First Coast Connect With Melissa Ross

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Hosted by Melissa Ross, First Coast Connect is an hour-long call-in program that features local newsmakers, civic and community leaders, arts, activities across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, along with spot news features and a weekly roundtable of local journalists.

WJCT


    • Sep 2, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 55m AVG DURATION
    • 1,530 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from First Coast Connect With Melissa Ross

    Love and Regret

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2026 51:00


    From a local band's viral hit, “Love,” to a solo performance by Billy Strings' musical collaborator, we drop the needle on the First Coast music scene

    'Visualizing Indigenous Florida'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2026 51:00


    A new art exhibition showcases the work of seven indigenous artists reimagining the history of Native Americans in Florida.

    Undoing DUI convictions

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2026 51:00


    A court order overturning Breathalyzer results could erase hundreds of pending DUIs.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2026 51:00


    From a bombshell grand jury report to the controversial use of flock cameras, we discuss all the week's headlines with our panel of journalists.

    Jimmy Buffetted by fate

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2026 51:00


    Having lived amid the “movable feast” of 1970s Key West, a St. Augustine artist and restaurateur is part of a new documentary on the turbulent time.

    Keeping watch: from Flock cameras to powerful new space telescopes

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2026 51:00


    Flock cameras are watching more than roads; humanity gets a dazzling view of the Milky Way.

    Textbook case

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2026 51:00


    Florida has purged or diluted references to climate change in state science textbooks, a new report finds.

    A bad time for ‘America's best idea'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2026 3060:00


    Experts explore the changing landscape for America's national parks

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2026 51:00


    Primary lessons, political surprises and post-election analysis.

    Diplomatic ties

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2026 51:00


    A former Ukrainian diplomat turned local TV producer helps keep her nation's needs and cultural heritage in sight on the First Coast.

    Rabbinical resistance

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2026 51:00


    The last of St. Augustine's activist rabbis returns to the First Coast to speak about the enduring message of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Rabbinical resistance

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2026 51:00


    The last of St. Augustine's activist rabbis returns to the First Coast to speak about the enduring message of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Black beauty school

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2026 51:00


    The story of Sophia Nickerson Starks, the woman who built Jacksonville's beauty empire.

    ‘A Land Remembered'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2026 51:00


    The classic novel about Florida's environmental despoliation and development is now the subject of a TV series.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2026 51:00


    It's the biggest headlines of the week, from a reported candidate assault to concerns about the expanding role of the City Council's in-house lawyer

    Hitting close to home

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2026 51:00


    An author who says she loves Florida enough to hate it releases a new book of essays on life in the Sunshine State.

    State House candidate Leslie Jean-Bart

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2026 51:00


    An attorney and advocate makes her bid for Florida House District 13.

    Ask the Mayor

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2026 51:00


    From the administration's budget balancing act to law enforcement's opposition to property tax cuts, we discuss recent headlines with Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.

    mayors ask the mayor
    House District 13 candidate Audrey Gibson

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2026 51:00


    After three decades seeking and holding state and local office, the Democrat explains why she's running to return to the state Capitol.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 51:00


    Law enforcement criticizes the “staggering” impact of proposed property tax cuts.

    In the zone

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2026 51:00


    With the team leading the inaugural UpShot league, we sit down with Jacksonville's first pro women's B-ball squad.

    Congressional candidate LaShonda 'L.J.' Holloway

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2026 51:00


    After positive recent polling, the perennial congressional candidate hopes the fifth time's the charm.

    Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 51:00


    We ask congressman Byron Donalds, a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate, about his stance on AI regulation, immigration, property taxes, school choice and more.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2026 51:00


    City Council fails to override a mayoral veto; lane reductions are considered in the Brooklyn neighborhood; JEA's CEO takes a leave of absence.

    Full support

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2026 51:00


    The next phase of Sulzbacher's Enterprise Village is underway. We discuss the origins of the project and the significance of moving core services for the area's unhoused community out of Downtown.

    Sacred preservation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 51:00


    St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Palatka, one of Florida's oldest and most significant Black churches, earns a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Broken system

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 51:00


    A Florida trial attorney witnessed decades of racial bias within the criminal justice system. He decided to write a play about it.

    Stopping the cycle

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 51:00


    Duval County reported nearly 5,300 domestic violence offenses in 2024 as a Northeast Florida program that helps batterers stop the cycle reports a surge in success.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2026 51:00


    No-show lawmakers called out as “cowards”; Moms For Liberty losing political omnipresence in school board races.

    Red flags

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2026 51:00


    A former Jacksonvillian makes the jump from local television to the self-help shelves with his book "The Red Apples Way."

    Congressional challenger

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 51:00


    Democratic congressional candidate Rachel Grage discusses her fight to unseat a four-term incumbent.

    Actuality, not austerity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2026 51:00


    We break down Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's proposed $2+ billion budget with political analyst Chris Hand.

    The 'blast radius' of property tax cuts

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 51:00


    Former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes says the real devastation caused by a proposed property tax cut will be the loss of local control.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2026 51:00


    A local ICE death, an AI-prone School Board candidate, and concerns about execution overkill.

    St. Johns Gold Rush

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2026 51:00


    New state laws will fast-track the development of thousands of acres in the increasingly growth-averse county.

    No defense

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2026 51:00


    A new Florida law makes resisting arrest, even if the officer's actions are deemed illegal or excessive, legally indefensible.

    Ask the Mayor

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 51:00


    We ask the mayor about the future of data centers in Jacksonville and a potential lawsuit by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.

    mayors jacksonville ask the mayor
    Making history

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 51:00


    The Nation's Oldest City elects its first Black mayor.

    First Coast Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2026 51:00


    A child abuse reporting crackdown; investigating the "investigation" at Douglas Anderson; and three St. Johns County officials arrested in a voter scam.

    Congressional candidate Brit Robinson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2026 51:00


    A self-described Democratic Socialist looks to unseat the longtime Republican incumbent.

    'Addictive, unsafe and ineffective'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2026 51:00


    As the DEA announces an emergency ban on synthetic Kratom, a local mom whose son died from the drug pushes for a broader, more permanent fix.

    Representing Florida

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2026 51:00


    State Rep. Angie Nixon on why she's running for U.S. Senate.

    Flooded with pollution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 51:00


    A new report examines how America's longstanding racial divides amplify the impacts of climate change.

    The 'Fee State' of Florida?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 51:00


    Investigative reporter Jason Garcia explores what happens to Florida cities and small town budgets if voters approve property tax cuts.

    Wild ideas on Cumberland Island

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2026 51:00


    As the National Park Service shifts preservation priorities, some fear expanded development of Georgia's pristine National Seashore.

    In the blood

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 51:00


    A five-year pollution study kicks off after research finds chemical pollution in the bloodstreams of South Georgia residents.

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