FOLIO STAFF:
TERESA
KERRY
AMBAR
SAVANNA
KALEB
ARIANA
MADELINE
KAILI COCHRAN Writer/Designer
Savanna Stillwagner
to Thrill (Accidentally)
Jacksonville’s Teen Takeovers: Chaos, Curfews and the Fight For the City’s Youth
BOUQS & BRICKS
BOUQUETS
To local retired U.S. Navy pilot Spencer Fletcher, who has been leading the charge to save and preserve the historic Oneida Bungalow Court located in Mixon Town. Built in 1925, this 24-home community — complete with its original gas station — has now landed on Florida’s 2025 list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites. This rare piece of Jacksonville history is at risk, and your voice matters. Call the City Council and the Mayor’s Office to demand its protection.
BRICKBATS
To the DeSantis administration for their vaccination stance. As Nikki Fried, party chair of the Florida Democratic Party, put it, “The DeSantis Administration’s reckless decision to end vaccine requirements will cost lives — thousands of them … This is yet another morally bankrupt stunt that puts politics ahead of public health, all while Republicans are stripping healthcare from 2 million Floridians.”
“No child should die because reckless politicians are playing games with our health. Floridians want safe schools, affordable housing and reliable healthcare—all things they’ve been losing under Ron DeSantis.”
Words by Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri
Aries
H oroscopes
Ready, set, organize. With the sun in Virgo until Sept. 22, it’s time to streamline your routine — gym, work and even your inner world. Saturn slides back into Pisces on Sept. 1, stirring up your twelfth house of transitions. A lunar eclipse in the same zone on the 7th brings old baggage to the surface. Don’t shove it aside — do the heavy lifting so you can breathe lighter.
The Virgo sun moves through your twelfth house until Sept. 22, pulling you into a quest for truth. It may feel disorienting, but Mars in your sign gives you the drive to explore every facet of yourself. A retreat or workshop could be just what you need. With Venus in Leo until the 19th, you’ll thrive in group settings that spark growth, and guidance from coaches or healers can help bring hidden parts of you to light.
This month, the only constant is change, Taurus. For a sign that craves stability, that might feel a little unsettling, but remember, change is often the doorway to growth. And don’t worry, this shift isn’t all bad news. With the Virgo Sun lighting up your fifth house of passions until Sept. 22, your creativity is in the spotlight. Expect others to recognize your unique insights.
Work-life balance is the theme this month. With the Sun in Virgo until the 22nd, you’ll find ways to bring order at home and smooth out any lingering family drama. Still, Saturn’s retrograde back into Pi sces on Sept. 1 pulls your focus to unfinished career business that can’t be ignored. Uranus retrogrades in your sign on the 6th, stirring restlessness and the urge to break old patterns. Don’t check out — give yourself space to process.
Taurus Gemini Cancer
Think of retrogrades and eclipses as the re start and space buttons on your computer’s keyboard. This September is all about resetting and reflecting for you, Cancer. On the 21st, a rare Virgo new moon doubles as a solar eclipse, sparking fresh energy in collaborations. Keep your eyes open — new partners could pop up in the most unexpected places. Just start small and see if the chemistry clicks.
Leo
Uranus retrograding in Pisces until Nov. 7 will cause a major shift in your relationships. Jealousy over long-past issues may rise again and need to be faced head on. But with Venus spending time in Leo until late September, passion and playfulness help smooth things over — reminding you that love should feel alive, not heavy.
Virgo
Happy Birthday, Virgo! With the Sun in your sign until Sept. 22, your growth goes deeper than just another year around the sun. This is the time to dive into new experiences — retreats, workshops, sessions with coaches or healers — that help you reconnect with your truest self.
September puts you in the spotlight as the Sun lights up your eleventh house of friends and connections. From your circle to social media, everyone wants your time — but with Mars in your twelfth house until the 22nd, you may be choosier about where you give your energy. The September 7 total lunar eclipse in Pisces may cause some romantic epiphanies in your life. Maybe an old flame desires to be relit.
Sagittarius
Hold that crown high, Sagittarius. With Virgo lighting up your tenth house of career until the 22nd, this is your moment to step up as a leader. Stay focused on your top goals, and unexpected opportunities could catapult you into the spotlight.
Capricorn
Buy. That. Plane. Ticket. Or a bus. Or a train. Basically, you will be long gone come September’s end. With the Sun in Virgo lighting up your ninth house of exploration, travel and higher learning, you have no choice but to finally book those trips you’ve been putting off. What are you so afraid of? The money will return, and you will have new memories that will last a lifetime.
Aquarius
Dive deep, Aquarius — it’s not a month for skimming the surface. With Virgo season activating your eighth house of intimacy and transformation until the 22nd, emotions run strong and connections get real. Venus moves through your partnership zones too, turning up the heat in romance. You’ll have no patience for superficial vibes; if there’s no future, you won’t waste your time.
Partnerships take the spotlight, Pisces, with the Virgo sun lighting up your relationship zone until the 22nd. Just remember to keep your boundaries clear — you’re still your own person. Saturn also retrogrades back into your sign on the 1st, marking the final stretch of a three-year growth cycle. It hasn’t been easy, but you’re coming out stronger, wiser and more resilient than ever.
Words by Teresa Spencer
FOLIO
WEED
Florida voters are trying to spark up a new era, but the state keeps flicking the lighter out.
Let’s be clear: in 2025, marijuana is still very much illegal in the Sunshine State unless you’ve got a valid medical card. Recreational cannabis? Forget it. Possession of even a joint can still land you a misdemeanor, jail time and a fine that makes you wonder if Florida lawmakers have stock in the bail bond industry.
This, despite the fact that in 2024, Amendment 3 (the ballot measure to legalize adult-use cannabis) pulled in 56% support statewide. That’s more than half the state saying, “yeah, let’s light up” — but Florida’s archaic 60% supermajority rule slammed the brakes. Close, but not enough.
Now, the legalization movement is back for round two. The group Smart & Safe Florida is already collecting signatures for another shot at the 2026 ballot. As of July, they banked more than 613,000 valid signatures, well past the threshold needed to get the state to start its legal and fiscal review. Momentum is real.
But here comes the buzzkill: Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature, fresh off seeing both weed and abortion rights almost clear the bar in 2024, passed HB 1205 this spring. It’s a ballot initiative crackdown, plain and simple. The new law forces petition signers to cough up either their driver’s license number or part of their Social Security number, caps how many petitions volunteers can collect without registering and chops the submission deadline from 30 days to just 10. More red tape by Republicans, imagine that?
Opponents call it what it is: a rigged game meant to keep grassroots movements out of the voting booth. Lawsuits are already flying, but the clock is ticking.
Meanwhile, Florida’s medical marijuana program — legal since 2016 — keeps chugging along.
Patients with qualifying conditions can get their cards, dispensaries are open, and the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use puts out weekly updates. But light up in public, and you’re still breaking the law.
For everyone else? The penalties remain old-school draconian. Up to 20 grams, a couple of joints, basically, can mean a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Move up the scale and you’re looking at felonies, prison time and fines that rival the price of a used car.
So where does that leave us? Florida is stuck in a weird limbo: The people want legalization, the numbers show it, and the movement is organized. But the folks in Tallahassee are playing every trick in the book to keep cannabis locked in the black market.
It’s Florida politics in a nutshell, sunshine on the beaches, smoke in the backrooms. The fight for legal weed here isn’t just about rolling papers and dispensaries; it’s about democracy itself. If voters can’t change the law with a majority, then who’s really in charge?
Until 2026, Florida smokers remain outlaws with doctor’s notes.
Florida’s Buzzkill: The State’s Relentless War on Weed
Cat Fight in the Bank:
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers
Words by Kaleb Stowell
Jaguars regular-season football is back.
The first Sunday of September brought us our first official look at the Jaguars during the 2025 regular season, and it was definitely one to remember for Jaguars fans, and one that Panthers fans will try to forget.
Offensive Takeaways
The Jaguars beat the Panthers 26-10 in the team’s opening game of the 2025 season. The offense looked in midseason form; quarterback (QB) Trevor Lawrence completed 19 of 31 passes and threw for one touchdown and one interception.
Running back (RB) Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries, the majority of which came from a 71-yard run in the second quarter, the longest run of his professional career. It was also Etienne’s second-highest recorded yards in a single game. There had been a lot of speculation about Etienne’s role in this offense, as RB Tank Bigsby was receiving a lot of reps with the first-team offense during training camp and the preseason. Etienne seemed to take this personally based on the stats he put up, or maybe he wanted to show off in front of his younger brother, Trevor Etienne, who was drafted to the Panthers this year. It seems safe to say Etienne has established his spot as the best RB in the RB room.
The Jaguars traded RB Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles the day after the opening game in exchange for a fifth and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft. Bigsby handled the bulk of the Jaguars’ run game in 2024, with 168 carries and 766 yards. This came as somewhat shocking for fans, because, as previously mentioned, Bigsby had been a favorite to potentially take the RB1 spot from Etienne by the end of the year.
Wide receiver (WR) Travis Hunter hauled in 6 receptions for 33 yards in his regular-season rookie debut. Hunter was the most-targeted receiver on the Jaguars’ roster, garnering even more targets than last year’s sensational rookie, Brian Thomas Jr. (BTJ).
Tight end (TE) Brenton Strange also had a great debut as the Jaguars’ starting TE after being the backup to Evan Engram in 2023 and 2024, posting 4 receptions for 59 yards and looking like a reliable big target for Lawrence that can fill the gap Engram left. Strange also played a big part in the success of the running game with several key blocks in crucial moments such as Etienne’s 71-yard run and BTJ’s running touchdown.
WR Dyami Brown proved to be a very efficient new target for Lawrence as well, with 52 yards on just 3 receptions. The Jaguars acquired Brown during the offseason from the Washington Commanders. He played a key role in both of the playoff games the Commanders won with 89 yards on 5 receptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 98 yards on 6 receptions against the Detroit Lions.
Defensive Takeaways
However, the real stars of this game were the defense. The defense generated five turnovers for the offense, including two from turnovers on downs, and the other three from interceptions and fumble recoveries.
Linebacker (LB) Foyesade Oluokun had an interception, a forced fumble and 10 total tackles. Oluokun has been with the Jaguars since 2022. He had backto-back seasons with over 170 tackles in 2022 and 2023 but saw a dip in production last season due to a foot injury early in the season. Based on his performance, it’s safe to say that he’s looking to get back to his previous numbers.
Cornerback (CB) Jourdan Lewis had the Jaguars’ other interception in the final minute of the fourth quarter off a tipped pass by a Panthers receiver. Lewis recovered the forced fumble created by Oluokun in the second quarter, along with 5 tackles and 3 defended passes, including a great pass break-up against Panthers’ WR Hunter Renfrow to force a field goal in the first quarter.
CB Tyson Campbell broke up a fourth-down pass that would have been a Panthers touchdown at the end of the third quarter. Campbell has been with the Jaguars since 2021 but has had back-to-back seasons with multiple missed games due to injury. The Jaguars are hopeful to keep him healthy for 2025.
Safety (S) Eric Murray also had a very productive day on the defense. He had 7 total tackles and a pass-break-up that led to an interception.
S Andrew Wingard almost had the biggest defensive play of the day with a pick-six that unfortunately got called back due to a penalty on S Eric Murray.
Coaching Staff
Most important of all, though, the new Jaguar coaching staff showed that they are nothing to sneeze at. Head coach (HC) Liam Coen became the second HC in Jaguars’ history to win his debut game with the franchise. General manager (GM) James Gladstone also showed face before the game, signing fans’ merchandise and giving pep-talks to players.
The playcalling by Coen, offensive coordinator (OC) Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator (DC) Anthony Campanile was fantastic with both the offense and defense moving better than they have in the past two seasons.
However, it wasn’t all good news for this new Jaguar regime. There were numerous penalties accumulated by the team that led to some less-than-desirable scenarios, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Two false start penalties were called on the offense early in the game and several holding calls throughout the duration of the game are definitely things the offense needs to get cleaned up.
The Game
The Jacksonville Jaguars played their 2025 season opener at home against the Carolina Panthers, and it was about as one-sided a showing as the last time these two teams battled in the Bank in 2023.
The Jaguars started the game hot.
Trevor Lawrence and the Jags marched down the field, only being stopped by offensive penalties and a few incompletions. This drive would include twoway star Travis Hunter’s first official NFL reception, on a 10-yard pass from Lawrence in the middle of the field. This was a moment that meant a lot to Jaguars fans, as Hunter’s positive personality and energy seemed to have infected the entire city of Jacksonville. Ultimately, a costly intentional grounding call in the red zone (the final 25 yards of either side of the field) would end the 2025 Jaguars’ inaugural drive in a 35-yard Cam Little field goal.
Following the offense’s first drive, the Jaguars’ defense would play their first series. The defense did a good job of keeping the Panthers’ offense to small gains, if any at all, during this opening drive. The Panthers would still find their way to the Jaguars’ side of the field but were stopped in their tracks by the Jaguars’ defense at the 30-yard line, leading to a 48-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald.
The second drive by the Jacksonville offense led to them going three-andout after a botched bubble-screen for Hunter on 3rd and short. However, the Panthers’ offense’s next drive was even shorter, after a tipped pass by S Eric Murray was caught and intercepted by LB Foyesade Oluokun at the Panthers’ own 35-yard line.
Brimming with confidence after their defense’s huge play, the Jaguars’ offense enforced their will over the Panthers’ defense with several back-toback runs to get within 10 yards of the goal line. Following the runs, Lawrence would throw a short pass to Hunter before throwing his first touchdown pass of the 2025 campaign to TE Hunter Long for 6 yards. This was Long’s first career touchdown reception.
Following the touchdown drive from the offense, the game was delayed for over an hour due to harsh weather conditions in the area. Fans were advised to leave uncovered seats and stay indoors. The stands emptied as people took to the interior walkways of EverBank Stadium for shelter. After the weather cleared up, the warning was lifted and fans were told to return to their seats.
As fans returned to their seats after what felt like an eternity, they were worried that the Jaguars would lose all the momentum they had been building up before the delay. Their defense forced a huge turnover, followed almost immediately by a short-field drive leading to a touchdown.
However, the Jaguars would quickly prove to anyone who had doubts that they weren’t about to let this game slip from their paws. The Jaguars defense put up another impressive showing, forcing the Panthers’ offense to punt. The first play of the next Jaguars’ offensive drive would be the biggest play of the game, with RB Travis Etienne Jr. breaking through the Panthers’ defense for a 71-yard run.
“The stadium completely exploded. I don’t know what it is about the Panthers, but Etienne is always due for a good game against them,” said Zachary Yaros, a longtime Jaguar fan who attended the game. This drive was hastily capped off by three quick plays in the red zone, ending with a 7-yard designed run from Brian Thomas Jr.
But that’s not all! LB Foyesade Oluokun would force yet another turnover for the Jaguars’ defense after knocking the ball loose from Panthers’ QB Bryce Young’s hands, and CB Jourdan Lewis hastily recovered it with just over a minute left in the first half.
The Jaguars’ offense would quickly move the ball down to the Panthers’ 29yard line for a 47-yard Cam Little field goal.
Halftime felt shorter than usual due to the hour-long weather delay in the second quarter, but the Jaguars’ defense came out of the locker room ready to continue their dominant performance. Solid defense on a 4th and goal opportunity for the Panthers forced Young to throw the ball out of bounds, leading to a turnover on downs.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars’ offense looked a bit shakier than they had in the first half. They began the second half with a punt, followed by an unfortunate Trevor Lawrence interception.
The defense stood strong, still forcing a punt and then another turnover on downs, allowing the offense to get back on the field and regain its bearings.
The Jaguars’ offense would respond with back-to-back sustained drives, mainly through quick passes from Lawrence and good running from Etienne and Bigsby; both of these drives would end in Cam Little field goals, putting the Jaguars comfortably in the lead.
But the defense still wasn’t done, with CB Jourdan Lewis snagging another interception in the closing minute of the game as the Panthers attempted to get down the field and score quickly.
This interception was pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things, as the game was essentially over at this point, but it was certainly the dagger that sealed the Jaguars’ victory, and a triumphant moment for fans.
Reflection on the Preseason
As you might remember, last month we said we hope the Jaguars go 0-3 in the preseason, as winning in the preseason has generally spelled bad luck for teams in the past, including the Jaguars, who went 3-0 in the preseason in 2024 before leading a 4-13 regular season.
The Jaguars didn’t technically go 0-3 in the preseason; they went 0-2-1, with a draw against the Saints ending 17-17. But still, keeping the win column empty until the regular season seems to have created some good luck for the Jaguars, but maybe luck has nothing to do with it.
Before the season started, the Jaguars traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Detroit Lions for WR Tim Patrick. Patrick was drafted to the Denver Broncos in 2018 and has consistently been a WR2-WR4 presence. It seems like the Jaguars are seeking more options in their WR room.
Unfortunately for the Jaguars, rookie CB Caleb Ransaw, who the Jags selected in the third round of the 2025 draft, suffered a season-ending non-contact foot injury before Week 1. Ransaw was expected to strengthen the Jaguars’ secondary, but it seems we’ll have to wait until 2026 to see what he has in store.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 Jaguars have given the city of Jacksonville hope for a season better than the mediocre performances the team has given in the past two seasons. With Trevor Lawrence healthy, two young and incredibly talented WRs, a spectacular RB room and a defense that can hold the opponent to 10 points, the 2025 season looks promising for our big, teal-tongued cats.
“The stadium completely exploded. I don’t know what it is about the Panthers, but Etienne is always due for a good game against them,” said Zachary Yaros, a longtime Jaguar fan who attended the game.
Ice Cream Truck Reimagined: Alsies
Few things capture the essence of childhood quite like the distant jingle of an ice cream truck rolling down the street. That cheerful melody had a magical way of stopping kids in their tracks. Whether they were inside playing make-believe or outside playing in the streets, the classic ice cream truck jingle sparked a frenzy of excitement as they dashed inside to beg their parents for a few crumpled bills or loose change. Then there was the race to be first in line, the careful scanning of the colorful menu plastered to the side of the truck, the conversations with friends and neighbors about whether they wanted Spiderman or SpongeBob. I personally always struggled choosing between the Strawberry Shortcake or the Two Ball Screwball (if you know, you know). And then there was the pure joy of unwrapping a cold, sweet treat under the summer sun. It wasn’t just about the ice cream; it was the ritual, the thrill and the memory-making moment that etched itself into so many childhoods.
But the traditional ice cream truck didn’t come without its faults. For one, you never knew when it would roll into the neighborhood. You had to be at the right place at the right time. And then there was the occasional “no, you can’t have ice cream today” from parents. But Alsies, the tech-enabled ice cream truck and mobile-first platform, has completely reimagined the traditional ice cream truck. Not only making it accessible, but also convenient and reliable.
Words & photos by Ambar Ramirez
Alsies’ system is simple. You download the Alsies mobile app, and from there you can track an ice cream truck near you, order a stop to your neighborhood or doorfront and receive live updates as to where the truck is and when it has arrived. Through the app, you can also build a profile where you can include personal information, such as dietary restrictions or allergies, ensuring those with gluten or dairy restrictions can still enjoy a sweet treat.
Alsies is new to the Jacksonville area and for that we have Melisha Christian to thank. Christian was in search of a business venture that was fun but not super labor-intensive. When she came across Alsies and its franchise program, Christian knew she had found the right fit.
As a Jacksonville native, Christian is on a mission to spread joy and nostalgia to each pocket and neighborhood in Northeast Florida.
“There’s not one place in Jacksonville that I’m probably not going to go. I’m going to be everywhere that I can possibly be,” Christian shared.
Alsies strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and innovation, staying true to the heart of the ice cream truck experience while elevating it with quality, customer care and community connection. From its curated menu — featuring the classics, like ice cream sandwiches and popsicles, alongside local favorites — to event bookings, Alsies manages to honor tradition while embracing the future.
“You have to like what you do. That’s what I’ve learned. So it’s ice cream, like you said, it’s ice cream. You get to work with people for a good amount of time and make them happy for that,” Christian said. “Alsies just blends nostalgia with tech in a very modern way.”
With the Alsies mobile app, you can now order ice cream from a truck in an entirely new way.
COASTAL FEAR
BENISE & PAVLO | JANUARY 15, 2026
at the WJCT Soundstage
Jacksonville’s beaches are the heart of the community. Families barbecue on weekends, surfers catch morning waves, and local shops depend on the crowds. But the coastline is disappearing. Storms hit harder each year, and the sand keeps washing away. The beach that shaped this city might not be here much longer.
For many in Jacksonville, flooding no longer feels like a rare disaster; it’s becoming a regular occurrence. Sea levels are climbing faster than ever. Globally, oceans rose an average of 1.5 millimeters per year since 1900, but that pace has doubled since the 1990s. In Florida, where the Atlantic is warming and land is sinking slightly, the water is rising even faster.
Economically disadvantaged neighborhoods along the Trout and Ribault rivers get hit the worst. They already flood easily and have old drainage systems that don’t work well. Future hurricanes will make this worse. The beaches show the damage clearly. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says Duval County’s shoreline is critically eroded. After hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Ian, the sand dunes that once protected the city were destroyed. Now Jacksonville is even more exposed to the next storm. JESSE COOK | January 23, 2026
at the WJCT Soundstage
Words & photos by Madeline Fortson
To fight back, Jacksonville keeps adding new sand to its beaches. In 2024, the Army Corps of Engineers spent $32.4 million trucking and pumping sand to rebuild miles of shoreline. But when Tropical Storm Erin hit just a year later, much of that sand was gone.
“Every time we get new sand, the ocean takes it right back,” says Zane Leyva, who has surfed at Jacksonville Beach his entire life. “You paddle out one summer and the sandbars are perfect. After the next storm, it’s all different,” he said. Mary Calcote, who has lived at Jacksonville Beach for over four years, sees the changes up close. “There’s a cliff where the ocean has taken sand near the high tide line,” she said. “After hurricanes, the dunes just disappear.”
City leaders know they can’t keep adding sand forever. Jacksonville is creating an “Adaptation Action Area” to help plan for climate change. The goal is to make smarter decisions about drainage, roads and beach defenses. But experts say pumping in sand isn’t enough. As sea levels rise and storms get stronger, each beach project will cost more and be less effective.
Jacksonville needs bigger changes protecting wetlands, moving development inland and being smarter about where it builds. Without that, the city will be stuck rebuilding the same beaches over and over.
For people like Leyva and Calcote, the ocean isn’t just scenery, it’s their backyard and the heart of the city. “Someone is always outside enjoying the beach, the parks. It’s special to be able to go out there early and late in the day and watch the sunrise and set,” Calcote said. But as the coastline keeps disappearing, their fears diverge.
For Leyva, the threat feels personal, “Surfing here is my whole life,” he said. “I want others to enjoy the coastline like I do.” Calcote, on the other hand, looks at the bigger picture. “I worry more about what it means for the environment and wildlife than for my home in particular.”
For generations, Jacksonville’s coast has been its defining feature. Today, it’s also its greatest vulnerability. Decisions made in the coming decades will determine not only the shape of the shoreline but the future of the city’s culture and identity.
ICE AT UNIVERSITIES:
FOR STUDENT SAFETY OR STUDENT DETRIMENT
Words by Ariana Alcantara
Photo by Michael Muthee on Unsplash
Summer is a time of regrouping, relaxing and refreshing your life in preparation for the cooler days to come. For many, this means more time with friends, longer days and, if you are lucky, traveling. The latter is the way that one University of North Florida student spends her summers as she journeys back home to Albania. As an Albanian citizen she studies at UNF on a student visa, spending much of the year across the world from her parents, siblings and best friends. Unfortunately, she was unable to get back to her home this summer.
In the past, she could travel freely because her student visa had no issue. Now, however, the visa must be renewed every three years, and a problem arose, a problem only amplified by recent developments with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The student, who wished to remain anonymous, explained the extensive process of receiving a student visa. “We have to do the application through the U.S. government website, and it’s a very long application. It goes down to all the travels you’ve had in the past five years, old addresses, new ones, old phone numbers, new ones. [Then] you have to go to a secondary website… [where] you can schedule a date for the interview with your specific embassy. But the Trump administration changed it in May, so now it’s different.” She emphasized, “The documentation that’s actually the big deal is called I-20 and if that one expires…that’s the one where you actually get deported.”
According to News4Jax, this past April, the University of North Florida signed an agreement with ICE allowing UNF officers to carry out ICE duties following training protocol. For many students this could mean a breach of trust between them and their university. For this student specifically, it means utter disappointment in a place she came to for education. “The reason why I moved to the States in the first place was for a better opportunity, specifically UNF because I have relatives here; therefore, Jacksonville was a good option,” she explained.
The agreement signed by UNF is to be a participant in the 287(g) program which allows “ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.” according to ice.gov.
Overall, the ICE organization has the mission of: “intending to keep the country secure from illegal immigrants.” But this mission does not align with the idea that ICE is needed on a school campus. This student pointed out, “Immigration wise, it is counterintuitive because if you’re going to school, you do have to go through a very thorough paperwork process, so it’s impossible to be undocumented and in school. It really doesn’t make much sense because the whole [purpose] of ICE is going after undocumented immigrants. If you are on campus, if you are studying at UNF, you are 100% documented… it’s very honestly a waste of resources.”
Further than the fiscal questions arising from the addition of ICE training on campus, the safety of the students is also in doubt. With students who are in the country legally, the officers’ presence highlights an exercise of government power rather than protection. The ICE website also claims to make arrests only based on targeted individuals they have intelligence on. So, giving authority to campus police officers allows for students to be arrested on campus. Though dorms are private property, officers cannot enter these spaces to make arrests. Therefore, the officers trained on campus are potentially meant to make arrests during school hours. The UNF student queries: “What is the point of having police arrest students on campus? If someone is doing something illegal, I don’t think school is where they would be arrested.”
These campus changes seen at UNF seem to echo the increase in ICE activity statewide. News4Jax reported, “In Florida, daily arrest totals average out to about 64 arrests per day since Jan. 20, a 219% increase since 2024.” To add to the concerns of increasing arrests, detention facilities are being erected across the state. Over the summer a detention center gained mass exposure with “Alligator Alcatraz.” Recently, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the construction of a new facility just 45 minutes outside of downtown Jacksonville, saying, “Today, I announced that Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson will now serve as a Deportation Depot to detain and process illegal immigrants for removal, building on the success the state has had with Alligator Alcatraz.”
Some people’s perspective is that ICE is an agency that protects citizens from illegal immigrants, expressing a fear that anyone coming here illegally is a threat to the country. This sentiment becomes controversial when legal citizens and visa holders are being affected. When that UNF student went to renew her visa months ago, responsibly maintaining her status in the U.S., she immediately ran into an issue.
“Being in the States with a terminated visa is fine as long as I don’t leave the States because then I cannot come back until I renew my visa. I was trying to go back home to renew it just in case I wanted to try to travel,” she recalled. “I had already bought the ticket for mid-July. Everything was set. I was going through my process, and then the news came out that they are closing all the interviews. So, every other day I was trying to renew the application, but it wasn’t letting me. This went on for like a month and a half.” For this student, being unable to travel home this summer due to changes on the immigration website is a clear indicator that the legal route is more complex than many people are led to believe.
The source of the website’s malfunctions is unknown, but eventually she was able to get in when the system was working again, only it was too late. The date for her trip had passed and she was forced to stay in the U.S. to begin preparation for the fall semester.
As students, like this one, began the new school year across the city, another striking decision was made. A second local college, Florida State College at Jacksonville, signed agreements with ICE, as reported by “Inside Higher Ed.”
Schools were once known as sanctuary spaces, but now educational institutions, like the University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville, have alienated their students. Jacksonville is not alone in signing agreements with ICE. Across Florida, there are at least 15 schools participating in the 287(g) program, an interesting fact considering no other state in the country has school participants, according to the ICE participant database. Will Florida schools continue as outliers, or will other states soon follow suit in signing deals with ICE?
How Ryan Backmann with Project: Cold Case Fights for the Forgotten
Words by Carmen Macri
“My healing was going to start by helping other people.”
In Jacksonville alone, there are an estimated 1,700 unsolved homicides — cases that, for years, have lingered without resolution, leaving families desperate for answers. Among them is the case of Cliff Backmann, Ryan Backmann’s father, who was brutally murdered in 2009. More than a decade later, Cliff’s killer has never been brought to justice, but his son guarantees that his death will not be in vain.
As Ryan prepared to begin his own path toward healing — a journey that looks different for everyone — he was approached by the now-defunct nonprofit Compassionate Families. They invited him to join their men’s-only support group, a space created specifically for those grieving loved ones lost to violence.
“I didn’t know what I needed, but I knew I needed something, and that sounded like something,” Ryan explained. “So I attended, and there were only four of us at that support meeting, but I was the only one who had lost a father. Everybody else had lost children. And so that was a moment, a perspective that, you know, I was supposed to bury my dad one day — just not the way I did. But none of them were supposed to bury their children, yet they were still contributing members of society and found a way to laugh and smile and have a good time. So I was inspired by those men.”
That support group lit a fire in him. Soon after, he volunteered at the next event — a YMCA day camp for children who had lost a loved one to homicide. “It really sparked something in me, that my healing was going to start by helping other people. That was kind of the path that I needed to take to start my healing journey,” he said.
Ryan traveled to Gainesville for a weeklong, 40-hour victim advocacy training, officially beginning his journey less than a year after his father’s murder. He went on to serve as a victim advocate with the organization for more than four years. But there was something he saw lacking within the organization — resources for families of unsolved cases.
Ryan spent countless hours at the courthouse — sitting through trials, supporting families during impact statements and sentencing hearings, and navigating the slow-moving process of justice. “Our support meetings were a lot of talk about the slow wheels of justice — and that’s very true,” he explained. But for families without an arrest in their case, those conversations often felt out of reach. He began to notice families of unsolved cases pulling back, feeling as though the space was designed more for those who already had answers. Though he never set out to start his own organization, Ryan recognized the need and, as the nonprofit he was working with began to fade, he could see the responsibility falling to him.
JUSTICE DELAYED VOICES REMEMBERED
So, in 2015, Ryan launched Project: Cold Case, transforming his personal loss into a mission for countless others still waiting for justice. What began as a response to a gap he saw in support for families of unsolved murders quickly grew into a lifeline—an organization dedicated to advocating for cold cases, connecting grieving families, and bridging the space between the public and law enforcement. At its core, Project: Cold Case was built on the belief that no victim should be forgotten and no family should have to navigate the silence of an unsolved homicide alone. And because of his previous work as a victim advocate, Ryan had a few connections with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), who were willing to work with him to try and provide that solace for the families.
“I didn’t know exactly what the organization could offer. I was going to start local because I already knew a dozen or so families that had unsolved cases, and I knew Jacksonville at the time had about 1,200 unsolved murders. There was nothing out there like this,” Ryan said.
“There was no organization helping families. I was watching the faces of these victims fade from the public — they would just disappear. And everybody believed cases were solved when they weren’t, simply because they never saw them again. Nobody thought to ask, ‘What happened to that case?’ And that created an opportunity to provide something that had never been offered before, both locally and nationally.”
Since its inception, Project: Cold Case now has victim representation from 48 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Germany, and now, Australia. They have around 1,900 victim submissions up on their site.
“I try to think back to what I expected, and I remember just thinking, ‘I just want to help people. Whoever wants help, I’ll try to help them,’” Ryan said. “Now I wonder, are we too big? It’s not our fault that there are that many unsolved murders out there, right? But if you’re a family member and you go to our website and see all of these faces, it can be overwhelming. You start to wonder where your loved one fits into that organization.”
But even with the growing list of victims, Ryan explained that Project: Cold Case focuses on healing. On sharing information and raising awareness in the hope that someone with crucial details might come forward. While the organization has featured about 74 cases on its site that eventually led to an arrest or were solved, he emphasized that solving cases isn’t their primary mission.
“Our role is to help people heal,” he said, “to help them find their voice and to show them there’s value in their loved one — whether they got a Netflix special or barely made the local news.”
While the Project: Cold Case website features nearly 1,900 faces, Ryan knew they needed to take it further. He partnered with the University of North Florida’s communications college, giving journalism majors the chance to connect with families for spotlight features. The students interview families to share the stories of the victims’ lives — not their deaths — so the world can remember who they were while they walked the Earth, rather than how they were taken from it.
“For us, the bar is healing — people being able to laugh and smile, to go back to work, to live a productive life,” Ryan said. “And their first memory of their loved one isn’t how they died, but how they lived.”
Ryan emphasized that Project: Cold Case is built on understanding and patience for families navigating grief. If a family isn’t ready for awareness work when they first reach out, they are always welcome to return later. “We want them to know that we have understanding in those situations,” he said. “You’re always welcome to say, ‘I’m not there right now.’”
He explained that sometimes families initially agree to participate in a spotlight feature, only to get overwhelmed or panic and not follow through. “Then they feel guilty,” Ryan said. “They think they can never show their face here again or call us because they bailed on this opportunity. That’s not how we want them to feel.”
The organization works to reassure families that there is no penalty for stepping back. “There’s no guilt. There’s no, ‘we’re not going to give you this opportunity again,’” Ryan said. “It’s, like, cool — you’re number four on the list for next semester. We’ll try it again.” For him, the focus is on helping families feel they have a place in the organization, whether they’re ready now or later, and breaking the isolation so many experience in their journey.
While solving cold cases isn’t their main focus, the organization has played a role in resolving 74 murders, several of which came out of the UNF spotlight features. One Ryan recalls in particular is the Freddie Farah case — a 43-yearold unsolved murder. Freddie, who owned a convenience store in Jacksonville, was robbed and killed, and the crime remained unresolved for decades.
The breakthrough came when Freddie’s son, Bobby, happened to run into JSO detectives he knew through Project: Cold Case and mentioned that his father had been murdered 42 years ago, and the case was still unsolved. The detectives returned to the office, reviewed the case file, and uncovered fingerprints that had never been tested. (According to Project Cold Case’s website, Johnnie Miller was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department in May 2017 and was arrested on an out of state warrant for second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in the death of Freddy Farah.)
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that we had a number of cases that we took to the Sheriff’s Office and said, ‘We’re working with this family and we’re raising awareness. Can you just tell us the last time the case was looked at, if there’s anything new you can do?’” Ryan explained. “And they did, and in multiple cases, they ended up ultimately solving them.”
For those families, Ryan and his team provided full support before, during, and after the press conference. They ensured families had a place to park, had water and air conditioning, and walked them through what to expect. The team escorted them to the sheriff’s office, explained which doors to enter, where to go, and who to speak with. Afterward, they brought the families back, giving them space to decompress and ask questions — recognizing that many people don’t fully account for what that moment is like for those affected. And the support doesn’t stop there.
“If you stumble, if you struggle, that’s OK. We’re in this for the long haul. I think that can sometimes be frustrating for families because we want answers, and we want them today. But we just don’t have control over some of that stuff,” Ryan shared. “It’s hard, but it has worked for me, and it has worked for the families that accept that. You can’t force people to accept it. You can’t force people to go to support meetings and start that process of sharing and finding their voice. I wish we could, but it wouldn’t work. It has to be their idea—they have to want to do it.”
As for the future of Project: Cold Case, Ryan said he would love to see a more robust mental health program for families affected by violent crime locally and nationally. Currently, they offer support meetings that are both peer-led and professionally facilitated, rotating based on the needs of participants. Individual counseling is also available to Florida families through a contract with a licensed mental health professional.
He noted, however, that many families have been grieving for years, sometimes decades, and may still feel the stigma around seeking help. Ryan explained that part of the challenge is “breaking through and convincing somebody — again, without forcing them or making them resent you — but reminding them that just because it’s been 30 years doesn’t mean you couldn’t use a therapist or counseling.”
He emphasized the importance of support, saying, “Why should you have to do this on your own, especially when there are options out there?” Ryan added that his goal is to eventually hire a full-time mental health professional to manage calls, support meetings, and therapeutic programs for families.
You Matter
Kyndal Ray Edward’s Walking Testimony
Words & photos by Ambar Ramirez
From the start, Kyndal Ray Edwards’ life was defined as “normal.” Born in 1993 and raised in Clay County, his childhood unfolded in a world of homeschooling, private schools and a steady rhythm of church — Sunday mornings, Sunday nights and Wednesday evenings. Anchoring it all were his parents, still together after 37 years, a foundation he remains deeply grateful for. But even with all that stability, one thing never changed: Edward had a knack for being a troublemaker.
“So I grew up in the right setting and then just kind of went down a very destructive path,” Edwards shared.
The first person Edwards ever got high with was a guy from his praise band in church.
“I was addicted to lying and stealing at a very young age before I ever knew what drugs were or anything like that. And then whenever you mix drugs into it, it just gets a lot worse,” Edwards noted. “At the end of the day, I’m an adrenaline junkie. To this day, I still am an adrenaline junkie. Instead of doing criminal activities or lots of drugs, I chase it with cars coming at me on the side of the road every day.”
Edwards graduated from Middleburg High in 2011 and soon after enlisted in the Marine Corps. But just a month before his first deployment, his path took a sharp turn. He was arrested for the first time and sent to Clay County Jail. That moment would become the opening chapter in a string of setbacks that defined the next few years of his life.
Life spiraled into a cycle of in-and-out stints in county jail. But during one of those sentences in 2013, Edwards found unexpected inspiration. While serving that year in Clay County Jail, he came across a newspaper article titled “America on Foot,” about a man named Harrison Milanian who had walked from Tallahassee to Laguna Beach, Calif. Captivated by the story — and reminded of one of his favorite films, “Forrest Gump” — Edwards tucked the article away.
When he was released in 2014, he tracked Milanian down on Facebook, reaching out to share how much the article had moved him. Milanian encouraged the journey, calling it life-changing, though he admitted he wished he had walked for a cause rather than just exercise. So when Edwards announced on Facebook that he planned to leave on January 1, 2015, for a walk from Florida to California, he made sure it would be for a purpose. Friends offered ideas, and he ultimately chose to walk in support of cerebral palsy and lung cancer awareness.
Ironically, at the time, Edwards was smoking two packs of Newports a day.
“For the longest time, every time I went to jail, I would tell people I wanted to get cleaner, that I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that, or that I was going to do this and that. Just like I told people I wanted to walk across America,” Edwards said. “At the end of the day, I realized I liked the idea of wanting to walk across America, just like I liked the idea of recovery. But I didn’t really want it.”
Edwards’ planned January 1, 2015 departure never happened. Instead, he was put on probation and forced to push his walk back six months. That delay spiraled into deeper trouble. After breaking into a post office in Penney Farms, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, though he managed to get out early through a boot camp program. Even then, he struggled to stay on track, violating his probation three times. With a year left, his judge dropped the probation altogether, warning him that he did not want to see Edwards in the courtroom again.
Despite this second chance, Edwards would find himself in prison again. But to understand how he got there, we need to step back. He didn’t just smoke weed once with a church friend and suddenly decided to live a life of crime. The truth is, his destructive path had been set in motion long before he had the chance to stop it.
As a child, Edwards was sexually abused in church. Something he didn’t fully grasp the weight of until
years later. By the time his family moved to a different church, he found comfort in small distractions, like a church member who would hand him boxes of unsellable Little Debbie snacks. He became the kid who was posted up on the computers playing video games, eating cosmic brownies and Christmas tree cakes, while his weight climbed. By age 12, he was nearly 200 pounds, wearing men’s size 36 pants.
Shame and low self-esteem followed, sinking him deeper into depression as he entered high school. Not long after, another blow struck: Edwards was hit by a car while walking home, a traumatic event that compounded the struggles already defining his adolescence.
During his freshman year, weighed down by depression and hopelessness, he scraped together enough money to buy a gun from a classmate. With it, he attempted to take his own life.
“The gun jammed on me. I didn’t understand it at the time, but later on, I realized it was for a reason,” Edwards said. “I tried to take my life again in 2017 with a bunch of pills. So with all that being said, I gained a lot of weight sitting in prison for that first year and a half, you know, not doing anything.”
Just months after the judge dropped his probation and after moving home, a binge of acid and cocaine with friends spiraled into a violent fight with his parents. The confrontation ended with his arrest on domestic violence charges and a month in jail before he bonded out. Because of an injunction, he couldn’t return home and instead slept in a storage unit at the climate-controlled facility his mother managed. There, desperation took over. He began breaking into other units, and it wasn’t long before he was caught again.
This time, the sentence was five years in prison.
For the first year in prison, Edwards sank into defeat. His days blurred together — sitting on his bunk, eating ramen and feeling worse about himself with each passing moment. But the universe has a strange way of intervening. Sharing that same bunk space was the most “shredded” person Edwards had ever seen.
“The dude who slept in the bunk right next to me was like 0% body fat and the most shredded person I’ve ever met in my life. He was nuts,” Edwards recalled. “He was also one of the nicest guys and we talked every day, you know? But one day he was like, ‘Bro, you need to get right or I’m going to start calling you BBK.’ And I’m like, ‘What is BBK?’ And he was like, ‘Bad body Kyndal.’ And I was like, oh, I don’t like that. I laughed about it, but I didn’t like it.”
So Edwards started working out with this group that he dubbed “the elite group of workout guys” every day for two years.
“Next thing you know, like, within a year, I was running five minutes and 57 seconds miles,” Edwards shared. “I became a beast. I became the best version of myself while I was locked up. I’ve been locked up so many times before and did not become the best version of myself.”
In his last year of prison, Edwards was released on a work release, where he went to work for a telemarketing company here in Jacksonville. In the office, there was a canvas painting of the seven continents.
“And one day I’m sitting there and I’m looking at this canvas painting, and I
see North America. I went up to the painting and I looked at it and I just, like, drew a little imaginary line from Florida to California. And I was like, I was going to walk that one day, like back in the day,” Edwards shared. “And then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was like I could still walk across America. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m getting out with a little bit of money saved up, and this is like the first time in 10 years that I’m not on probation or anything like that. I’m finally a free man.”
On January 1, 2022, Edwards dipped his feet in the Atlantic Ocean and began his walking journey from Florida to Washington. And his cause? Mental health awareness and recovery.
Over 15 months, Edwards walked 3,292 miles, met over 7,000 people and impacted many more through social media and sharing his life.
“I really learned a lot about myself. The perseverance. How I’m so much stronger than my mind lets me think,” Edwards said.
With just his two feet and a cart that he pushed himself, Edwards walked through 13 states, through different seasons and different expanses. On his cart, a “You Matter” sign is taped to the front.
Edwards didn’t always carry the “You Matter” sign. He often said the words aloud, but it wasn’t until he reached Colorado that he made it physical. A few days before Christmas, caught between multiple invitations, he grabbed a piece of construction paper and a black Sharpie, wrote “You Matter,” and walked a mile down from his hotel on the mountainside holding the sign. For three consecutive days—the day before Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—he stood there, and people pulled over. One girl, in particular, got out of her car, cried and asked for a hug, telling him she desperately needed that message that day. Others stopped as well, offering hugs. On those days, Edwards refused donations, yet the gesture clearly meant the world to those he reached.
Later, when he arrived in Long Beach, Washington, on April 12, 2023 to touch the Pacific Ocean, word had spread that he was coming. Locals greeted him with “You Matter” signs of their own. He attached one to the front of his cart, keeping the message visible at all times. Over the course of his journey, numerous people would stop him to say that seeing the sign had prevented them from taking their own lives — a testament, he said, not to him, but to the power of the message itself.
“It’s the sign. It’s the affirmation that somebody matters. And people need to know it,” Edwards said. “I just want people to know they’re important.”
On August 17, 2025, Edwards completed his third cross-country trek, finishing this portion of his walking journey where it all began, in the Atlantic Ocean. After taking some time off, Edwards plans to start another walking journey to Florida Keys and up to Maine.
“Hitting all four corners is the main mission for mental health and recovery. If one person can be inspired enough to change their life for the better and not take their life or can get clean, then I’ve done my job,” Edwards shared. “I think at this point, many people have been affected and have made positive changes in their lives.”
On September 12, 2025, Edwards celebrated 77 months of sobriety.
GOOD DEED GONE BAD
Words by Carmen Macri
On Sept. 9, JSO responded to reports of shots fired near Main Street in Downtown. But when officers arrived, the story wasn’t the typical crime scene — they walked into what started as an act of generosity gone very, very wrong.
We’ve all passed panhandlers on the side of the road. Maybe you’re late, maybe you don’t carry cash or maybe you stick to handing out food instead. Early Tuesday morning, one driver decided to break that rule. A man in his mid-20s, stopped at a light on Duval Street, was approached by someone asking for money. In what might have been a good mood — or just a simple act of kindness — he handed over a few bucks.
But apparently, a few bucks wasn’t enough. The man started demanding more. When the driver refused, things escalated quickly: The panhandler pulled out a revolver and shot him in the hand and chest.
The driver managed to get himself to the hospital, where police later caught up with him. As for the shooter — a man in his 30s with a noticeable neck tattoo — he’s still on the run.
TINY CUSTOMER, BIG APPETITE
Words by Ambar Ramirez
Sometimes you wake up in the morning craving just one thing for breakfast. Sometimes it’s right in your pantry, other times, it calls for a car ride. For 5-year-old William, it was Chick-fil-A. While the rest of the house was still snoozing, William slipped out the door and strolled down San Jose Boulevard straight to his breakfast of choice.
JSO Officers Kelly and Perri eventually found him there, not distressed or lost, but happily holding court with a tray of food and the full attention of the Chick-fil-A staff. After some quick detective work (and a ride in a police car where William very politely asked if he was going to jail), the officers reunited him with his parents.
Just to clear the air: William’s parents are not in trouble. They had plenty of safety measures at home. But let this be your PSA — make sure kids know their home address, parents’ names and a phone number. You never know when breakfast plans might turn into an adventure.
A Potential Human Trafficking Story and Words From Jacksonville Bartenders
Words by Savanna Stillwagner
Photo by Raplha Wilde on Unsplash
You walk into a bar expecting to meet someone new who has piqued your interest. “They’re really attractive,” you tell yourself. “He seems to be interested enough.” Only hours before, he invited you to a restaurant to meet up. You don’t usually say yes right off the bat, but this time you think, “Ah, what the heck.”
An hour later, and two untouched Fireball shots later, you never would have thought that you could have been in the middle of a sex trafficking trap.
This story is all too familiar for Jez in Denver, and one that was recounted in episodes of “Something Was Wrong” and “Crime Junkie” podcasts.
A Human Trafficking Scheme?
Coming from a small town and moving to a bigger city in Denver, Jez downloaded some dating apps to meet new people.
After matching with someone named Jordan on the app, Jez and Jordan decided to meet at a restaurant and bar close by called Old Chicago. After Jez arrived at the bar, Jordan said he was stuck in traffic but would be there soon and told her to order two Fireball shots in the meantime.
While Jez was waiting, the bartender, Johnny, made sure to see if she needed anything.
A nearby waitress, Morgan, kept asking if she wanted to order any food and checking on her, and a man a few seats down at the bar made small talk with Jez.
After Jordan eventually blew Jez off with a no-show, the man at the bar suggested Jez and he get a table and have dinner together since her date was a no-show. Jez politely declined and said she was going to order some food and then head out.
“I just remember this guy was really friendly,” said Jez. “He didn’t give any bad vibes. He didn’t seem creepy or anything.”
Eventually, the man asked to sit at the seat right next to Jez so they could be friendly and chat a little bit more, and Jez was okay with that.
After maybe 30 minutes, Jez needed to go to the bathroom, so asking the man to watch her things, she headed there.
In the bathroom, Jez did not expect Morgan to come storming in after her telling her, “I have to talk to you.”
A little reluctant to Morgan’s urgency, Jez didn’t realize there was a serious situation going on.
“When I looked at her, she was genuinely experiencing fear,” said Jez.
“This is going to sound crazy, but whatever reason you are here, it’s because of him,” said Morgan. “People will come in looking to meet a potential roommate or they’re waiting for a date or something like that, and they always order two shots of Fireball. He always sits down two seats away from them, and the person never shows up.”
Morgan said most of the time, people agreed to have dinner with the man when asked, and would seemingly get drunker than they should be based on how many drinks they were ordering.
After learning all of this about one man, Jez braved the bar once again so as not to let the man think she knew anything — especially considering her bag, wallet, ID with her address, and all of her belongings were next to him.
Throughout the night, Jez played it off like she didn’t know anything Morgan had told her so as not to make the man lash out. As the man got more and more frustrated because Jez wouldn’t leave the bar to go with him elsewhere, Jez eventually expressed her frustrations and the man left.
Jez was relieved she made it out of this experience OK, and the man only came back to that bar once a few weeks after. He saw the familiar bartender who helped Jez throughout the night and immediately left.
After Jez told her story on “Something Was Wrong” podcast, and Crime Junkie retold the events, fans from all over the country expressed identical circumstances that had happened to them.
Flowers shared the locations on the second part of the episode talking about Jez’s story. The events from listeners happened from 2009 to 2019, and these were the cities:
• Denver, Colorado (Jez)
• El Cajon, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Winter Park, Florida
• Detroit, Michigan
• Nashville, Tennessee
Despite getting hundreds of responses with similar experiences, those were the cities that most closely matched Jez’s story.
Skepticism
“I was feeling creeped out that someone could go through that much effort to trick somebody, and just all of the pretending and the lying was a giant red flag for me,” said Morgan.
Morgan and Johnny had ideas that, since this was a multiple-occurrence experience at just their restaurant alone with the same man, they were skeptical of some bigger things going on.
Not only did the events line up to create a creepy story, but when Jez called the number of Jordan while he was making up excuses as to why he was late and eventually a no-show, the number Jez had been texting from came up with a recording as she dialed saying the number she dialed is not in service.
A “Crime Junkie” investigative reporter spoke to FBI agent Anne Dar about the events of Jez’s story, and without confirming or denying or having a formal investigation, Dar spoke of some general observations regarding the incidents of the event.
Dar said a few potential circumstances that could have been occurring were sexual assault, carjacking or recruitment into human trafficking.
While it’s unknown if any of these were happening, Dar mentioned them as possibilities.
Dar did say it’s helpful for people experiencing any situation like this to report it somehow.
“It’s important that we share intelligence, especially if there is a new trend [in human trafficking] or some kind of new form of recruitment,” said Dar.
Jax Bartenders
After hearing Jez’s story through the podcasts, “Folio” needed to know if this was happening in our beloved Jacksonville.
Bar life is a big part of Jacksonville’s culture, but partygoers should know if something like this was going on.
We spoke to two bartenders here in Jacksonville, one with nearly 10 years of experience, and although neither of them have witnessed something similar to Jez’s scenario, they are knowledgeable of the dangers of drinking out, especially without using proper safety precautions.
One bartender recalled a friend getting “violently ill” after only two drinks while barhopping in Jacksonville.
“I have heard that it is common when big groups of people go out that their drinks can get spiked,” the bartender said. “And I mean, it’s likely that that is what happened even though we won’t ever really know.”
They said they have heard numerous stories of this happening to people they know.
Although they experienced this frightening occurrence, the bartender said they are happy with the safety precautions their bar uses to protect customers.
“We always keep the bar top clean of any glasses that aren’t currently being drank by a guest,” she said.
She explained this is their way of ensuring a drink doesn’t get spiked and then drank in the time the glass was sitting on the countertop.
“I will say one of the things I love most about the bar I’m at is how they put the safety of their staff first and will always take action,” she said.
While they believe “every restaurant and high-volume bar should offer safety and preventative measures for sex crimes and trafficking,” they added that formal training has never been part of her experience in the industry.
Both bartenders confirmed there is no professional training for how to handle these situations at their bars, but both confirmed their staff has developed practices to keep everyone safe.
While we are unsure if human trafficking is happening at our Jacksonville bars, these bartenders gave us some great advice so we don’t get into a situation like Jez’s: “Always report something, even if it feels a little bit off,” she said. “Nine times out of 10 it’s nothing, but that one time you could be right and save someone’s life.”
Annabella suffered a meniscus tear but thanks to Injury Care Centers & our Biotarget Therapy she was back on the field in only 3 weeks.
Words by Carmen Macri
License to Thrill (Accidentally)
Florida has earned a reputation for having some of the most reckless drivers in the United States.
It’s really no shocker that Florida ranks fourth in the nation for reckless driving, right behind California, Texas and Arizona. The ranking factors in fatal crashes, speeding and alcohol-related incidents — but honestly, you don’t need a study to tell you Florida drivers are … special.
If you grew up here — or have just survived a drive-through — then you know exactly what we mean. Highways feel less like roads and more like obstacle courses. On my way home from work, I usually pass at least two crashes, mostly fender-benders, though occasionally I hit a real jackpot: a two-, three-, or even four-car pile-up that blocks two lanes of I-95 south like it’s some sort of twisted art installation.
Florida also had the second-highest number of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving with 250 per year, and 1,580 fatal crashes involving alcohol, the third-highest in the nation.
This is one stereotype that actually checks out — and trust us, we didn’t need a study in our inbox to figure it out. Florida drivers are the worst. But since you’re here, let’s take a minute to really appreciate just how bad they are.
Not only do we rank fourth in the nation for reckless driving, and sixth for the highest young driver fatalities, but, according to a recent study by Beck & Beck Car Accident Lawyers, we are also ranked second in the nation with the most fatal multi-vehicle crashes at night, averaging 5.60 fatal accidents per million residents, 107% higher than the national average of 2.7.
But wait! It doesn’t stop there!
Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve got a whole lot of drivers with less-than-perfect vision. Probably both.
And if that’s not enough, another study from Blakeley Law Firm dug into fatal and serious motorcycle crashes during major U.S. holidays. Florida landed ninth on the list with 1.96 fatalities per million residents. We follow behind the likes of Delaware, North Dakota, New Mexico, South Dakota, Arkansas, Vermont, Montana and Wyoming—states where you’d expect icy roads or winding highways, not palm trees and sunshine.
But wait! There’s more!
According to a new study by personal injury firm Anidjar & Levine, Florida ranks sixth in the nation for young driver fatalities — putting us among the top 10 states where teen drivers face the highest risk of fatal crashes. We’re right behind Montana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico and Kentucky.
Florida averages 59 fatal crashes per 100,000 young drivers, which is 48% higher than the national average of 40. With nearly 680,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, the state’s five-year average for fatal crashes involving young drivers clocks in at a staggering 403.
In other words, handing over the keys to your teenager in Florida might just be the most nerve-wracking part of parenthood — and not just because they won’t stop playing music you hate.
The same study shows Florida ranks second in the nation for winter fatality rates at intersections, averaging 22.2 fatal crashes per million residents — that’s 89% higher than the national average of 11.73. If you’ve ever sat at a busy Florida intersection, this should come as no surprise. The unspoken motto seems to be “no cop, no stop.” What’s strange, though, is why we only spike in the winter. Maybe it’s the early sunsets.
To bring it closer to home, Jacksonville ranks second among the most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians. So even if you’re not behind the wheel, you’re still at the mercy of those infamous Florida drivers. With 3.54 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents and a “walk score” of just 26, our sprawling, car-dependent setup makes simply walking around feel like a contact sport.
Photo
Words by Teresa Spencer
Jacksonville’s Teen Takeovers: Chaos, Curfews and the Fight for the City’s Youth
On a sweltering July evening, the Southbank Riverwalk should have been winding down into its usual twilight calm. Instead, the promenade erupted into a scene that felt closer to a flash riot. Hundreds of teenagers, some estimates say 600 to 700, spilled across the waterfront near Friendship Fountain. Arguments turned to fistfights. Police deployed pepper spray. At one point, officers chased down a teenager with a gun in his backpack. Bridges had to be closed to contain the crowd.
Jacksonville had just experienced its largest “teen takeover.” And it wouldn’t be the last.
Teen takeovers aren’t new to America. Cities from Chicago to Atlanta have faced versions of the phenomenon. Unsanctioned youth gatherings, organized online, that transform parks, shopping districts, or downtowns into scenes of chaos. But Jacksonville’s takeovers in 2025 have arrived with a dangerous cocktail: the anonymity of social media, the adrenaline of massive crowds and the specter of guns.
“I’m not trying to tell anyone how to parent, but if your kids are out beyond curfew, they may find themselves in trouble,” Sheriff T.K. Waters told News4Jax. “We gotta draw the line.”
JSO didn’t wait long to respond and crack down. Within days, officers were tracking chatter about a planned “Fight Fest,” a takeover promoted on Instagram. The week-long police operation that followed led to multiple arrests: two misdemeanors, seven felonies and six guns pulled off the street. Ninety grams of marijuana were seized. One juvenile was arrested after passing two handguns to someone in another vehicle.
One 16-year-old who attended the Southbank event described it simply: “It looked very unsafe. Things got out of hand quickly.”
Parents are divided on the response. Some call for harsher policing, while others see an opportunity for mentorship and alternatives.
Jacksonville isn’t alone. Chicago has wrestled with downtown takeovers that turned violent, prompting curfew crackdowns and increased police patrols. Atlanta faced similar incidents in 2023 with teens converging on shopping malls and public spaces. In each case, the pattern is familiar: social media amplifies a gathering; the numbers swell beyond control; law enforcement scrambles to contain the fallout.
What makes Jacksonville different is its scale. The Southbank takeover wasn’t just disruptive; it shut down a major bridge and involved weapons. That escalation has city leaders worried.
Experts say law enforcement alone can’t solve the problem. They indicate that policing is a reaction, not prevention. Some community groups have stepped forward with ideas: expanded late-night recreation centers, supervised concerts or pop-up skate nights. But funding and coordination remain obstacles. For now, JSO remains the front line.
The risks are clear. A single fight could turn into a stabbing. A single gun could turn into a tragedy. And in a city already struggling with violent crime, the prospect of hundreds of armed, unsupervised youth in one place is a nightmare scenario.
Law enforcement offered a stark reminder: Jacksonville has a curfew. Minors must be home by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends, unless they’re with an adult or engaged in structured activity.
“Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?”
For longtime Jacksonville residents, that question echoes the 1980s TV PSA that once ran before the nightly news. But in 2025, it carries sharper urgency. Social media gives teenagers tools to organize faster than parents — or police — can track.
Teen takeovers have exposed a truth Jacksonville can no longer ignore: the city’s youth are restless, plugged in and looking for a place to belong. Whether that place is the Riverwalk at midnight or a supervised roller rink depends on how quickly leaders can adapt.
Because while the phenomenon may be fueled by TikTok trends, the stakes are anything but virtual. Jacksonville is deciding, in real time, how it will handle the tension between youthful freedom and public safety. And the outcome will shape not only the city’s nights, but its future.
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CARMEN: This might be a me problem, but the dating pool in Jacksonville isn’t much of a pool — it’s like a dried-up puddle on the side of the road a few hours after our daily afternoon hurricanes. Again, it could totally be just me, but I have a funny feeling it isn’t. And (sorry, Ambar), I refuse to meet anyone off Hinge. Yes, I have the app. No, I will not meet up with anyone on it. Yes, I know that makes zero sense. For me, Hinge is just a way to see what’s out there … if anything … and maybe, just maybe, run into one of them in the wild.
AMBAR: Yeah, imagine how I felt when my best friend told me, a girl in a relationship with a guy she met on Hinge, that she would rather die than meet anyone on the dating app. And you know what? I don’t blame her. Especially after she shared her recent finds on the app… yikes. But that begs the question, where are young singles meeting each other?
The girls talk dating in Jax
CARMEN: Certainly not Pete’s, because believe me, I’m there. Every weekend. So, where do singles actually go if they don’t want to settle for a dating app? (No shade if you do — truly, I’m happy for you… mostly.) One place that immediately comes to mind — and pops up on my feed — is a run club. Personally, that’s a hard pass for me. But for others, especially anyone who actually likes moving their body and doesn’t have a history of runner exes, it’s basically perfect.
AMBAR: Recently, Stryde Social popped up in Jax, and I had no idea it was more than just a run club. Turns out, it was also a sneaky little singles mixer. The rules were simple: if you’re single, you wear black; if you’re taken, you wear color. Now, this could be tricky for those of us whose workout wardrobe is 99% black, but honestly, it’s kind of genius. It’s like the least awkward, most low-key “singles event” ever. I personally didn’t make it out to this run club event because it was at 12 p.m. on a hot summer’s day, but Carmen sure did! Carmen, how did it go?
CARMEN: Anyway …
AMBAR: When it comes to meeting someone new, the best bet is usually the places you already like to hang out — built-in common interests and all that. So, if your hobby happens to be sipping cocktails, but you’re not exactly looking for a “last call” kind of connection, why not try a happy hour instead?
CARMEN: Ding ding ding!
For the beach bums, Casa Marina is a solid happy hour spot. If you’re on the other side of the bridge — and maybe hoping to meet someone with a little cash to splash — River and Post is your move. Honestly, anywhere with a deal and a steal is fair game. And who knows, maybe the connection is working behind the bar. As someone who was once single, writing a pick-up line with a phone number on a cocktail napkin is a cheeky and fun approach to introducing yourself to someone who caught your eye. Or you can take some notes out of my book and just go up to them. It’s a nothing to lose, everything to gain situation.
CARMEN: Hot. Like unbelievably hot. But outside of the usual sweltering midday heat, it was kind of fun. Mostly because Stryde is more social than it is exercise, and there was no shot in hell I was going to run at noon. There was definitely a sea of black clothes and sweaty bodies, but technically, it kinda worked out for me… not because I was mingling with singles, but because I ran into an “ex” of sorts… if you’re reading this, “Hi, I miss you, call me.”
AMBAR: Hi [redacted]!
Another fun idea — one that has personally failed me spectacularly (it’s a me problem) — is meeting someone at a small, intimate concert. Shared interests are key, and similar music taste might be the most important thing in a relationship. Think about it: if you’re planning a long road trip, you do not want to be stuck with someone whose music tastes are a nightmare. And imagine how cute it would be to tell your kids that you met daddy at a Story So Far concert … are you kidding me? Bigger concerts make it trickier, sure, but it’s still doable — and still fun.
AMBAR: Places to avoid. Tailgates.
CARMEN: We will not be discussing that further.
AMBAR: We don’t mix business and pleasure.
Words by Ambar Ramirez and Carmen Macri
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