Folio Vol. 40, Issue 16

8.19

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CONTENTS

VOL. 40, ISSUE 16

COLUM N S

FEAT U RE S

7 Horoscopes

12 The 113-Degree Divide

Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Carmen Macri

9 Folio Weed

15 “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Review

Teresa Spencer

Harry Straussman

37 Combined Minds

17 Shedding a Little Blight on the Subject

Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Michael Teal

20 Inside The Lines

31 Pump Politics: Trump, Freedom Fuel and Florida’s Gas Prices Teresa Spencer

34 Sharpening Their Fangs Kaleb Stowell

36 Welcome to the Florida Python Challenge Teresa Spencer

John M. Phillips, Bennett Phillips, Weston Phillips & Johnathan Phillips

28 Jacksonville Childcare Crisis

FOLIO STAFF:

Emily Cannon

JOHN PHILLIPS President

AARON BERKSHIRE Photographer

TERESA SPENCER General Manager

KALEB STOWELL Sports Writer

KERRY SPECKMAN Copy Editor/Writer

HARRY STRAUSSMAN Writer

AMBAR RAMIREZ Creative Director

EMILY CANNON Writer

CARMEN MACRI Social Media Manager & Lead Writer

MICHAEL TEAL Photographer & Writer

ARIANA ALCANTARA Writer

Cover designed by Ambar Ramirez

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r u O m o r F r e t Let

GENERAL MANAGER Jacksonville, Don’t Forget Who You Are

Jacksonville is changing. Depending on which side of town you’re standing on and how long you’ve lived here, that statement can be exciting, terrifying or followed immediately by, “You should have seen what used to be there.” That used to be a restaurant. That used to be a music venue. That used to be where everybody hung out. That used to be a locally owned shop. And, of course, the Jacksonville classic: “You should’ve seen the Landing back in the day.” Growth is inevitable, and much of it is good. Cities aren’t supposed to be frozen in time. New businesses, new residents and new ideas keep the River City moving forward. But there’s a difference between growing and forgetting who you are. Jacksonville isn’t just another Florida city with condos, chain restaurants and palm trees. We’ve got history. We’ve got the river, the ocean, Mayport shrimp boats and neighborhoods with completely different personalities. We’ve got musicians, artists, chefs, bartenders, small-business owners, journalists and an impressive collection of wonderfully strange characters. Those people and places are Jacksonville. And that’s why “support local” isn’t just a bumper sticker.

Want to sell something? Looking for an employee? Starting a business? Need a drummer? Looking for love? Put it in “Folio.” Maybe somebody sells a couch. Maybe somebody finds a bass player. Maybe two people meet through a “Folio” personal ad and get married. If that happens, by the way, we’re absolutely taking credit. And believe it or not, it has actually happened more than once. “Folio” Classifieds are another small way of connecting local people with local people. Because keeping Jacksonville local requires more than saying we support it. We have to show up. We have to spend locally. We have to read locally. We have to advertise locally. And we have to tell local stories. Progress doesn’t mean erasing what came before it. Jacksonville can grow without becoming generic. We can welcome what’s next while protecting the people, places and stories that have made this city interesting in the first place. A city isn’t its skyline: It’s the stories, the people and the places they call their own. Jacksonville, keep growing. Just don’t forget who you are. LOCAL. LOCAL. LOCAL.

We all say it: Shop local. Eat local. Support local businesses. Support local music. Support local journalism. But then we actually have to do it. Eat at the local restaurant you’ve driven past 100 times. Shop at an independent shop. Pay the cover to see a local band. Go to the neighborhood festival. Buy something from a local artist. Support local media. Advertise with local publications. Every dollar, ticket, meal, ad and click is a vote for what you want your community to look like. If we don’t support the things that make Jacksonville different, eventually we’ll wake up surrounded by things we could find in any city in America. And that’s boring as hell. “Folio” has been documenting this wonderfully complicated city since 1987. We’ve covered the elections, controversies and scandals, but we’ve also covered the bands, restaurants, artists, nightlife, neighborhoods and characters who give Northeast Florida its personality. And now we’re going a little old school. “Folio” is bringing back classified and personal ads. Remember those? Before algorithms decided who you should date, what you should buy and apparently what you should think, people opened their local publication and found jobs, apartments, services, furniture, musicians looking for bandmates and sometimes another human being. 4 Folio Weekly

Teresa Spencer, General Manager

CLASSIFIEDS ARE BACK! For pricing and details email classifieds@folioweekly.com

BOUQUETS

To the Jacksonville businesses, nonprofits, churches and volunteers who stepped up to make sure local kids started the school year ready to learn. Across our community, organizations spent the final weeks of summer collecting and giving away backpacks, notebooks, pencils and other school essentials to Duval County students. It may seem like a backpack and a box of crayons are small things, but to a family already stretching every dollar, they can mean a whole lot. Even better, they send kids into the classroom on that first day feeling prepared instead of left behind. This is the Jacksonville we love to see — neighbors helping neighbors without making a big production out of it. A big “Folio” bouquet to everyone who donated, volunteered, packed a backpack or helped put school supplies into the hands of a local kid.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

BRICKBATS

To the genius who thought closing Downtown’s most convenient public boat ramp for nearly two years sounded perfectly reasonable. The St. Johns Marina Boat Ramp is now closed until summer 2028 as redevelopment moves forward along the Southbank. Yes, improvements are coming, and yes, construction takes time. But in a city built around one of Florida’s great rivers, losing the only public boat launch with direct Downtown river access and trailer parking for roughly two years is a pretty big ask. Jacksonville loves to talk about activating the riverfront. Here’s an idea: make sure the people who actually use the river can still get to it. Brickbat for the long shutdown — and an extra one for making local boaters find another way to launch while staring at all that beautiful water.

Scan the QR code for our August digital entertainment issue for all things happening in Northeast Florida this month!

After Hours Hours After at at

Celebrate in in the the heart heart of of the the city! city!

full bar | food trucks | Mr. al Pete friday sept. 4, 2026 6pm to 9pm

135 W Monroe St Jacksonville, FL 32202 | www.jamesweldonjohnsonpark.org 5

Horoscopes By Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

Aries

Libra

August is all about cosmic course correction and world-shattering epiphanies, Aries. If you have been feeling like you somehow stumbled onto the wrong path with no visible way back, don’t worry, you’re exactly where you are meant to be — and this month just proves it. With Chiron in retrograde and Mars in Cancer, you’ll find that there’s no place like home. And what better way to spend a rainy weekend than with a complete self-rediscovery from the comfort of your bed?

August is all about weeding out the people who don’t deserve to be in your orbit and nourishing the ones who do. This will all come to a head during the total solar eclipse in Leo on August 12. You might find yourself at a stressful crossroads with a current relationship — so if you’ve been looking for a sign to walk away, here it is.

Taurus

Your career zone is lit up in the Leo sun all month long, Scorpio. Random chance encounters could turn into the perfect networking system, so dress to impress for a bit … not to mention retrograde Chiron in Taurus lighting up your seventh house of partnerships. Expect some old players to be back on the board. Just think long and hard if it’s worth the hassle and gameplay.

Protect your time and energy this month, Taurus. With the Leo sun shining in your domestic zone until the 22nd, old wounds may resurface. But that isn’t to say you are powerless this August. In fact, it’s the opposite. This is a chance to rewrite your narrative.

Gemini It’s time to recenter and rethink what really matters to you. With Chiron spinning retrograde in Taurus, lighting up your 12th house of closure and healing, you’ll find that some scars never truly heal, and some doors have deep cracks. Old doubts and memories might resurface, demanding your attention; give it to them. The only way out is through.

Cancer If they can’t handle you at your worst, then they don’t deserve to have you at your best, Cancer. This month forces the question of whether you are surrounding yourself with the right circle or not. Consider this the friendship audit as the Leo sun shimmers in your self-worth zone until the 22nd.

Leo Happy birthday! The stage is finally yours, so own it — you know you want to. A total solar eclipse in Leo (the first since 2019) will bring forth a very Hollywood-esque dramatic personal plot twist. Seems like the perfect time for a complete rebrand. What better time to debut the new you? Especially when Venus enters Libra, turning your charisma up to 10.

Virgo Before you start planning the birthday celebrations, Virgo, there is some work to be done. With the Leo sun moving through your twelfth house of rest and closure until the 22nd, this “it’s almost my birthday” limbo is your annual invitation to unplug, reflect and reset.

Scorpio

Sagittarius Leo season always seems to bring out the best in you, Sagittarius, and this year is no exception. With the Leo sun illuminating your ninth house of travel, exploration and higher inspiration, you are entirely in your element. Motivation and fresh ideas are flooding into your creative work and career. Take advantage of this surge, run free with your curiosity and step boldly into your next phase of growth.

Capricorn Your heart takes the lead this month, Capricorn, which is a first for you. Rational thinking is out the window, and a budding romance is on the horizon. Think of this as your “Mama Mia!” summer. Chiron hits rewind in Taurus, dragging old doubts about love and confidence back to the surface. Time for an upgrade. Drop the armor — getting real is what actually deepens your connections and sparks your best work.

Aquarius In true Leo season fashion, relationships take center stage this August. As the sun energizes your seventh house of one-to-one connections, this corner of your chart might feel a bit crowded. While your free-spirited Aquarius nature thrives on room to roam, true connection doesn’t have to mean feeling tethered. You can stay deeply linked to others without giving up your freedom. Some food for thought.

Pisces

Time for a wellness check-in, Pisces! With Leo season lighting up your sixth house of health, organization and daily routines, the stars are fully aligned to help you hit reset. Book those appointments, dust off your journal and streamline your days so you can finish the summer feeling grounded, refreshed and on top of your game.

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Folio Weed

Words by Teresa Spencer

Inflation Hits the

Dispensary Counter

Photo by Elsa Olofsson

Medical marijuana may be medicine, but for thousands of Northeast Florida patients, it’s also become another line item in the monthly household budget. Between rising insurance premiums, grocery bills that seem to climb every week, higher utility costs and housing expenses that refuse to come back down to earth, many Florida patients are finding themselves making the same calculation before visiting a dispensary that they make at the gas pump or supermarket: Can I afford this today? The answer isn’t necessarily “no.” It’s simply different than it was a few years ago. Across Northeast Florida, patients are becoming smarter shoppers. Brand loyalty is giving way to bargain hunting, and dispensaries are responding with an almost nonstop stream of promotions, flash sales, loyalty rewards and bulk discounts. It’s no longer unusual to see significant markdowns on flower, vape cartridges, concentrates and edibles nearly every week.

For patients, that’s welcome news. For dispensaries, it’s a sign of a maturing and increasingly competitive market. Florida’s medical marijuana program has continued to grow, with hundreds of thousands of registered patients statewide and more dispensaries opening their doors each year. In the Jacksonville area alone, patients can choose from multiple operators offering similar products, forcing companies to compete not only on quality but increasingly on price. That competition is helping drive costs down for consumers, even while the broader economy continues to squeeze household finances. One noticeable shift has been in purchasing habits. Instead of making large monthly purchases, many patients are opting for smaller, more frequent visits. Unless their cards are about to expire, when some shift into stockpile mode, according to a few people I spoke with. Others are carefully timing purchases around 9

major sales events or stocking up only when discounts are especially attractive. The days of walking into a dispensary and buying whatever catches your eye have, for many patients, given way to strategic shopping. Premium products have also felt the impact. Live rosin, solventless concentrates and top-shelf vape cartridges remain popular, but many patients are choosing quality flower or more affordable concentrate options that better fit today’s tighter budgets. The demand for premium cannabis hasn’t disappeared; it has simply become more selective. In many ways, the industry is experiencing the same consumer behavior seen across nearly every retail sector. Americans are still spending money, but they’re demanding more value for every dollar. That has changed the dispensary experience. Weekly specials have become almost expected. Loyalty programs are more generous than ever. First-time patient discounts remain aggressive, and many companies now advertise bundle pricing that would have seemed extraordinary only a few years ago. The irony is that while inflation has put pressure on patients’ wallets, increased competition among dispensaries has helped soften the blow. In some cases, patients are actually paying less for certain cannabis products today than they were several years ago, despite the higher cost of nearly everything else. The failure of recreational marijuana to reach Florida’s 2026 ballot may also be influencing business decisions. Without the immediate prospect of an adult-use market, many companies appear focused on strengthening their existing medical operations rather than rapidly expanding. That means improving customer service, introducing new product lines and, perhaps most importantly, keeping prices competitive for the patients they already serve. Here in Northeast Florida, the medical marijuana market remains healthy. Jacksonville’s large veteran population, growing retiree community and continued patient enrollment provide a stable customer base that isn’t going away anytime soon. If anything, the economy has changed how patients buy, not whether they buy or not. As long as medical marijuana remains an important treatment option for Floridians living with chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, cancer, epilepsy and dozens of other qualifying conditions, patients will continue walking through dispensary doors. They’ll just be checking the daily specials first.

10 Folio Weekly

l a u n n 10th A saint augustine florida

every weekend in september

100+ Artists

17

Venues

All

free learn more at singoutloudfestival.com

Words by Carmen Macri

The 113-Degree Divide Last month, the city of Jacksonville had to activate its cooling contingency plan as the heat index spiked to 113 degrees. When the city triggers its heat contingency plan, designated Jacksonville public facilities double as cooling centers during their standard operating hours. These spots are open to anyone needing refuge from the heat, regardless of whether or not conditions meet official activation thresholds. Relief is spread across 20 public libraries alongside 20 community centers serving as neighborhood hubs across the city. For those looking for immediate outdoor relief, the city also operates 31 public pools and 18 splash pads. JTA also offers free transport to these locations. But what’s interesting is that when Duval County hits a heat index of 113, the heat isn’t distributed equally — it acts as an environmental amplifier of the city’s socioeconomic lines. Northeast Florida’s rapid growth has turned large swathes of Jacksonville into concrete heat traps. Neighborhoods with limited tree canopy and dense asphalt retain heat long after the sun goes down, keeping surface temperatures significantly higher than in shaded suburbs. These areas are called urban heat islands. Communities like Mandarin, San Mateo and the Beaches benefit from ocean breezes, dense pine/oak canopies and strict landscaping requirements, creating a built-in thermal buffer, while older urban core neighborhoods — including parts of Northwest Jacksonville, Moncrief and Eastside — feature vast expanses of asphalt, industrial zoning and sparse tree canopy, trapping radiant heat. Climate Central paints an even starker picture: More than 60,000 Jacksonville residents live in heat pockets that run at least 9 degrees hotter than neighboring areas. 12 Folio Weekly

Worse, 67% of the city feels an 8-degree jump over its surrounding rural landscape. Heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in Florida, averaging 150-215 deaths annually, and lower-income communities bear the brunt of it. The disparity in extreme heat isn’t an accident of geography. It’s the direct result of decades of urban planning decisions and disinvestment. The 1930s federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) redlining maps explicitly targeted neighborhoods like Moncrief, Grand Park, Eastside and parts of Northwest Jacksonville, labeling them high-risk investment zones. Decades of public and private disinvestment meant zero investment in urban forestry, parks or shade infrastructure compared to non-redlined areas. These pockets in Jax were systematically boxed in by industrial sites, massive asphalt logistics hubs and heavy transit corridors like I-95, I-10 and MLK Expressway. Highways cut straight through these communities, leveling mature tree canopies and locking down acres of heat-trapping pavement. City Hall isn’t totally blind to the crisis. Between local environmental orgs and the city’s Office of Resilience, Jacksonville has drafted an urban forest management plan to coordinate how and where to plant shade. They kind of have to because, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number of days hitting a triple-digit heat index in Jacksonville could more than triple over the next 30 years, jumping from under 20 days a year to over 60.

Photo by Jason Zeis

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‘The Americana Revolution’

ROOTS RADIO HAS LANDED ON THE SONIC PLANET

Listen at www.thesonicplanet.com

Film Review

Words by Harry Straussman

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures - © Sony Pictures

Everyone’s favorite arachnid boy is back in action in a sense-tingling summer adventure that manages to survive under the weight of its universe. In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” several years have passed since we last saw our web-headed hero. With the world continuing to forget his secret identity following Doctor Strange’s spell at the climax of “No Way Home,” Peter Parker (Tom Holland) fully embraces the friendly neighborhood mantle while still pining for his old friends who don’t remember him and is soon challenged by a mysterious and powerful new threat. When it comes to being a fun time with the best superhero, “Brand New Day” is wildly successful. The opening montage that sees Spidey saving the city and taking down a string of villains of the week from his deep rogue’s gallery elicits a level of giddy joy that has been missing from Marvel movies for close to a decade now. While it doesn’t strike the cinematic gold that Sam Raimi’s cohesive and contained “Spider-Man 2” can, “Brand New Day” certainly represents the high point for the MCU iteration of the character, thanks in large part to Holland’s markedly more mature performance, which may be the most complete rendition of the character yet. Holland comes into his own for both sides of the mask, with Peter’s emotional turmoil feeling authentic but not overwhelming the swinging good times as Spider-Man.

Similarly, Zendaya, his partner on screen and in life, can show off her rapidly evolving talents as one of the most immediately engaging performers working today. Even with MJ’s limited screen time in this outing, Zendaya deftly holds up the film’s emotional load — for the second blockbuster this summer. Credit should also go to director Destin Daniel Cretton, who takes over the series’ reins from Jon Watts and injects some much-needed panache to the film’s set pieces by lifting visuals directly from the panels of classic comics and helming the best Spider action since Raimi’s trilogy changed the movies. Where “Brand New Day” somewhat stumbles is under the obligation of serving the greater Marvel Universe. While the larger world allows for fun scenes with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, the film is saddled with the task of introducing a certain telekinetic mystery redhead — thus seeding the imminent arrival of Stan Lee’s other crown jewel — where a simple story of Peter trying to balance his tangled life would have been more than satisfying. Spider-Man deserves better than having to clear out MCU’s cobwebs. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” marks the high point for Holland’s run as the character, and even though I think they should just introduce the X-Men in the X-Men movie, I’m still going to be there opening weekend. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

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16 Folio Weekly

Shedding a Little Blight on the Subject Investigating Jacksonville’s Homelessness Issues Words & photos by Michael Teal I recently had the enlightening opportunity to join the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Blight Abatement Unit around Jacksonville for the day. Due to the reputation many residents have about JSO, especially among frustrated communities, I felt I needed firsthand experience on the subject, specifically, the lack of progress toward helping the city’s homeless population.

There were belongings all over the corner; however, they were packed up in bags and organized along the fence. Hernandez said that the organized belongings likely belonged to those currently attending church, so he did not discard them. Leaving Trinity, we found some time to cool off, and I found time for some questions. But first, some facts.

If you’ve never heard of JSO’s Blight Abatement Unit, you are not alone. According to the agency, the mission of the unit is to “partner with the community to remove litter and neglected items.” It also includes homeless shelters. I wanted to confirm Jacksonville’s neediest weren’t being abused and, rather, treated with respect while keeping our city clean. So, hop in, buckle up, take a deep breath and join Officer Frank Hernandez and me as we discuss Jacksonville, JSO and the homeless population.

According to Florida Statute 125.0231, the city “may not authorize or otherwise allow any person to regularly engage in public camping or sleeping on any public property.” (Translation: sleeping on a bench could mean jail time.) The city can designate specific property for camping and sleeping for up to one year with a majority vote from the governing body, but first, sections one through four must be met: (1) insufficient open beds in other shelters, (2) not in residential areas, (3) cannot lower the property value of the land or surrounding land, and (4) cannot endanger children.

On a humid Tuesday morning, I shook hands with Hernandez outside the jail before setting off on his daily duties as a Blight Abatement Unit officer. We didn’t have much time to chat before pulling up to our first spot at Sulzbacher, a homeless shelter focused on providing those seeking aid with two meals a day, a place to stay and the support they need to get them back on their feet. As we hopped out at the entrance, I was perplexed. I was expecting the homeless to be inside; instead, they had set up camp all around the perimeter of the building. They made beds from flattened cardboard boxes. Trash bags were everywhere, and one guy relieved himself on a bush during our quick check-in. I knew Sulzbacher had requirements for staying there, but Hernandez explained that due to Sulzbacher’s mandatory drug testing, many choose to sleep on the street rather than give up drugs. Our next location was a well-known campsite on an empty lot owned by the city. I stood by as officers stuffed belongings into trash bags, arrested one homeless person and cleaned up the plot. I felt sympathy for the people whose belongings had just been discarded, especially on land that wasn’t even being used; however, I know there are laws preventing camping, especially on city property. Our next stop was Trinity Rescue Mission, a faith-based aid shelter requiring its residents to attend regular church services, among other conditions.

Once it’s passed, an encampment can be shut down by the city if certain parameters are not met: (1) ensure safety of those camping there, (2) provide access to clean restrooms and running water, (3) provide access to behavioral health services, and (4) enforce prohibition of alcohol and illegal drug use on site. In summary, it’s extremely difficult to find land suitable for a city-sponsored camping site, not to mention dedicate significant resources to set up the site, inform residents and oversee the site: Only for it to last a year before occupants are forced to move out. With the legalities out of the way, let’s get back to the main event. From my observations, it seemed that Hernandez really wanted to help the homeless. With a jolly jaunt, he approaches those struggling, asks if they need help, how their day is and gives them water. He uses their names and asks them questions to better understand their situation, like at Trinity, where they told him the church service was in session. It was clear to me he wasn’t an officer whose badge had gone to his head, which is why he sympathizes with the homeless and tries to put himself in their shoes. Originally from California, Hernandez said he has seen how bad homelessness can get. 17

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I cautiously asked him about JSO’s reputation in dealing with the homeless, and we agreed that when officers enter any situation, there is a feeling of unease rather than safety. Hernandez said he understands the feeling when an unexpected officer approaches, and it’s his goal to change that discomfort by showing up with a smile and showing care for those he interacts with. We vehemently agreed the best way to do that is to ask them “why?” Why is someone doing something? Why are they in this situation? It’s the answer to that “why?” where Hernandez or anyone, for that matter, can meet that person in the middle to find a solution that works for both sides. We concurred that this is imperative for police officers who can have a reputation for abusing power. He said he is extremely aware of JSO’s reputation and that every officer could (and should) be doing the right thing. Next, we checked out abandoned campsites in the woods behind private property, walking over garbage, peeping into makeshift dwellings and asking “why?” to understand what went on there. We didn’t run into any residents while we were investigating, but it was clear from the sheer volume of their belongings and trash that there was a lot of cleaning up to do. We didn’t stay long due, in part, to the huge cobwebs across the main entrance path, meaning people hadn’t been there in quite some time. At this point, we went back to the Blight Abatement Unit’s base of operations, a church donated to JSO for training, and for us … lunch. Here, I finally got to meet the whole unit in one place, listening to them converse, share jokes and answer my questions. Speaking with the officers, I learned a little more about the Blight Abatement Unit to better understand the scope of their duties. The first thing that stood out to me was the unit’s jurisdiction covered all of Jacksonville, meaning that they could get a call for a camp on the Westside and then get another one out at the Beaches. This was especially staggering to me because there are only six officers in the unit. Considering my experience with Hernandez, a passionate officer who truly cares about helping the homeless, it’s hard to believe more officers aren’t allocated to address this issue. Hernandez also sets the bar for how other officers should deal with the homeless by treating them with respect, trying to understand their situation and making sure they know the laws before they break them. And, of course, asking “why?” People have mixed opinions about JSO and the homeless population, but hopefully, the Blight Abatement Unit is an example of how the agency can use its considerable resources to help the homeless, clean up the city, improve its reputation and protect residents, no matter their situation.

A dad lads g and his ive p a r e n o th e r stude ts and n c olor f t s some u l a dv ic e

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Words by John M. Phillips,

Bennett Phillips (14),

Weston Phillips (11),

& Johnathan Phillips (8)

This is an article about four things most Duval County parents don’t know exist. A dad and his lads try to give some advice to both parents and students. A silent deadline: A largely unknown cutoff in January of a student’s 8th grade quietly determines which high school and advanced programs your child can pursue. After that date, grades no longer change the calculation. Even Duval administrators couldn’t give us straight answers, and the DCPS website was wrong. A formula: A state statute from 2002 has been capping your child’s GPA in a way almost no one has questioned, and the gap it creates between public and private school students gives private school kids a significant rounding advantage. A calendar problem: DCPS does publish the scoring formula. It published it on November 6, three weeks before the application opened and roughly six months after two-thirds of the points had already been permanently earned. There is also a version of it stamped “not for distribution to students and parents.” A website: The school district’s own program guide had wrong information. The principal admitted it in writing. We found all four the hard way. We’re writing this so you don’t have to. On top of that, the kiddos just have advice as they have taken the path from elementary school to middle school to high school within the best that Duval County Public Schools system offers. Their advice, and a grade-by-grade playbook for parents, is at the end of this piece.

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Whatever you read about JWJ online is probably out of date and in the wrong direction. On the first day of school in 2026 in Duval County, the Phillips boys went in three different directions for the first time ever. If you know anything about where they’re going, you’d understand why this family considers itself lucky. Johnathan, 8, went back to John Stockton Elementary on the Westside, a science, technology and mathematics magnet run by Principal Stephanie Brannan that has been an A-rated school for twenty-five consecutive years and puts itself, by its own count, in the top 3% of elementary schools in Florida. It ranks second among all 119 elementary schools in Duval County. In the most recent testing cycle, 82% of its 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 51% across Duval and 57% statewide. In math, it was 95%. It runs a robotics team, a STEM club, Girls Who Code, a student television production studio and a junior Riverkeeper’s club out of an elementary building. Home of the Dolphins. The school did not get there by accident. What is its reward? Being whispered about as a candidate to merge with another school. Weston, 11, walked into James Weldon Johnson College Prep Middle School for the first time, into the same hallways his older brother just departed. When I sent Principal James Stuckey my numbers and asked him to correct me, he sent back better ones. National rankings run a year or two behind, he pointed out, and he is right. On 2025-26 FLDOE data, JWJ sits in the top 2% of middle schools in Florida, thirteenth out of five hundred forty. Eighty-eight percent of its students are proficient in reading. Eighty-nine percent in math. On the Algebra 1 end-ofcourse exam, 89% were proficient, against 63% statewide and 61% across Duval. The school score climbed forty-five points in a single year to 751. It is a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a Florida Purple Star Campus, a designation earned by schools that go out of their way for military-connected families. 22 Folio Weekly

The trophy case backs it up, and it goes back decades. An A rating every year since 1999. National Blue Ribbon School. Magnet School of Distinction. First in the state in FSA Writing five years running, 2008 through 2012. Nationally ranked robotics and quiz bowl teams. The district sports trophy for more than ten years. And a line no other school in the county can claim: JWJ has sent more students to state science and history fairs than any other middle school in Duval. Bennett, 14, started at Paxon School for Advanced Studies, which describes itself as an elite institution and a noted IB World School, recognized in the top 1% of high schools nationwide. The claim holds up. “U.S. News” ranks Paxon eighteenth in Florida and one hundred fifty-first in the country. One hundred percent of its students take AP coursework. Eighty-four percent were proficient in 10th grade ELA against 53% in Duval and 58% statewide, and on the U.S. History endof-course exam the number was 100%. Its JROTC program ranks in the top 1% in the world. Its graduates are consistently among the highest recipients of scholarship money in the district. It is one of only four International Baccalaureate high schools in Duval County. Their father is John Phillips, owner of this fine publication and a 25-year trial attorney who treats confusing school documents the way he treats confusing deposition answers. He also serves as vice chairman of the School Advisory Council at John Stockton Elementary, which is a disclosure and, as you will see, a comparison. John sat down with all three boys the night after their first day of school. Getting the boys into these schools was the goal. Understanding how the system actually works took longer than it should have. This article is what we learned. It also is a demand for more transparency and better treatment of all of Jacksonville’s public school students.

Bennett didn’t know 8th grade had a deadline. He should have known about it in 7th grade, when he was making “6-7” jokes and thinking seventh grade was just the sandwich year between getting into middle school and needing to focus on high school. In fact, seventh grade almost cost him options he never knew were being erased.

Bennett knew grades mattered, but he also had a lot going on at home. One cannot attend the school named after Jacksonville’s favorite son, James Weldon Johnson, without knowing the teachers expect a lot to uphold his legacy. The school’s track record also demands it. What Bennett didn’t know was that DCPS had been calculating a score since seventh grade that could determine a way out of the random lottery system, a source of constant anxiety for college prep kids. There was no letter or memo, no class or syllabus explaining the merit alternative to the magnet lottery. And the window for influencing that score had already closed in January, three months before his eighth-grade year was even done. “I found out too late. That’s the honest version.”

What makes the deadline even more consequential is the layer most families never see coming: the lottery. It’s already vague and mysterious enough and no administrator can ever truly explain how college prep track school children get spread around the city. Applying to a magnet or specialized high school program in Duval County is not simply a matter of earning the grades. Families submit a ranked school choice list during a designated application window, and seats in competitive programs are filled through a combination of merit eligibility and a lottery among qualified applicants. A student who meets the eligibility threshold but applies late, ranks preferences in the wrong order, or misunderstands which continuity rights they actually hold can land on a waitlist for a program their transcript should have earned. The system assumes parents know the sequence. It does not explain the sequence. Bennett’s father found out by emailing a local school’s principal who insisted Bennett’s IB application would be short on points. It was only the start of the eighth grade, so Bennett wouldn’t be punished by things out of his control in a tough year? Right? Right? Wrong. Maybe. The misinformation on the school system’s website combined with the calculation error by one of the top administrators in town led the dad to dig deeper. After the number the principal provided didn’t match what the district’s own documents seemed to describe, John Phillips filed public records requests. What he got back was illuminating, and more than a little maddening. The requests produced two documents that, read side by side, explain the whole problem.

The first is the district’s public Overview of Programs, and it contains the entire scoring formula in detail. Thirty-six points for Grade 7 core academic final grades, awarded A equals 9, B equals 6, C equals 3. Thirty points for standardized test scores in reading and math, awarded 15, 10 or 5 by achievement level. Thirty-four points for Grade 8 first and second quarter core grades, awarded A equals 4.25, B equals 3.25, C equals 2.25. One hundred points available, seventy required, applicants ranked from 100 down to 70 and offered seats in that order until the seats run out. So the formula was published. Here is the problem. That document is dated November 6, 2025. Do the arithmetic on what was still winnable that day. The thirty-six points from Grade 7 final grades were locked the previous May. The thirty points from standardized testing are also Grade 7, also the previous spring. Sixty-six of one hundred points, twothirds of the entire score, were permanently set before the rulebook was published. A family reading that PDF the day it posted could still influence thirty-four points. A family that had read it eighteen months earlier could have influenced all one hundred. The rules were not hidden. They were published after the game was two-thirds over. The second document is an internal staff handout dated a month earlier, October 6, 2025. It covers logistics: the application window, which office fields which question, reminders for middle schools to get transfer grades and test scores into Focus by December, instructions on helping families get Family Portal accounts approved. At the bottom of both pages is a line that is hard to read charitably once you have seen the timeline. “This document is not for distribution to students and parents.” — DCPS High School Acceleration Programs staff handout, October 6, 2025 Scan the QR code to access the internal staff information handout.

A third document, the slide deck from DCPS’s October 2025 Middle School Department Chair Meeting, walked administrators through the same process, including confirmation that the test score component uses the Grade 7 FAST, PM3, Exact Path or DMA3 result specifically. A stronger 8th grade score does not replace it. Department chairs had that in October. Parents got the public overview in November. Seventh graders, the only people who could still have done something about it, got nothing at all. Here is what makes that sting. These schools know how to communicate. JWJ celebrated its 751 school score with a graphic built for sharing, hashtag and all. Stockton advertises twenty-five straight years of an A rating on a banner with a dolphin on it. So does the district. On August 27, 2025, DCPS posted a polished graphic to Facebook congratulating five Duval high schools for landing in the “U.S. News” top fifty in Florida: Stanton at #6, Paxon at #18, Samuel Wolfson at #23, Darnell-Cookman at #26, Douglas Anderson at #33. School crests, a link to the full story, hashtags #TeamDuval and #AcademicExcellence. Every single school in that post is an acceleration program destination. The post went up ten weeks before the scoring formula that governs admission to those schools was published. Nobody has ever made a graphic that says two-thirds of your child’s high school eligibility is decided in seventh grade. The talent exists. The distribution list exists. It has simply never been pointed at this. There is one more line in the public overview worth every parent’s attention, because it is a trapdoor. Accepting a seat in an acceleration program waives your child’s right to participate in the magnet lottery, and any existing magnet application is withdrawn. That is a permanent, one-way decision, disclosed in a bullet point. The application opened December 1 and closed January 15. Third quarter grades, fourth quarter hustle, end-of-year improvement: all irrelevant.

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The system had already made its calculation based on the sandwich year. Bologna.

Both then are boiled down to 3 points for all calculations. Those 9 points vanished.

“I think all schools should prep you more for that — be like, hey, if you want to get into IB, you’ve got to get this and this up, and you’ve got to get these test scores. I think they should warn you more about the January deadline before the seventh grade.” — Bennett

That hard work lost in vain. Florida Statute §​1 003.437 has said so since 2002. The legislature has never changed it.

Bennett chose IB not because someone steered him there but because it felt like a different path. “It seemed like there were more opportunities than just taking AP,” he said. “I felt like it was kind of like a special group in a way.” The assigned staff seemed special and the curriculum more, well, international. In this day and age of politicization of kids, John liked the more worldly curriculum. Bennett made it to Paxon’s IB program. But the margin was smaller than it should have been, and the timeline that produced it was one no student or parent was ever handed.

That’s certainly an issue which has a simple fix, but John also discovered a deeper division while in the public record responses and statutes. Here is what Florida law says about your child’s GPA. Most parents have never heard of it.

If your son or daughter scored 89% in a course, worked hard all year, understood the material, and finished at the very top of the letter-grade band, Florida law assigns that performance the exact same grade point value as an 80%. Both are a B.

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“Grade ‘B’ equals 80 percent through 89 percent, has a grade point average value of 3, and is defined as ‘above average progress.’” — Fla. Stat. §​ 1003.437(2) The difference between 79% and 80% is one percentage point and a full GPA jump. The difference between 80% and 89%, nine times as wide, is worth nothing. A student who finishes at 79.5% instead of 80.5% falls off a cliff. There is no half-step. No recognition of how close they were. For a student with an IEP, whose accommodations may not always be fully honored and whose quarter grade can hinge on a rough week, this is not abstract. It is the difference between a 2.0 and a 3.0 quarter. That number feeds directly into the merit point calculation and directly into high school admissions. It’s also something addressed by local private schools, giving them a distinct mathematical advantage when comparing apples to apples. The Bolles School uses a thirteen-level grading scale, A+ through D−, with distinct GPA values at every level. An 89% at Bolles earns a B+: 3.5 points in a standard course. That gap is not a quirk of local policy. Florida Statute §​1003.437 explicitly covers students in public schools. Private schools have always been exempt. Duval cannot follow suit even if every administrator in the building wanted to, so the rounding down continues — sometimes sharply, and it can be the difference between a college admission and a waitlist. Or worse. It follows your child into financial aid, too. Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship uses raw GPA without adjusting for school context. A DCPS student with all 89s carries the same Bright Futures GPA as a student with all 80s. A student across town at a private school with the same average may carry a GPA nearly half a point higher. Same performance. Different outcome.

When John explained the cliff effect to Bennett, his response was direct:

“I think Duval County should implement plus/minus grading. It benefits kids. Maybe it just hasn’t crossed their minds. Or maybe it has, and they want to put it off because they don’t want to do the work. But it’s better overall to have it than not.” — Bennett

This is the part that ought to bother every JWJ family specifically. DCPS’s program continuity website, the one families consult when deciding which magnet high school to list as their priority choice, told JWJ families that selecting Wolfson as their priority school meant their “assured continuity to Paxon or Stanton is forfeited.” That language steered families. It implied a cost to choosing Wolfson that did not apply in the same way to other schools, and Wolfson itself was omitted entirely from the continuity rights description. When John Phillips asked Wolfson’s principal about it directly, the principal acknowledged in writing that the language was outdated, “that was the wording that was used many years ago before Wolfson was given dedicated magnet status,” and that it should have been corrected. It had not been corrected. Families read it during open enrollment and made decisions based on it. The timing makes it worse. On August 27, 2025, the district posted publicly to congratulate Samuel Wolfson for ranking twen-

ty-third among all Florida high schools, crest and all. That same enrollment season, its own continuity page was still telling JWJ families that choosing Wolfson would cost them their claim on Paxon or Stanton, and left Wolfson off the continuity list entirely. The district was promoting the school with one hand and taxing the choice of it with the other.

We are in the dark and talking about what books to burn next. Another F.

Not incomplete. Not vague. Wrong. Admitted, in writing. F.

Johnathan Phillips is eight years old and going into 4th grade at the second-highest-ranked elementary school in all of Duval County. He has three pieces of advice, all of them good.

Weston Phillips walks into James Weldon Johnson knowing things his brother did not know when he walked in. Perhaps more importantly, their dad does, too.

In a year of perfect attendance and all A’s except one B (an 88), Johnathan reflects on that B. “I should have listened to my teacher. Do not try to finish early. Because then you’re rushing,” he said, “and you won’t be able to second-check your work and find any mistakes.” Try your best on every single test. Do your homework first, because if you don’t, you won’t have time for the things you actually want to do. That’s it. Be good. Do your homework. Try and avoid distraction.

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WHAT WE WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD US We promised practical advice. Here it is, grade by grade. None of this requires a lawyer. Most of it requires knowing that the clock started earlier than you thought.

He also has something to pass on about the FAST, the standardized test whose 7th grade score feeds directly into the eligibility calculation. The test is adaptive: questions adjust in real time based on how you are performing. “If you’re sitting in the middle of the test and it starts to feel harder,” Weston said, “know that’s good. Don’t take it as a bad thing.” Harder questions mean you are climbing with the test. It’s something his dad can’t confirm. No parent Facebook group has the information to even discuss these things.

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When his father asked whether watching Bennett’s experience would change how he approached his own grades at one of Florida’s top-ranked middle schools, Weston did not hesitate: “Most definitely.” From Bennett, who lived it: “Sixth grade, make friends and have fun. Seventh grade, you’ve got to lock in. No C’s, no D’s, no low B’s, because it’s an average.” Weston is going in already knowing something his brother had to learn the hard way.

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Fifth grade. Choose the middle school before you tour the high school. Middle school placement shapes which high school continuity rights your child later holds. Ask, in writing, what those rights are for the specific middle school you are considering, and get the answer from the district rather than from a website. We learned the hard way that the website can be wrong. Sixth grade. Build the habit, not the transcript. Sixth grade grades do not appear to carry into the acceleration point calculation, which makes it the one year to establish study routines without the stakes. Learn how you study now, because next year it counts for real. — “Sixth grade, make friends and have fun.” Bennett, 14

Thanks, Jax.

as voted by readers *runner-up

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Seventh grade. This is the year. Sixty-six of the one hundred eligibility points are earned in 7th grade: thirty-six from core course final grades, thirty from the spring standardized tests. Two-thirds of the score, banked before 8th grade even begins. A stronger 8th grade test score does not replace it. If your child gets one locked-in year, this is it, and almost nobody finds out in time. We are telling you now. — “No C’s, no D’s, no low B’s. It’s an average and it follows you.” Bennett, 14 Testing season, any year. The FAST is adaptive, so the questions get harder as your child answers correctly. A test that starts feeling difficult in the middle is a test going well. Tell your kid that before they sit down, not after they come home rattled. — “Don’t panic. Harder means you’re climbing.” Weston, 11 Eighth grade, August through November. Only the first two quarters count. Q1 and Q2 grades feed the calculation; Q3 and Q4 do not. Front-load the effort. A student who coasts in the fall planning to surge in the spring has already lost points that cannot be recovered. Eighth grade, December 1 through January 15. The application window. Ask your school for your child’s point total before you submit, not after. Know this before you accept anything: taking a seat in an acceleration program waives your child’s right to the magnet lottery, and any pending magnet application is withdrawn. That door only swings one way. Rank your choices deliberately, and do not assume a strong transcript guarantees a seat. Every year, for every child. Watch the boundary grades. Under Florida law an 89 and an 80 are worth the same, so a child sitting at 79 is one point from a full gradepoint jump and a child sitting at 89 has nine points of unrewarded work. If a quarter grade is within two points of a cutoff, that is the assignment worth chasing down. — “Don’t finish early. You can’t second-check your work.” Johnathan, 8

Here is what every family should be able to learn before that window opens, without filing anything: → Your child’s acceleration point total, and the formula that produced it. → Which grades and which test year actually feed that total. → Where the point methodology is written down. → Which continuity rights your child holds from their current middle school. → Whether a priority school selection changes those rights. → The calendar date after which grades stop affecting eligibility.

A projector, a set of honest slides, and an hour of a weekday morning. Stockton hands parents its own report card, misses included, and then asks what to fix. Nobody had to file anything. The example is sitting right there, a few miles from downtown.

If you cannot find those answers, please do not take it out on your principal. A school counselor carrying four hundred students cannot be a school district’s distribution system, and the teachers and administrators at these three schools have earned better than an inbox full of angry parents doing homework the district should have done for them. This is a publishing problem, and publishing happens Downtown. Every one of those six answers already exists in a document somewhere inside DCPS. We know, because we have copies. None of it should have required a records request, and if it still does, that request goes to the district’s records custodian rather than to your school’s front office.

The fix is not complicated, but it has to start in Tallahassee. Section 1003.437 does not give districts a choice. It says the grading system for grades 6 through 12 in public schools “shall be” A equals 4, B equals 3, C equals 2, and it has said so since 2002. The only discretion the statute hands a school board is the ability to weight grades for class ranking, which Duval already does. Duval cannot award a B+ even if every board member and every principal in the county wanted to. One sentence of legislative language would change that, and most states have already written it.

One more piece of evidence, and it is not mine. On the morning of February 24, 2026, Principal Brannan presented Stockton’s mid-year report to parents. She showed the goals, she showed the ones the school had not hit yet, and at the end she asked the room what Stockton could be doing better. She put the answers in the deck. Two are worth reading twice. Parents asked for more help with executive functioning skills to make the transition from elementary to middle school smoother. And they asked for “help with understanding the gifted documents and process that go home to parents.” Parents at the second-best elementary school in Duval County asked their principal for help understanding the paperwork that decides which programs their children can reach. This article is that request, escalated one building. Note what that meeting actually required.

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That is worth saying plainly, because the easy version of this story blames the district. The harder and truer version is that our schools are competing under a formula the legislature wrote before most of these students were born, and nobody in Tallahassee has revisited it in twenty-four years. Meanwhile, in this day and age, local school board members seem more concerned with teacher speech than student reading. The colleges and universities of this state figured out plus/minus a long time ago. Our kids are the last ones still rounding down. DCPS can act on the second problem tomorrow. It should very conspicuously publish the documents that families need: course level classifications, grade calculation formulas, and the acceleration scoring methodology. Those documents already exist. They should be posted publicly before the application window opens, not recovered afterward through public records requests filed by the handful of parents who happened to know to ask. And the program continuity website should say what is actually true.

But he made it in part because his father is the kind of person who treats a confusing school document the way he treats a confusing deposition answer. “Make sure you keep your grades up,” Bennett said, speaking to the seventh graders at JWJ who are where he was two years ago. “Especially in seventh grade. If you want to go into IB, your grades and your test scores are what’s going to decide it. That window closes in January of eighth grade. Most kids don’t know it.” He made it to Paxon, one of the best high schools in Florida.

“A lot of kids don’t have someone doing that. And the school isn’t going to volunteer the answers.” — Bennett That is why we wrote this. Duval County has schools worth bragging about, and this family is lucky to be in three of them. The teachers earned those numbers. The students earned those numbers. Print the rules. Mail them home. Let every family run the same race with the same map.

My mother taught high school until the day I was born. Her mother taught high school too. Mary Catherine Busby Phillips stood in front of other people’s children for years, and then she raised her own, and she never entirely stopped doing the first thing while doing the second. Bennett carries her maiden name. I have spent this article being hard on a system, so let me be precise about who I am not being hard on. Not the teacher at Stockton who told an eight-year-old to slow down and check his work, advice he recited back to me a year later as though he had invented it. Not the faculty at James Weldon Johnson who turned a school score into a 751, or the principal who answered a parent’s email before eight in the morning with better numbers than the parent had. Not the staff at Paxon who will spend the next four years on a kid who got there with a thinner margin than he earned. Those people are not the problem. They are the reason the numbers in this article are worth bragging about at all. Every one of them is doing the job my mother did, with patience, perseverance and honor, and usually without anybody asking how they are holding up. The rules should be easier to find. The people are already good.

For Mary Catherine Busby Phillips and for every educator and administrator in Duval County who serves our children the way she did.

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Jacksonville Childcare Crisis When Finding Care Becomes a Barrier to Working Words by Emily Cannon For many families in Jacksonville, finding reliable child care has become more than a daily challenge. It can determine whether or not parents are able to work, how many hours they can work and what opportunities they can pursue. As Jacksonville continues to grow, the demand for affordable and accessible child care continues to increase. However, many families are struggling to find care that fits their schedules and budgets. The issue has become significant enough that the City of Jacksonville created the Child Care Solutions Task Force to examine the city’s child care challenges and identify possible solutions.

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The task force focuses on four major areas: access, affordability, quality and the child care workforce. Together, these issues create a complicated problem for families and providers throughout the city. One of the biggest challenges is simply finding an available spot. Duval County has hundreds of child care and early learning programs, but availability does not always mean accessibility. Families may find a center close to home but discover that it has a waiting list, does not accept their child’s age group or does not operate during the hours they need. For parents who work early mornings, evenings or weekends, finding appropriate care can be especially difficult. Even when a family finds a program with an opening, transportation and location can make it impractical. Cost is another major concern. Research cited by Jacksonville’s Child Care Solutions Task Force found that families in the city pay an average of $9,516 per year for child care. For families already managing housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare and other expenses, thousands of dollars in annual child care costs can place significant pressure on household budgets. For some parents, the cost of child care can also affect their decisions about employment. They may have to reduce their hours, turn down a job opportunity or leave the workforce because affordable care is unavailable. This creates consequences not only for families but also for local businesses that depend on employees being able to work consistent schedules. Child care providers face their own challenges. Operating a quality child care center requires trained employees, safe facilities, supplies, insurance and other expenses. Providers must charge enough to keep their programs operating while also trying to keep tuition affordable for families.

care providers and expanding the number of available spaces. Employers could also play a role by offering flexible schedules or child care benefits that help working parents remain in the workforce. Ultimately, Jacksonville’s child care crisis is about more than daycare. It’s about parents being able to work while knowing their children are safe and receiving quality early learning. It is also an economic issue for the city and a long-term investment in the city’s future. As Jacksonville continues to grow, the need for dependable child care will remain. The creation of the Child Care Solutions Task Force shows that local leaders recognize the importance of the problem. The challenge now is turning that recognition into solutions families can actually afford and access.

The child care workforce is, therefore, an important part of the crisis. A shortage of qualified employees can prevent child care centers from operating at full capacity. Even if a facility has space available, it may not be able to enroll additional children without enough staff.

For local parents, the question is not simply if child care exists. It is whether or not there is a safe, high-quality and affordable option available when they need it. Until that answer becomes “yes” for more families, child care will remain one of Jacksonville’s most pressing challenges.

This creates a difficult cycle. Families need more child care, but providers need more workers to create additional openings. At the same time, providers need enough revenue to pay employees and maintain their facilities, while parents need prices they can afford. Quality is another important consideration. Parents are not simply looking for a place where their children can stay during the workday. They want their children to be safe, supported and learning. The Early Learning Coalition of Duval provides families with resources to help them find and evaluate child care programs. It also offers child care resource and referral services that can connect families with providers and other community resources. Programs such as School Readiness can provide financial assistance to eligible families, while Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program provides free prekindergarten for eligible 4- and 5-year-olds. These programs can make a significant difference, but assistance alone cannot solve Jacksonville’s larger child care shortage. Addressing the crisis will likely require cooperation among local government, child care providers, employers and community organizations. Potential solutions include increasing financial assistance for families, strengthening the child care workforce, supporting child 29

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That’s the split at the center of the gas-price story right now. One half is a made-for-TV mystery about who is really behind a scrappy chain of discount stations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The other half is a much quieter, much bigger story about a half-empty shipping lane on the other side of the world. And it is the second story that will actually decide what Jacksonville pays at the pump this fall. A $3.47 SYMBOL Freedom Fuel launched around the Fourth of July with 25 stations clustered in and around Philadelphia advertising regular gasoline at $3.47 a gallon — a nod to Trump as the 47th president.

Trump, Freedom Fuel and Florida’s Gas prices

At a strip-mall gas station in northeast Philadelphia, the pump reads $3.79 a gallon, about 35 cents below the station across the street. A red-white-andblue banner overhead insists the discount is no accident: This is a Freedom Fuel station, part of a chain President Donald Trump has praised from the White House podium as proof that competition, not government, can bring the cost of a fill-up down. Sixteen hundred miles south in Jacksonville, there is no banner like it. But drivers along Philips Highway and Atlantic Boulevard are living through many of the same forces that make Freedom Fuel possible, controversial and, so far, entirely beside the point for anyone filling up in Northeast Florida.

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The network has since grown to 29 locations across the Philadelphia area and into the Jersey Shore, according to reporting by the “Philadelphia Inquirer.”

Trump previously held a sizable stake in Blue Owl but has since disclosed selling nearly all of it, according to “Fortune”’s reporting on the network’s real estate ties.

The White House has been consistent on one point: Freedom Fuel is not a government program. Officials say the stations are privately owned, receive no federal subsidies or tax credits, and are simply accepting thinner profit margins on gasoline on a bet that cheap gas pulls in customers who then buy higher-margin coffee, snacks and drinks inside. Of course, this is a familiar convenience-store strategy dressed up in patriotic branding. Whether that math holds up over time or not is the question energy analysts keep asking, and one that reporters spent much of July trying to answer by first figuring out who actually owns the company. (Note: As of today, August 11, prices in the Freedom Fuel Network have risen to roughly $3.92 or higher per gallon, which is closer to the averages in the markets they are located within. It is believed that market pressures have finally caught up with the brand.)

The mystery has thinned in the past few weeks, but the controversy hasn’t. As of this month, one Freedom Fuel site on Bustleton Avenue, again linked to the Kazmi brothers, faces a shutdown by September 4 over an expired fuel-dispensing license, even as the chain keeps opening new locations nearby. The tension between rapid expansion and shaky footing is, at this point, the whole story of Freedom Fuel in one sentence.

WHO’S ACTUALLY FREEDOM FUEL When Freedom Fuel launched, neither the company nor the White House said who was running it. There was no registered business under that name in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Only a newly formed Delaware LLC. Investigative reporting since then, led by the Associated Press and followed by outlets including the “Washington Post,” CNN and the “Philadelphia Inquirer,” has filled in most of the picture. The incorporation paperwork was signed by Randy Brown, a special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens, and Yoni Gontownik, a Republican fundraiser and political consultant. Operating control of more than half the 25 original locations traces to Shamikh and Syed Kazmi, two New Jersey businessmen with long histories in fuel distribution — and, reporters found, multiple civil lawsuits behind them. In one federal case, a judge ordered the brothers to pay more than $600,000 to a fuel supplier after finding they had unlawfully taken over 200,000 gallons of fuel. That was a civil judgment, not a criminal conviction, but it hasn’t quieted the skepticism. “It becomes unsustainable... Unless prices go down. But if they do, they go down for everybody,” one economist told the “Inquirer” of the chain’s below-market pricing.” There is no evidence Trump owns a stake in Freedom Fuel, and the administration has repeatedly denied any financial involvement beyond conversations with the organizers before launch. One property wrinkle has drawn attention anyway: Roughly a third of Freedom Fuel’s locations sit on land owned by Blue Owl Capital, an investment firm that says it merely leases to independent operators.

WHY IT HASN’T REACHED FLORIDA — AND MIGHT NOT For all the attention, Freedom Fuel remains a Philadelphia-and-South-Jersey phenomenon. There is no announced plan to bring it to Florida, let alone Jacksonville, and nothing in recent reporting suggests that’s about to change. Part of the reason is that Northeast Florida’s fuel market is already a competitive one. Wawa, Buc-ee’s, Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, RaceTrac, Gate and Circle K routinely undercut each other, producing price swings of 15 to 40 cents a gallon between neighborhoods without any White House involvement at all. Warehouse clubs tend to run cheapest; RaceTrac and Wawa lean on aggressive promotional pricing when they open or defend a market; and station loyalty apps — Circle K, Shell, Exxon Mobil Rewards, Wawa Rewards — can shave another 5 to 20 cents off, stacking with cash-back apps on top. A state-level discount also didn’t materialize. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’d sign a temporary suspension of Florida’s roughly 25-cent-per-gallon gas tax if lawmakers put it in this year’s tax package. They didn’t, and the final legislation left it out. Drivers here are still paying the full state and federal fuel tax, a fact that hasn’t changed since the spring session ended and shows no sign of resurfacing before the next one. One real, if unrelated, break did land this summer: JEA cut the fuel charge on electric bills starting in June after natural gas prices fell from their winter peak, trimming roughly $14.74 a month off a typical residential customer’s bill. It’s not gasoline relief, but for Jacksonville households it’s the closest thing to a local, government-adjacent fuel discount currently in effect. And it has nothing to do with Freedom Fuel. THE REAL WILDCARD: A HALF-EMPTY STRAIT While cable news chases the Freedom Fuel story, the number that actually moves Jacksonville gas prices is on the other side of the planet. Roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and the shipping lane has been under strain since the U.S.-Iran conflict began earlier this year.

YOU’RE ALREADY HERE, SO ARE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS. Email teresa@folioweekly.com or call us at 904-239-5736 32 Folio Weekly

As of early August, vessel traffic through the strait had collapsed to somewhere between 8 and 15 transits a day, down from roughly 130 before the fighting started. By some measures the largest disruption to global energy shipping on record.

up about 16% since the conflict began, on the uncertainty alone. Analysts describe a market pricing in risk, not resolution: Crude drops on any hint of de-escalation and jumps on any new threat to shipping or Gulf production.

There has been real diplomatic motion, but no resolution. Oman and Iran were described as “close” to a deal on managing the strait as recently as Aug. 5, and Trump has repeatedly said an agreement is near. But by Aug. 10, Iran’s foreign minister was publicly insisting the waterway would not reopen without major U.S. concessions — sanctions relief and war reparations among them — and Brent crude had climbed to roughly $84 a barrel,

That’s exactly the pattern Florida drivers have been living through. Jacksonville’s average for regular unleaded sits at about $3.88 as of publication with the statewide average around $3.90 — down slightly from July’s roughly $3.92 local average, but comfortably inside the “most likely” band that market watchers sketched out weeks ago rather than either extreme. In other words: nothing has broken yet in either direction.

Scenario

Likely Jacksonville Price What It Would Take

Best Case

$3.60 – $3.90/gal

Oman-Iran deal holds, Hormuz traffic normalizes, OPEC+ keeps supply steady.

$3.80 – $4.20/gal

Talks stay stalled but contained; occasional incidents, no full closure.

$4.00 – $4.50/gal

Attacks on tankers increase, insurance costs rise, exports slow further.

$4.75 – $6.00+/gal

Prolonged Hormuz shutdown or strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure.

Most Likely (current track) Moderate escalation Worst Case

Florida feels these swings fast despite producing almost no oil of its own because nearly all its fuel arrives by ship and pipeline; wholesale price moves tend to show up at Northeast Florida pumps within days. Holiday travel adds its own seasonal pressure on top — Thanksgiving is one of the heaviest driving weeks of the year, and Christmas and New Year’s push both road and air travel higher with rising diesel demand from holiday shipping layered on. A few things are still working in drivers’ favor: The U.S. remains one of the world’s largest oil producers, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is available if conditions worsen, OPEC+ retains some spare capacity and softer global growth is keeping a lid on overall demand. None of that guarantees calm, but it’s a real cushion. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR NEXT FILL-UP For now, the practical advice for Northeast Florida drivers hasn’t changed: Warehouse clubs and RaceTrac or Wawa promotions remain the cheapest routes to the pump, and stacking a station loyalty app with a cash-back app can add meaningful savings on top. The bigger variable isn’t a new state law or a new Freedom Fuel outpost — neither appears to be coming — but whatever happens next between Washington, Tehran and Muscat. If the Oman-Iran talks that have been “close” for weeks finally happen, Jacksonville drivers could see prices drift back toward $3.60 to $3.90 by the holidays. If they collapse instead, $4-plus gas is the more likely story for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. Either way, the loudest gas station story in the country right now turns out to be background noise for Northeast Florida. The story that actually matters here is unfolding quietly, in tanker counts and barrels per day, on a stretch of water most drivers couldn’t find on a map, and it will keep setting the price at the pump long after anyone stops talking about a $3.47 gallon of gas in Philadelphia.

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Sharpening Their Fangs After a long offseason and spring training period, the Jacksonville Jaguars officially kicked off training camp on July 28. Training camp provides us with our first visualization of the team before the season kicks off in early September. “Folio” has compiled a quick list of some names that have been bouncing around camp. Words by Kaleb Stowell Training Camp Standouts With training camp officially going into full swing with the team’s first padded practice on Aug. 3, we finally got a peek into what the team has been up to in the offseason break. According to sources at camp, there have been numerous standouts on both sides of the ball, and neither side seems to be showing out more than the other. Here are a few names that have popped up consistently during the first week of open practice. Brian Thomas Jr. While it may come as a surprise to non-Jaguars fans and media critics, the wide receiver has had his best offseason appearance since he came into the league in 2024. Despite his down season last year, BTJ has been quick to silence any criticisms with multiple impressive catches so far on the team’s best cornerbacks, such as Montaric Brown and Jarrian Jones. BTJ might be the Jag with the most to prove this season, as his lukewarm performance last year paled in comparison to his record-breaking rookie season in 2024. But according to head coach Liam Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, BTJ has impressed everyone with his commitment to getting healthy in order to bounce back in a big way this year. Coen was quoted as saying that when BTJ is playing well, it allows the entire offense to flourish. According to WJXT anchor Jamal St. Cyr, BTJ has been practically unstoppable, particularly during wide receiver vs. cornerback one-on-ones on Aug. 3. 34 Folio Weekly

Photo by Aaron Berkshire

BTJ lined up across from Brown and cornerback Jourdan Lewis and had them both stumbling trying to follow him on his routes. Footage that the Jaguars released on social media also showed a deep ball to BTJ against Brown in 11-on-11 play, where BTJ makes a smooth one-handed catch over incredibly tight coverage from Brown. It helps that the ball was also perfectly placed by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but that doesn’t detract from the incredible concentration and good hands it required from BTJ.

Parker Washington Wide receiver Parker Washington turned heads around the league at the end of last season when he ended the year with three 100-plus yard games in the last four games of the season. Washington was well known by Jags fans as a reliable punt returner and safe hands option when the starters needed to come out, but nobody was expecting him to burst onto the scene the way he did, except for maybe the Penn State faithful who know the talent he possesses.

Washington has continued his dominance throughout the offseason, and according to coaches and teammates alike, he works harder than anyone else on the team. Wide receiver Travis Hunter was interviewed about how the offseason program has been going for him and the other receivers, and he noted that despite his and BTJ’s best efforts, beating Washington into the gym is almost impossible. Hunter said, “Me and [Brian Thomas Jr.] have been chasing that. We wanna be the first people in the building, but … he turns on the alarm and turns off the alarm.”

emerged of him definitely seem to support these claims, too, as Hunter looks nearly twice as big as he did last year.

Fans and analysts alike assume Washington will be the team’s WR1 going into this season, though it’s highly likely the WR1 will change any given week due to the incredible talent of all of the starting WRs across the depth chart.

He intercepted backup quarterback Nick Mullens on a deep ball to tight end Quentin Morris on Aug. 2. The same day, he also had two explosive plays on offense from impressive throws by Lawrence.

Travis Hunter Speaking of Hunter, he has been as hot a topic as always throughout the offseason. Early reports indicated Hunter had added anywhere from 10-20 pounds of muscle during the offseason, specifically in his upper body, as he was largely unable to use his legs much due to an injury last season. The pictures that have

While he has primarily been working with the second-team defensive unit, he’s been in and out of rotation with the starting unit as well. On offense, he has primarily been utilized on the first team, but Coen recently said Hunter will primarily be used in specialty packages on offense this season, as opposed to being an every-down guy. The reason for this change is

Hunter also clocked speeds of 22.6 mph during a sprint drill in practice a few weeks ago, a speed faster than he had ever run before his injury. He seems to be putting any worries about him not being the same freak athlete he used to be to rest. On top of all of this, Hunter has had a very impressive start to camp.

Coen doesn’t want to overload Hunter with information. It seems as though the coaching staff feels they put too much on him last season, and they want him to remain as healthy as possible. Largely remaining on one side of the ball will help with that. Trevor Lawrence Lawrence is coming off arguably his best season as an NFL player yet. He was an MVP candidate and easily the best and most consistent QB in football for the latter half of the 2025 season. He spent his offseason improving his connections with his receivers, specifically BTJ, as the two have struggled with their chemistry since BTJ was drafted in 2024. This time they spent together seems to have paid off, as the duo has looked practically unstoppable when they’re on the same page.

Scan the QR code to read the rest of this feature!

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Welcome to the Florida Python Challenge

Florida has a giant invasive snake problem. Naturally, we turned it into a competition with prize money.

Words by Teresa Spencer There are plenty of reasonable ways to spend 10 days in Florida in July. Go to the beach. Find a pool. Sit directly in front of an air conditioner and refuse to move until October. Or you can drive into the Everglades after dark and hunt giant Burmese pythons for money. Welcome to the Florida Python Challenge, where invasive-species management meets competitive sport, ecological disaster meets Florida Man energy and hundreds of perfectly sane people voluntarily enter a swamp looking for snakes big enough to eat things you normally see crossing the highway.

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The 2026 Challenge ran July 10-19 and attracted 907 participants from 30 states, Canada and Vietnam. Together, they removed 280 invasive Burmese pythons while competing for $25,000 in prize money. Apparently, competitor Tom Rahill decided everyone else was just there for the participation trophy. He captured an astonishing 96 pythons in 10 days, winning the $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize and personally accounting for more than one-third of every snake captured during the entire competition. Ninety-six. At that point, you’re not hunting pythons. You’re apparently running a swamp eviction service. Rahill also happens to be the founder of The Swamp Apes, an organization that takes military veterans into the Everglades for python removal as an outdoor therapeutic activity. So underneath the glorious absurdity of a man collecting 96 giant snakes is a genuinely worthwhile mission. And somehow, Rahill didn’t even catch the snake we’d be talking about in therapy. That honor belongs to Rahm Levinson, who captured the longest officially recognized python of the challenge at 16 feet, 5 inches, earning the $1,000 longest-python prize. That’s roughly the length of a Ford F-150. If your flashlight hits a 16-foot snake in the Everglades at midnight, congratulations: You have just discovered how fast you can run through a swamp. We’ll take the beach.

Words by Ambar Ramirez and Carmen Macri

Combined Minds

Jacksonville ranked the fifth most romantic city in the US AMBAR: When the “New York Post” recently published a headline reading, “NYC ranked most romantic US city despite shaky reputation for singles — while a surprising Deep South city cracks the top 5,” nobody blinked at the first half. Of course, New York snatched the crown; it’s the backdrop to practically every rom-com worth watching. But it was that tantalizing teaser at the end that caught our attention. What unexpected Southern hub could possibly share the top five with the Big Apple? Well, that would be none other than our very own Jacksonville. CARMEN: My knee-jerk reaction was, it had to be a joke. Jacksonville certainly didn’t beat out other top-dog cities for romance … right? Wrong. Well, sort of wrong. The way the data was collected is a bit tricky and almost shows that Jacksonville is inherently unromantic if you think about it. A report by the dating app Agilis determined “romantic searches” per 100,000 people. Seeing how many times “datenight spot” or “romantic proposal spot” was searched online, and then doing some math that I do not understand to come up with the whopping 187.9 love-inspired searches. So, when you actually think about it, Jacksonville is kind of not romantic if you have to look it up. But that’s just my humble opinion of someone who has lived here my entire life. AMBAR: According to Agilis’ research, Jacksonville earned its topfive spot thanks to our waterfront restaurants, green spaces, stunning coastlines and sunset cruises. All of which sounds delightfully romantic on paper but isn’t quite the reality on the ground, is it? Sure, we have waterfront dining, but are we talking about the $80 plates from River & Post or are we talking about the fried fish baskets from Dockside? And yes, we do have outdoor spaces … overpopulated with homelessness. CARMEN: And, if you’re an avid Combined Minds reader (let’s assume you are), you are well aware of how miserable the dating pool in Jacksonville is. And according to the 1,000+ comments on our social media, the citizens of Jacksonville agree. What is romantic about a highway that’s been under construction for 20+ years or a downtown that refuses to live up to its expectations? Yes, Jacksonville has some nice pockets like San Marco, Avondale and the Beaches. But what about everything in between? If the list had ranked St. Augustine as number five, I don’t think anyone would bat an eye. AMBAR: Right. Because nothing says passion like being scammed out of my leftover lunch and water by a homeless person. CARMEN: A very Disney princess moment.

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Annabella suffered a meniscus tear but thanks to Injury Care Centers & our Biotarget Therapy she was back on the field in only 3 weeks.

TARGETED TREATMENTS RAPID RECOVERY

904-549-5647 gobiotarget.com

KIDS ACTIVITY PAGE RUN TO HOME PLATE!

WORD SEARCH BASEBALL UMPIRE DUUUVAL PITCHER CATCHER SHRIMP STRIKE SCAMPI DOUBLE SOUTHPAW

S O W U O C E B C P C B U M P E DQ A Q A A K P I I S Z T D M S M I T U O S C U P E D R C S U H H U I B O E H T T R E U WA U H E R H I R V L L B W R I P MWA F L L E O K A P Z L R U E M E E W J L X 38 Folio Weekly

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The Shoppes of Ponte Vedra (904) 280-1202 Avondale 3617 St. Johns Ave. (904) 388-5406 San Marco 2044 San Marco Blvd. (904) 398-9741 Jacksonville, Florida 32207 www.underwoodjewelers.com

Down 1 FL or Fla., e.g. 2 Vigor and vivacity 3 “Paper or plastic?” items 4 bestbet stake 5 Florida travel aid 6 Hooded snakes 7 “The Odyssey” city 8 Complete collection 9 Natural skills 10 ___ Island 11 Ownership document 12 Goad 13 Osprey’s perch 18 Playground comeback 21 “From ___ Eternity” 23 Singer Del Rey 24 www letters 25 “Moby-Dick” captain 26 Guns an engine at the Daytona 500 27 Afternoon hrs. 29 Mail delivery rental, briefly 31 Barnum’s circus partner 33 Big name in chips

34 Wile E. Coyote’s supplier 35 Bold City Brewery brew 38 Trampled 39 Jumbo Shrimp hitting stat 41 Some airplane seats 43 Its last store in Jax (on Normandy Village Parkway) closed in 2017 44 ___ Island 45 Take a breath 47 Twitch 48 Excited kids’ plea 49 Golf’s Palmer, to his fans 51 Headquartered 53 Business news channel that launched in 1989 54 Oahu neighbor 55 Airer of Jags’ recent games on “Monday Night Football” 56 Public disturbance 57 Word with “souci” or “serif” 59 Prominent tower on I-95 A B B A A C T S T A T E R B R A N T O R E A M I G O L E T G O B I G T A L B O T H E L L O S R O S E M A R Y T S A L E N I E N T S P A R T A H A R P O T H E M O B O N E S L A B A T B A T R A C E M A V S M I R O O K B Y M E L B S B I L O X I M I S E R N B A S C A L D E D P A R O D Y C H A R M E R S A N A S T A S I A A N N U L A B L E U P O N S W I N E M E E T S A C E D I N T S

59 ___ Island 60 Sty dwellers 61 Competent 62 Atop 63 Crosses paths 64 Nailed perfectly 65 Trevor Lawrence mistakes, briefly

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L W H U L S S A H U E H R A U T W H L H E T S A H T A H Solve this puzzle like a regular sudoku, but instead of using numbers, use the letters T-H-E-W-AL-R-U-S (for the Jax lunch spot/dance club/concert venue) to fill each row, column and box.

H U L T W S R E A A T R E U L W H S W E S A H R U L T E R W S L A H T U S L H U R T A W E U A T W E H S R L R H E L A U T S W L S A H T W E U R T W U R S E L A H

Across 1 “Mamma Mia!” group 5 Performs at Players by the Sea Theatre 9 Spud 14 Fiber source 15 Ripped 16 Friendly hombre 17 ___ Island 19 Release 20 Parsley, sage and thyme partner 21 Welcoming words 22 JIA inspectors 23 Far from strict 24 A Marx brother 28 “The Odyssey” city 30 Mafia crowd 32 “Wild ___” (Flo Rida hit) 33 UNF chem class 36 Dallas hoopsters, for short 37 Up, at VyStar Ballpark 39 Bob Hayes Invitational event 40 Lots of ozs. 41 Spanish surrealist 42 “Sounds good!” 44 City about 450 miles west of Jacksonville on I-10 46 Cheapskate 47 Burned with hot water 50 Heat org. 52 Lampoon 53 “Hypnotists” of 6-Down 58 Invalidate

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