Duval County Schools is once again considering a move away from its headquarters on the St. Johns River after a potential buyer withdrew from the deal as the school district now has a new front-runner interested in purchasing the Southbank property.

Duval County Schools is preparing to vote on a significant proposal that could move its district headquarters away from the Southbank riverfront location it has occupied for decades. However, District 3 Board Member Cindy Pearson expressed concerns about the deal on Facebook hours before the vote takes place on Tuesday afternoon, calling it “bad deals for DCPS and taxpayers.”

The Duval County School Board has approved a measure to change school boundaries for the 2026-2027 academic year, with the goal of better balancing student populations across the district.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of largest Black Protestant denominations in the world, has been wrestling with whether to change a policy that threatens to punish any of its clergy who recognize same-sex marriages.

Reginald Blount will be the next Duval County School Board to represent District 5.

The August primary election in Duval County has four school board seats on the ballot. District 5 is an open seat because current board member Warren Jones has reached his term limit.

Four of seven seats on the Duval County School Board are up for election this year. These are nonpartisan races that will appear on the August primary ballot. In District 5, school board member Warren Jones can’t seek re-election due to term limits. Reginald Blount, Nahshon Nicks, and Hank Rogers are on the ballot for this open seat. This race will appear on the ballots of all voters in the district, regardless of party affiliation. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.