That’s an effort to counter what he says could be an “age of darkness and deceit” without action on deepfakes, subversion of parental controls, malign foreign influence, data security, insurers’ reliance on the technology and regulation of data centers.
Garrison agreed that some checks are needed on data centers while acknowledging the importance of private property rights.
“If you’re going to have a data center, it has got to be extraordinarily regulated to make sure that you’re not adversely impacting the quality of life for Floridians,” Garrison said.
“I’m not a big proponent of telling people what they can and can’t do on their land. So, if … Amazon wants to come to town and say we want to build a data center, sure, go for it. But you’re going to have to be regulated like heck to make sure that nothing on that property is going to adversely affect the residents of a community — whether it’s from electrical use, whether it’s from water, things of that nature.”
Florida’s policy considerations are moving forward despite President Donald Trump pleading for national uniformity in AI guidance. DeSantis has said he’s not worried about a recent Trump executive order as it “doesn’t/can’t pre-empt state legislative action.”
Smoke break
Legislation filed by Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democrat from Jacksonville, would ensure that those of Florida’s 930,000 medical marijuana patients who have minor children wouldn’t have custody or visitation rights threatened.
Nixon says the legislation emerged from discussions with people around the state who were using medical marijuana in part because of the rising cost of health care, only to find that their treatment of choice came with unintended consequences.
Angie Nixon files bill protecting medical marijuana patients from losing custody, visitation rights statewide families.
“I remember speaking with someone last year and the year before regarding public employees potentially listing their jobs even if they have a medical marijuana card and recently heard about parents getting (the Department of Children and Families) called on them,” Nixon said.
The legislation would make patients immune from legal consequences solely for being patients.
“A court may not deny or otherwise restrict a parent’s custody of a child or the parent’s visitation rights or parenting time with a child based solely on the parent’s status as a qualified patient … There is no presumption of neglect or child endangerment based solely on the parent’s status as a qualified patient,” reads the text of HB 1061.
Nixon believes that if “those in leadership won’t look out for working families by providing adequate health insurance, at least easing their pain physically without the possibility of them losing their kids is the least we can do.”
Pot pop
While Nixon seeks to protect patients’ rights, another Jacksonville lawmaker is concerned about people driving under the influence on the highways and byways.
Sen. Jon Martin and Rep. Dean Black are carrying what Black calls the “Clear Minds, Safe Roads Act” (SB 1056/HB 1003), legislation intended to ensure that Florida’s 930,000+ medical marijuana patients keep their containers closed and their vapes and pipes unready for use while in vehicles.
Jon Martin and Dean Black advance bill cracking down on impaired marijuana driving statewide roads.
“THC use is killing hundreds of people a year on Florida roads,” said Rep. Black. “Since 2020, we’ve had nearly 4,000 fatalities and injuries on our highways. With the increased use of marijuana, we need clear, enforceable rules that protect drivers, passengers, and everyone else on our roads. This bill makes it crystal clear: driving high is unacceptable.”
The bill would also make it easier for law enforcement to establish probable cause to search vehicles, stipulating that the “smell” of cannabis constitutes grounds for a search during a traffic stop or while the vehicle is parked.
First-time violators could have their licenses suspended, while repeat offenders could have their driving privileges revoked.
“In the 1980s, we cracked down on drinking and driving because cocktail parties on our streets were killing people,” Black said. “People are dying again — this time because of THC — and it’s time to stop it. I look forward to carrying this bill in the House.”
If this bill becomes law, it will take effect in October.
Big quarter
Jacksonville City Council member Terrance Freeman continues his strong fundraising in his race to succeed term-limited Wyman Duggan in the Florida House.
“During the fourth quarter of 2025 — October through December — Freeman raised $147,760, including $111,250 to his campaign and $36,250 to his political committee, underscoring broad and sustained support as the lone candidate filed in the HD 12 election,” his campaign announces.
Terrance Freeman posts strong fundraising haul in Florida House race to replace term-limited incumbent lawmaker.
He closed out 2025 with more than $335,000 in cash.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the confidence and support so many people have placed in our campaign,” said Freeman. “This level of support shows that voters and community leaders believe in our message and our vision for Northeast Florida — and we’re just getting started.”
Many of the most prominent Republicans in the region have contributed already, including the following: Former U.S. Ambassador John Rood; Steve Moore; Michael Munz; John Baker; Jed Davis; Zachary Miller; Ricky Caplin; Christian Harden; Gary Chartrand and Katie Wiles.
Wedding bells
Congratulations to Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico, who married Daysi Jacobson last month.
Carrico represents a district on Jacksonville’s Southside, while Jacobson is a financial planner.
Kevin Carrico marries Daysi Jacobson, marking a milestone for Jacksonville leaders with a shared commitment last month.
“Their marriage marks a meaningful milestone for two leaders whose professional lives reflect a shared commitment to public service, professional excellence and long-term community impact across Northeast Florida,” a press release from Carrico’s office says.
Venue vibes
The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee has voted in favor of legislation requiring Council officers to hold installation ceremonies in publicly owned buildings.
Matt Carlucci’s measure (2025-0869) followed Carrico’s holding of his own installation ceremony at a privately owned facility, which Carlucci believes could have discouraged people from attending.
Carlucci called the bill “self-explanatory” before noting that the bill came to mind when a town-hall meeting was held at a “private place.”
“My concern is having it somewhere where everybody feels comfortable,” he said. “I think a city-owned venue is the right way to go.”
Matt Carlucci-backed bill requiring public venues for City Council installations advances from Rules Committee vote. Image via Jax+.
Republican Ron Salem noted that he had to hold it at the Times-Union Center but would have preferred it to be at the Ramallah Club.
“I have real mixed feelings about this,” said Salem, a former Council President. “I would like to give the President as much leeway as we can.”
Former President Freeman noted that he held his own installation at the city-owned Ritz but had to raise additional funds because he was required to use the Ritz’s caterer. He said he was “shocked” by the cost of Carrico’s installation, which exceeded $200,000.
Former President Randy White believes most future Presidents will be installed in city-owned facilities, but he doesn’t want to “hamper” future Presidents in ordinance.
Mike Gay, who has yet to serve as Council President, likewise believes that Presidents should have “latitude” to hold installations as they see fit.
Ken Amaro acknowledged “merits to the bill” but also worried about “tying an individual’s hands” by putting this into law.
Carlucci said that an individual’s hands being tied is not the issue, given “the office belongs to the people.”
Amaro, Michael Boylan, Gay and Salem voted “yes.”
Freeman, White and Rules Chair Chris Miller voted “no.”
The bill likely will be voted on by the full City Council on Jan. 13.
Brandes speaks
A former GOP state Senator with a history of telling it like it is will be in Flagler County later this month.
Jeff Brandes, former Florida Senator and Founder and President of the Florida Policy Project, is slated to address Tiger Bay on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at the Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast.
Jeff Brandes’ remarks are always worth the drive.
The event kicks off at 11:30 a.m., and members get in for $45, while guests pay $50.
Per Tiger Bay, “Brandes’ presentation, titled ‘The Influence of Nonpartisan Policy Organizations: How Research and Collaboration Shape Florida’s Economy, Governance and Quality of Life,’ will explore the growing role of independent policy organizations in addressing Florida’s most pressing challenges. Drawing on his legislative experience and current work, Brandes will discuss how data-driven research and cross-sector collaboration can lead to effective, long-term solutions in areas such as housing affordability, property insurance, criminal justice reform and transportation.”
Big brewing business
One of America’s leading brewers is stepping up its financial commitment in North Florida.
Anheuser-Busch announced Tuesday it’s investing another $30 million in its Jacksonville brewery and can plant. The infusion of new funding will be used to upgrade the company’s brewing and packaging equipment at its plant on the city’s Northside.
Anheuser-Busch invests $30 million in Jacksonville brewery, upgrading equipment, boosting jobs, and manufacturing growth in the regional economy.
“Investing in our Jacksonville facilities enables us to brew more of the highest-quality American beers that consumers love, including Michelob ULTRA, the No. 1 top-selling and fastest-growing beer in America,” said Brendon Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “Investments like these are incredibly important because they help us to enhance our operations while also sustaining jobs and driving local economic growth in the communities where we operate.”
The increased cash into the Jacksonville operations is part of a larger $300-million infusion the company is making into its facilities across the U.S.
The investment in the Jacksonville facility was seen as a welcome economic boost in the area.
“Anheuser-Busch’s announcement of a new $30 million investment to expand production at its Jacksonville facilities is excellent news for Northeast Florida. This kind of bold, forward-looking investment will create new jobs, provide more opportunities, boost our state’s economy, and further solidify our region as a cornerstone of American manufacturing,” said U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican.
Coastal congestion coming
State Road A1A in St. Johns County will undergo significant construction for about a month, resulting in lane closures.
The southbound lane of A1A will be closed and congested on and off from Jan. 12 for about another four weeks as road crews relocate an existing 12-inch water main. That stretch of the coastal roadway runs along the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, one of the most popular attractions in St. Johns County, featuring performing artists in a venue that seats more than 4,000 people.
Road work closes southbound A1A near St. Augustine Amphitheatre for weeks, causing traffic congestion delays.
St. Johns County officials say the project that costs about $500,000 will not only include water main work but will also include the installation of a new mast arm for a pedestrian crossing signal near the amphitheater and will involve roadway resurfacing, sidewalk and curb improvements.
“This utility relocation is a key step in supporting pedestrian safety improvements in a high-traffic area,” said Samuel Schlesinger, Senior Utility Engineer for the St. Johns County Utility Department. “By coordinating this work in advance, we are helping ensure the long-term reliability of our infrastructure while improving safety and mobility for the community.”
Scenic route
Nancy Powell is leaving her position as Executive Director of Scenic Jacksonville in April.
“It’s been my honor to work with so many talented people – Scenic Jacksonville’s Board of Directors, city, civic and community leaders, and our dedicated Riverfront Parks Now coalition nonprofit organizations and members. We’ve accomplished a lot. At the same time, I’m ready to pass the baton and look forward to seeing Scenic Jacksonville continue and grow its impact,” Powell said.
Nancy Powell steps down as Scenic Jacksonville executive director after leading major civic initiatives locally. Image via Scenic Jacksonville.
The former marketing executive led some key initiatives during her tenure, including the Riverfront Parks Now (RPN) coalition and the Great Cities Coalition.
“Nancy has been an amazing advocate for improving Jacksonville. Her strategic, yet passionate approach to the issues that matter have propelled both Scenic Jacksonville and our city forward,” Board President Bill Hoff, Jr. said.
Palm Coast passing
The City of Palm Coast has lost one of its original leaders, James “Jim” Canfield, who has died.
Canfield was the first Mayor of the First Coast city in Flagler County. He became Mayor after a referendum was held on Sept. 21, 1999, and voters approved the incorporation of the town. Canfield was elected the first Mayor in 2000.
Canfield died at the age of 96.
James Canfield, Palm Coast founder, remembered for guiding incorporation and shaping city identity, early leadership. Image via City of Palm Coast.
The city of Palm Coast became its own municipality with guidance from Canfield, who was also Chair of the Home Rule Executive Committee. He was instrumental in developing the city’s identity and steered the community’s conversation about it.
He was also elected twice as Mayor, serving in the post through 2007 and oversaw the initial years of the Palm Coast City Council. A city press release said Canfield helped establish the city’s identity, which began as a housing development.
“Jim Canfield helped guide Palm Coast through its earliest and most important chapter, the transition from a growing community to an incorporated city. His leadership brought people together during a defining time for Palm Coast and the foundation he helped build continues to serve our residents today,” said Palm Coast Mayor Mike Norris. “On behalf of the City of Palm Coast, we extend our condolences to his family, friends and all who knew him. He will be remembered, and he will be missed.”
Community conversation
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is talking to the public about “current transportation initiatives, recent improvements and future enhancements, while gathering feedback to help guide long-term mobility planning across Northeast Florida.”
JTA has already met with people downtown and at the beaches, and four more opportunities await to discuss “the JTA’s services, including fixed-route bus service, First Coast Flyer, paratransit options, and programs such as My Ride 2 School and seniors ride free.”
Jacksonville Transportation Authority hosts public meetings gathering feedback on transit services, improvements, future mobility planning.
Thursday at 5 p.m. is the final opportunity to speak with JTA this week at the Pablo Creek Public Library, Community Room A.
Next Tuesday, JTA will be at the Legends Center for two meetings: one starting at 10 a.m. and the other at 5:30.
Next Wednesday, a 3 p.m. meeting is slated at Regency Square Public Library – Community Room B.
The series wraps up the next day, with a 1 p.m. meeting at the same location.
Jaguars prepare for playoffs
After a remarkable turnaround season, the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
The Jaguars went from a four-win team last season to a 13-win team in 2025 under first-year head coach Liam Coen. The catalyst for the turnaround is quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s improved play.
Lawrence finished the regular season with a career-high 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while passing for 4,007 yards. But it’s the way he ended the most notable season.
Jacksonville Jaguars host Buffalo Bills in wild-card playoff after stunning turnaround season behind Trevor Lawrence.
While the Jaguars finished the season on an eight-game winning streak, Lawrence’s final six games are notable. In those games, he threw 15 touchdowns and only one interception. He also ran for four scores in the final month and a half of the season. Lawrence finished the 2022 season on a similar streak, throwing nine touchdowns and running for two more in the final six games of a season that culminated in the Jaguars winning a playoff game.
“He’s taking care of the football, but also playing aggressive,” Coen said Monday on the Rich Eisen Show. “There’s nothing more frustrating to a defense than when you can’t get to him in the pocket, then he escapes – he’s a threat to run but also keeps his eyes downfield and makes throws.”
As with that season, Lawrence has spread the ball around. After the injury to first-round pick Travis Hunter, wide receiver Parker Washington has emerged as a significant threat in the passing game. Washington surpassed his totals from his first two seasons in the league with 58 catches and equaled his previous career total with five touchdowns.
Paired with the reemergence of Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Brenton Strange, the Jaguars’ passing game has been the driving force of an offense that has averaged 34.5 points per game over the final eight games of the season.
On Sunday, they will have to outpace the best quarterback in the AFC playoffs, Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
With Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow left out of the playoffs this season, Allen is the lone remaining top signal-caller in the conference.
Allen’s numbers aren’t his best — he threw 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while passing for 3,668 yards — but he is still a dangerous opponent. His touchdown total is the lowest in a season since his second year in the league.
The Jaguars have beaten the Bills twice in the playoffs. Famously, in 1996, in the franchise’s first playoff game, Tony Boselli stymied Bruce Smith as the Jaguars won 30-27. Then in 2017, with Blake Bortles at quarterback, the Jaguars beat the Bills 10-3.
What will it take for the Jaguars to beat the Bills in the playoffs for the third time in franchise history? The defense will have to keep Allen from beating them. His mobility and willingness to absorb hits while running set him apart.
They also must not be overwhelmed by the stage. Lawrence has played in a pair of playoff games. His first, against the Chargers in 2022, started horrendously with four turnovers and a 27-0 deficit. The Jaguars rallied to win 31-30. Lawrence must heed the lessons from that game. Defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, and linebacker Devin Lloyd played in that game. So did running back Travis Eitenne and offensive lineman Walker Little. So did punter Logan Cooke. That’s the extent of players on this season’s roster who have played in a playoff game in a Jaguars uniform.