Even though Jacksonville got rid of its smelly paper mills in the 1990s and sits right by the Atlantic Ocean, the city still has a reputation for bad smells.
A new report from McLuck, an online casino company, named Jacksonville the “worst-smelling city in the U.S.” The study examined factors such as air quality, the number of candle shops and bakeries, and other indicators to create a smell score. Jacksonville got 3.9 out of 10, the lowest in the country.
Jacksonville’s paper mills are gone, but a new report says the city’s smell problem still lingers.
The analysis also found that Jacksonville has fewer candle shops, florists, and perfume stores than other cities. However, it did score well for cleanliness.
“Despite having a higher cleanliness score than that of Washington in second, Jacksonville has been found to be the worst-smelling city in the U.S.,” the analysis concluded.
At the other end, Boston, Massachusetts, was named the best-smelling city in the country with a score of 9.64. Washington, D.C. came in second, and San Francisco, California, was third.
Boston is also “the second cleanest city with an impressive cleanliness score of 9.2/10. Additionally, Boston also has the second highest number of bakeries across all cities analyzed, many of which are renowned for selling the famous Boston cream pie, North End cannolis, and indulgent sticky buns,” the analysis found.
Judgment Day
Several Duval County judicial candidates were re-elected unopposed.
Other candidates will need to campaign.
Rhonda Peoples-Waters, Gary Flower, and James Nealis all qualified for re-election without any opponents. That means they can enjoy their Summer when they’re not in court.
Congratulations to them all.
Meanwhile, voters will have a choice in two races.
County Court Group 1 sees Matthew Lufrano face off against Latoya Williams Shelton.
Matthew Lufrano and Latoya Williams Shelton advance toward a contested Duval County Court race after qualifying closed.
Williams, who has been a criminal defense lawyer for over 15 years, is leading fundraising efforts with Shelton, the former Chair of the Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Board. Williams has about $273,000 on hand, while Shelton has about $23,000.
Group 13 sees a three-way race between the following: Melina Buncome, who won the 2022 Florida Bar Pro Bono Service Award for the 4th Judicial Circuit; Marquita H. Green, who would bring general magistrate experience to the role; and Octavius Holliday, the director of the Human Rights Division and Community Crime Strategies Unit at the State Attorney’s Office.
Buncombe is ahead in fundraising, with over $10,000 available.
Bullhorn blast
Florida’s Governor spoke out after a Democrat in the House interrupted a vote on the latest congressional redistricting map using a bullhorn.
“That clip is really, unfortunately, emblematic of the modern-day Democrat Party, to just scream and yell and try to disrupt the proceedings just ‘cause you don’t get your way,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said on “Fox & Friends.”
“The reality is we have thumped the Democrats in this state since I’ve been Governor, and we control the chambers, and obviously the Governor’s (Mansion).”
Angie Nixon uses a megaphone to protest the Congressional redistricting map the House was preparing to pass.
Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon briefly pre-empted the vote with a small, hot-pink megaphone, shouting, “This is a violation of the constitution.”
The incident caused Democratic Reps. Allison Tant of Tallahassee and Marie Woodson of Hollywood to first vote “yes” on the measure, but they later changed their votes.
Nixon, a candidate for Senate after six years in Tallahassee, said: “Fighting for democracy is more important than having decorum.”
The event brought national attention to the Jacksonville legislator, something she hadn’t received since starting her U.S. Senate campaign. Retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman is her main opponent for the Democratic nomination against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody. Vindman has much more campaign cash, but Nixon is considered the progressive in the race.
The event had some consequences. Two Democrats were startled and voted yes on the maps because of the noise. Naples Republican Rep. Yvette Benarroch also says she may have ear damage from the incident.
Win, lose, or draw
Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond says the city should move forward with local redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, which has sparked a wave of redistricting in Florida and across the country.
Diamond, who can’t run again because of term limits, says there is “more than enough time” to finish redistricting before the January 2027 deadline for the city’s 14 district-level City Council seats.
He posted on social media Saturday: “With the recent Supreme Court decision, Louisiana v. Callais, the Jax City Council map must be redrawn. Judge (Marcia Morales Howard) relied heavily on race in drawing the map, and it is therefore unconstitutional. We have a duty to draft a race-neutral map. There is more than enough time.”
Republicans believe the decision means there is less need for seats created to protect minority representation.
A new round of local redistricting, which Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan is unlikely to support, would probably focus on safe Democratic seats in Districts 7-10. These districts are where much of the city’s Black population and Democratic voters are concentrated.
Jacksonville’s map faced legal challenges before the 2023 Elections. A court decision in December changed the map north and west of the St. Johns River, forcing candidates to make quick decisions. Judge Howard sided with the plaintiffs and criticized what she called a “failure to address Jacksonville’s 30-year history of racial gerrymandering.”
The map resulted in two majority-Black districts, four majority-Democratic districts, and three districts where Democrats make up more than 40% of voters. District 10 stands out as 87% Black and 87% Democratic, making it the city’s most reliably Democratic District.
Even though Democrats outnumber Republicans in Duval County, Republicans have held a supermajority on the City Council. This is partly because Democrats have trouble winning the five at-large seats.
Redrawing Districts 7-10 could give Democrats a chance at more seats, but it would likely eliminate long-standing seats designed to ensure minority representation.
These seats were meant to give a voice to people who would have had more political influence if Jacksonville had not consolidated almost 60 years ago.
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Trustee of steel
A longtime executive in the steel industry is in line to join the Board of Trustees for the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
DeSantis announced Friday that he’s appointed Steven Hughes to be the next member of that panel overseeing FSCJ operations on the First Coast.
The FSCJ Board of Trustees has up to nine members whom the Governor appoints. It is the policy and practices organization that sets standards for the school, which has four main campuses in Duval County and three additional educational centers in that county and Nassau County.
Steven Hughes joins the Florida State College at Jacksonville Board of Trustees following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment.
Hughes has a career steeped in CMC Steel, which has more than 200 operations across several states and Europe. The Commercial Metals Co. has steel production sites and metal recycling operations in Florida, where Hughes is the director of operations.
Hughes was previously the Texas Works Manager at CMC Steel, where he also served as the Houston area manager for CMC Construction Services. Before that, Hughes served as the director of operations for CMC Steel Arkansas.
Hughes’ educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. He went on to obtain a master’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he majored in business administration.
The Florida Senate still must confirm Hughes’ appointment.
Vineyard night
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children raised a record $283,000 during its fifth annual “A Night in the Vineyard” fundraiser in Jacksonville, marking a milestone for the nonprofit dedicated to child safety education.
Founded in 1997 by Board Chair Ed Burr in honor of his late wife, the organization provides prevention programs that teach children and teens how to recognize and respond to abuse, bullying and digital dangers.
Aaron Bean, Ed Burr, Maxine McBride, Donna Orender and Austin Burr celebrate a record-setting Monique Burr Foundation fundraiser in Jacksonville. Image via The Florida Times-Union.
“It is incredibly moving to witness our community come together for a shared purpose and mission — to protect children by empowering them with the knowledge and strategies they need to stay safe,” Burr said during the event, first reported by The Florida Times-Union.
The fundraiser drew community leaders and supporters, including U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, along with board members Maxine McBride, Donna Orender and Austin Burr.
The foundation’s Prevention Education Programs have now reached about 22 million students across 42 states and seven countries. Through classroom instruction and afterschool programming, the organization focuses on equipping youth with practical tools to navigate increasingly complex safety challenges.
“The risks children face are real, and they are evolving — but so are we,” said Ashley Garrett, vice president of prevention education. Foundation leaders said the record-setting fundraiser will help expand the reach of programs designed to protect children and strengthen prevention education efforts nationwide.
Pretty vacant
Jacksonville has more vacant downtown offices than any other major metro in Florida, according to Downtown Vision.
With more than 27% of spaces available, that’s nearly four times the rate in St. Petersburg, the best-performing market tracked.
Jacksonville’s downtown office vacancy rate tops Florida metros, highlighting post-pandemic pressure on commercial real estate.
“The nationwide office market has shifted fundamentally since the pandemic, as hybrid and remote models redefined occupancy standards. Downtown Jacksonville is no different, experiencing heightened vacancy and declining headcounts in line with national trends,” the report says.
Hopes are that “return to office” mandates will change the trend, though that doesn’t account for the pressure from high gas prices.
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Passing penalty
More than 600 Duval County drivers have been cited for illegally passing stopped school buses that have their arms out to discourage the dangerous practice.
And as Jacksonville Today reports, the greatest concentration of offenses is north and west of the St. Johns. A two-block span on Edgewood Avenue West is responsible for 27 tickets, and the 3800 block of Blanding Boulevard leads all with 21 infractions.
Duval County school bus cameras issued more than 600 citations for illegal passing, with Edgewood Avenue West and Blanding Boulevard leading violations.
“The guidance that I’ve given them is, if you’re not sure, don’t issue the citation,” said Jackson Short, chief of Duval County Public Schools Police. “It should be very obvious that the driver did violate the law, and that’s the only time that we’re going to issue the citation.”
Lawyer ahoy!
A veteran lawyer with the GrayRobinson law firm’s Jacksonville office has been named a top leader of the Maritime Law Association (MLA) of the United States.
James F. “Jim” Moseley Jr. has been with the statewide law firm as a shareholder and team leader of admiralty and maritime law and is now serving a two-year term as the president of the MLA. The term on the MLA began this month.
Jim Moseley Jr. begins a two-year term leading the Maritime Law Association while representing GrayRobinson’s Jacksonville maritime practice.
“Jim Moseley’s election as president of the MLA is a tremendous honor, and further cements GrayRobinson’s position as a national leader in maritime law. Jim is among the most respected maritime attorneys in the country, and his selection to lead the MLA reflects the caliber of talent and depth of commitment that define our Admiralty and Maritime Team,” said GrayRobinson President and CEO Dean Cannon.
“Since joining GrayRobinson, Jim and his team have expanded our maritime and transportation practices, elevating our capabilities for clients across Florida and around the world.”
Moseley was appointed president of the MLA after serving on the Board of Directors as an officer. As president of the organization, Moseley will advance its mission and strengthen its role as a voice for lawyers practicing maritime law in the U.S. and internationally.
Leadership of the MLA runs in Moseley’s blood. His father, James F. Moseley Sr., was MLA president from 1996 to 1998. They are the only father-son team to serve as president of the MLA, and each was also president of the Jacksonville Bar Association.
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Leading among the unemployed
The general unemployment rate in Florida has increased for three consecutive months.
FloridaCommerce, the state’s economic development bureau, released the unemployment figures for March, and the jobless figure has climbed to 4.7%. It’s continuing the upward trend that began in January.
Florida had a 4.5% jobless rate at the start of the year, followed by 4.6% in February. FloridaCommerce officials say 523,000 Floridians were unemployed in March, out of a total workforce of 11.15 million.
Florida’s no longer beating the national average.
Florida’s unemployment rate is 0.4 percentage points higher than the national figure of 4.3% in March. So far, 2026 has been a dubious year for the Sunshine State’s comparison to the U.S. jobless rate. For about five years prior, Florida’s unemployment rate had been lower than the national rate. The national trend also decreased in March, falling from 4.4% in February.
There was a bright spot in the Florida jobless analysis, and that was in non-agricultural jobs. That area saw an increase of 28,100 jobs to 9.99 million workers in March, a 0.3% increase over February. In the annual comparison, though, the state dropped 22,400 jobs compared to March 2025, a decrease of 0.2% and another area where the national numbers were better than Florida, as there was a 0.2% increase year-over-year across the country.
More than half of the 25 metropolitan areas FloridaCommerce tracks for employment data saw decreases in the annual comparison. There were 14 metro areas where the number of jobs slipped, with the Fort Lauderdale area leading the way and a 1% decline of 9,300 jobs. The West Palm Beach and Jacksonville metro areas also had the next highest annual job declines, respectively.
Jacksonville lost 6,200 jobs compared to March 2025 figures. That’s a 0.8% drop in the year-over-year job count.
Further data from the non-agricultural job market show that eight of the 10 major industries had negative annual job growth in March. Total government jobs were the hardest hit, with 12,100 fewer jobs, a 1% decline from March 2025. Financial services in the state lost 11,500 jobs over the past year, and construction lost 8,700 jobs.
Cecil strategy
Upgrades are already underway at Cecil Airfield to accommodate operations for the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
Navy officials recently cleared the air facility on Jacksonville’s West Side for the aircraft. Boeing Jacksonville is located at Cecil Airfield and is the center for aircraft modifications. Navy evaluators approved Boeing operations following initial testing for the project.
Cecil Airfield upgrades its position in Jacksonville to support advanced U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance and maritime patrol operations.
Upgrades to the operations include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capabilities. It will make for a more powerful tool for monitoring submarine activity and surface threats worldwide.
Boeing officials at Cecil implemented new sensors, enhanced communications and overhauled combat systems. The modifications will make the P-8A more connected to tactical units worldwide.
Stadium work continues
Construction continues at EverBank Stadium, the home of the Jaguars. Recently, photos of the work were posted on the stadium’s official social media pages.
Photos from inside the stadium show cranes set up on the field and piles of dirt on the sides of the playing surface. Many seats have been removed. The upper decks are now bare, with all seats in those sections removed. Seats in the club section and in the north end zone areas have been removed. All the temporary cabanas that sit above the Bud Zone at the south end of the stadium have been removed. Also gone are the videoboards in the corners of the stadium that show highlights from other games and additional advertising during Jaguars games.
The cabanas on the pool level in the north end zone are gone.
Exterior photos show scaffolding on the west side of the stadium that will eventually form the roof. The Jaguars say the protective canopy will reduce heat retention by more than 70%. Other features of the stadium improvements include wider concourses, new communal spaces, and scenic lookout decks.
Drone footage posted to the Jaguars website shows similar scaffolding on the stadium’s east side.
Construction crews continue major renovations inside EverBank Stadium ahead of the Jaguars’ reduced-capacity 2026 season.
For the upcoming season, the seating capacity will be reduced from around 68,000 to 42,507. Once the “Stadium of the Future” is complete, the new capacity is planned at 63,000, with the ability to expand to over 71,500 for events like the annual Georgia-Florida game.
What the photos do not show, and what has yet to be divulged, is how the ongoing construction will impact game day traffic. As the Jaguars play the 2026 season, crews will continue their renovations. While work will not take place on days when the Jaguars play at home, parking is likely to be impacted, as it was during the 2025 season when work began.
Seat removals, crane work and new roof construction reshape EverBank Stadium during ongoing Jaguars renovations.
During the 2025 season, the Jaguars urged fans to leave additional time to travel to the stadium, park, and find their way into EverBank Stadium. Fans will likely need to allow more time in 2026, although the reduced capacity may help alleviate some vehicle and foot traffic on game day.
The NFL has yet to release the 2026 schedule, although it is expected to be revealed at some point this month. The season kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the first Sunday of play being Sept. 13.
Scaffolding rises around EverBank Stadium as Jaguars officials advance the franchise’s ‘Stadium of the Future’ overhaul.
The Jaguars expect to play two games in London during 2026, one at Wembley Stadium and one at Tottenham Hotspur. The games will be scheduled back-to-back, likely in October, to facilitate more time for crews to continue work on the stadium.
The Georgia-Florida game will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Oct. 31. It will be played in Gainesville in 2027, when the Jaguars will play most home games in Orlando as the stadium work is being completed.