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City Hall doesn’t feel dramatic until you realize a single vote can reshape a neighborhood for generations. We sit down with Jacksonville City Council Member Jimmy Peluso to get past the headlines and into the decisions that actually change daily life: where investment lands, how development gets approved, why some communities thrive while others get ignored, and what it takes to build trust when residents have heard big promises before.

We talk leadership through the lens of service. Jimmy shares how the Navy taught him to learn fast in uncomfortable situations, earn respect, and then teach the next person, and how that approach carries into local politics through consistency, responsiveness, and showing up more than once. From community benefit agreements tied to the stadium deal to practical fixes that speed up drainage projects, he explains what wins look like when government is doing its job quietly and well.

Housing affordability takes center stage, with a clear-eyed look at why “Jacksonville is affordable” can be true on paper and still feel false on the ground. We dig into tenant protections, the idea of a tenant ombudsman, a landlord registry that helps renters see code compliance history, and the need for better data on corporate ownership and rising prices. We also explore missing middle housing, TIF districts for home repair in legacy neighborhoods, homelessness services, and why light rail and smart infill planning can shape a healthier, more connected city over the next decade.

If you care about city council, urban planning, tenant rights, affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, and what community-centered growth actually requires, this conversation is for you.

To reach Jacksonville City Council Member Jimmy Peluso (District 7), use the official contact details below:

Official City Hall Office

• Phone Number: (904) 255-5207
• Email Address: JPeluso@coj.net
• Mailing Address: 117 W. Duval St., Suite 425, Jacksonville, FL 32202

District 7 Staff

• Executive Council Assistant: Brooks Dame
• Assistant Phone Number: (904) 255-5135
• Assistant Email: bdame@coj.net

Online and Social Media

• Campaign & Political Site: jimmyforjax.com
• Official Facebook Page: Councilman Jimmy Peluso on Facebook

To check further council updates or meetings, verify details directly through the Jacksonville City Council Members page.

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A rent increase doesn’t sound like a siren, but it can be the first crack that breaks a family’s whole scaffolding. Today we sit with that uncomfortable truth and follow it where it leads: to grocery checkout lines, week-to-week hotel rooms, kids trying to hide the same outfit, and seniors on fixed incomes forced to choose between food and medication.

I’m joined by returning guest Colleen Rodriguez, CEO of LJD Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) in Northeast Florida. Colleen walks us through what she’s seeing right now in Jacksonville and beyond: the “invisible middle” of ALICE families who are employed but one emergency away from free fall, the rapid growth of homelessness among parents with young children and seniors, and how food insecurity changes depending on whether someone has a kitchen, a microwave, or nothing at all. We even get practical about what actually helps at a food pantry and how to get involved at www.jfcsjax.org including volunteer opportunities and teen foster care birthday lunches.

We also connect the dots between affordable housing, out-of-state landlords, and eviction diversion programs that can keep kids in the same school and families in the same home. Then we go deeper into the mental health impact of financial stress and the shame that keeps people from asking for help, plus small, discreet ways communities can support children through schools. Finally, Colleen explains how wraparound services work, and why unrestricted giving to one of the most respected agencies in our community can provide immediate assistance that leads to generational impact.

If today's conversation inspires you, I encourage you to learn more about JFCS, volunteer, advocate, or make a donation. Every dollar helps provide food, counseling, emergency assistance, foster care support, senior services, and life-changing programs throughout Northeast Florida.

Donate today at:

The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services Donation Page

Learn more about their work:

JFCS Jacksonville Official Website

The work of The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services isn't about solving a single problem. It's about strengthening the foundation that allows people to build stable, healthy, and hopeful lives.

Since 1917, JFCS has quietly become one of Northeast Florida's most important safety nets, serving children, families, seniors, veterans, foster youth, Holocaust survivors, and individuals facing food insecurity, housing instability, mental health challenges, and financial hardship. Their mission is simple but profound: helping people help themselves. Whether it's keeping a family housed through eviction diversion, stocking pantry shelves for neighbors experiencing hunger, supporting foster children as they transition into adulthood, providing counseling during life's darkest moments, or educating future generations through Holocaust education and intolerance prevention programs, JFCS meets people where they are and helps them move forward with dignity.

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Subscribe to the Schmooze with Suze Podcast for your dose of #Culture, #Values and #GlobalCitizenship... with a side of #chutzpah...

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Language class shouldn’t feel like a worksheet factory where conjugation is the only goal, and instead the mission is to learn a language... share a culture... change the world.

In this episode we learn from Donna Guzzo, President and CEO of Language Exploration Enrichment, about what happens when we teach language to kids through stories, art, kindness, and cultural immersion instead of fear and memorization. Donna has spent more than two decades building an after-school enrichment program that helps children speak with confidence while also learning the humanity behind the language.

We get into how thematic units and storytelling make vocabulary feel useful, why early speaking matters more than perfect pronunciation, and how culture-first teaching builds real cultural literacy. Donna shares how kids learn that Spanish-speaking countries are not “all the same,” how small details like food and greetings can teach respect, and how children often bring that openness home, nudging parents toward new experiences and better conversations.

Donna also connects language education to global citizenship through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, showing how young students can grapple with big ideas like hunger, clean water, peace, and even gender equality when the discussion is grounded in age-appropriate examples and guided dialogue. We wrap with what she’s learned from kids about perseverance, why “first you love them, then you teach them” shapes strong classrooms, and how immersive camps blend language learning with cooking, crafts, games, and music.

If you care about Spanish for kids, bilingual education, empathy, and raising globally aware students, this one’s for you. To find out more about LEE, visit:

www.leestjohns.pbworks.com

904-553-4274

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Subscribe to the Schmooze with Suze Podcast for your dose of #Culture, #Values and #GlobalCitizenship... with a side of #chutzpah...

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