First Coast Connect: Power move

As multiple investigations into JEA continue, local climate activists are calling on the Jacksonville utility to lower rates and commit to phasing out the use of fossil fuels. The demands are outlined in a new petition calling on JEA to reduce emissions, improve air quality and find more sustainable plans to reduce energy costs long term. The move comes as solar power use grows and coal usage declines, with solar remaining the leading source of new power in the United States. In May, for the first time, solar supplied more electricity than coal nationwide. The petition is the most recent effort by local organizations to put pressure on JEA to stop using fossil fuels, even as the utility looks to move forward with plans to build an estimated $1.57 billion natural gas-fired power plant. In December, multiple advocacy groups including the Sierra Club, NAACP, St. Johns Riverkeeper and Solar United Neighbors delivered sacks of coal to JEA’s headquarters, protesting the utility’s rising rates and coal use. We sit down with members of the groups leading the petition to ask why advancing solar is a main priority and how it could potentially lower utility costs. Guests:   Jalicia Lewis, community outreach lead, Jacksonville Climate Coalition Leah Ferrell, solar access and affordability associate, Solar United Neighbors In the same vein Jacksonville sickle cell advocates are working to raise awareness and expand support to community members living with the hereditary blood disorder that affects roughly 100,000 people in the U.S. A college student reveals the challenges she faces living with the disease and the inspiration behind her nonprofit, Project Little Veins, which provides care packages to hospitalized sickle cell patients. We also speak with a healthy equity leader whose own son died from sickle cell disease ahead of his second birthday about how his passing transformed her advocacy work. Guests: Fredrianna Copeland Webster, sickle cell disease advocate and founder of Project Little Veins Selena Webster-Bass, founder, Richard Webster-Bass Health Institute Daddy daughter dance Girls Inc. of Jacksonville hosts its annual Daddy Daughter Dance fundraiser at WJCT Studios. Fathers and daughters are asked to wear their best dress and suit for the event themed “An Enchanted Night in Paris.” The event features a DJ, dancing, dinner, raffle, silent auction and a space to celebrate the bond between daughters and their fathers, or any male role model in their lives. All proceeds from the event go to support Girls Inc. of Jacksonville, one of 74 affiliates nationwide with the mission to equip girls with skills and knowledge to create impactful change in the future. The 2026 Daddy Daughter Dance is from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at WJCT Soundstage. Tickets are required. Guest: Diedra Simon, CEO of Girls Inc. of JacksonvilleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.