A council proposal would pause new Flock cameras
Plus the mayor’s promise tracker and an adults-only Hogwarts night on Kings Avenue.
Here’s what changed in Jacksonville and what’s on the calendar this week. The biggest local question is who should control the cameras recording plates across Duval County.
Council member Jimmy Peluso plans to propose a 120-day pause on new Flock cameras. Jacksonville would use that time to create local rules. The cameras photograph license plates. Police can use the images to trace vehicles.
Peluso wants the city to keep a camera inventory. A Citizen Planning Advisory Committee would approve each new site. Residents could also petition to remove a camera. The process would be similar to a speed-hump request.
JSO says it has 141 fixed and nine mobile plate readers. The agency credits them with helping solve murders, kidnappings, shootings, and missing-person cases since 2024. Peluso says the technology can aid investigations but needs safeguards against abuse.
Grand jury report traces $10 million from a Medicaid settlement
A state grand jury report found Florida misappropriated $10 million. The money came from a $67 million Medicaid settlement with Centene Corp. It went to the Hope Florida Foundation. The charity supports an initiative led by First Lady Casey DeSantis.
The foundation split the money between two groups. They were Secure Florida’s Future and Save Our Society From Drugs. The groups later sent $8.5 million to Keep Florida Clean. James Uthmeier staffed that political committee.
The report did not find enough evidence for criminal charges. Uthmeier was then Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff. He is now Florida’s attorney general.
The city put the mayor’s commitments on one page
Jacksonville has launched “Promises Made, Promises Kept, What’s Next.” The interactive page covers Mayor Donna Deegan’s administration. It gathers its promises, reported progress, and next priorities.
The page puts each promise beside its current status. That gives residents one written record to revisit. City Hall built the tracker, so its labels reflect the administration’s own view. The resource went live Aug. 5 and remains on the city website.
An adults-only Hogwarts night lands on Kings Avenue
- When
- Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
- Where
- The Cady Club
- Address
- 1015 Kings Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Back to Hogwarts runs from 6:30 to 9:30 tonight at The Cady Club, 1015 Kings Avenue. The adults-only evening has Harry Potter trivia and house contests. It also includes themed decor, prizes, vendors, and photo stations.
A potions class covers a themed cocktail. Mocktails are available. Costumes are encouraged, and the best-dressed guest wins a prize. An optional Prefect package adds early entry and reserved trivia seating. It also includes a welcome drink, credentials, and a digital photo.
Blinky Walden remembers the night he sang with Dolly Parton
Jacksonville jazz artist Laurence “Blinky” Walden performed for years at Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue. During one week, Dolly Parton came to watch his show after her own performance. Walden had to bring someone from the audience onstage, so he chose her. They sang together.
Parton returned for the rest of the week. Backstage, she taught Walden to yodel. She also told him a singer should perform so well that listeners can hear the music without instruments. Walden, a Jacksonville resident since the 1990s, still has their signed stage photo.
Axe Handle Saturday now has a marker downtown
Jacksonville has unveiled a Civil Rights Trail marker for Axe Handle Saturday. It stands in James Weldon Johnson Park. The ceremony took place on the attack’s 66th anniversary.
On Aug. 27, 1960, the Jacksonville NAACP Youth Council held peaceful sit-ins. The students sought to desegregate downtown lunch counters. A white mob attacked the teenagers with axe handles and baseball bats. The mob chased them through what was then Hemming Plaza.
Rodney L. Hurst Sr. led the youth council at 16. He helped unveil the marker. Mayor Donna Deegan joined him. So did retired Air Force Lt. Col. Alton Yates, who was injured in the attack.