First Coast Connect: Government expert Chris Hand

Each month, we sit down with attorney and government expert Chris Hand to break down local and national political headlines. Among our topics: Proposed property tax cuts draw legal challenges and criticism from economists, with projections estimating a $5 billion loss in the first year. Voters in Duval County will decide whether to extend a property tax first approved in 2022 to supplement teacher salaries. City officials must decide if there’s space in the budget for public incentives to bring a Publix and Culinary Institute of America campus to Downtown. Guest: Chris Hand, local government expert, attorney and co-author with the late Sen. Bob Graham of America, the Owner's Manual A bloody campaign A documentary and rare photo exhibit highlight St. Augustine’s critical role as a civil rights battleground where a series of wade-ins and demonstrations turned violent. Passage at St. Augustine examines how local activists and a Black Air Force veteran sparked a confrontation over segregation that drew the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the nation’s oldest city and helped pave the way for the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We talk to the film’s director about the historical significance of these events, why it took 13 years to complete the project and his upcoming exhibition. The free showing and discussion will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul A.M.E. Church in St. Augustine. Guest: Clennon L. King, award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker and director of Passage at St. Augustine: The 1964 Black Lives Matter Movement That Transformed America Artists wanted Do you have an idea for a sculpture? Riverside Avondale Preservation is calling for artists to submit ideas for a new public sculpture at the newly named Fishweir Crossing roundabout. Located on the edge of the Riverside Avondale Historic District and Fishweir Creek, the sculpture will serve as a landmark connecting the Fairfax Manor and Lakeside Park neighborhoods. Officials say the sculpture’s design should reflect the character, culture and natural environment of the communities that meet there. Up to three artists can be selected to develop conceptual designs for the project. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. June 30. Find more information here. Guest: Nancy Powell, co-chair, Fishweir Crossing Roundabouts Planning CommitteeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.