JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 What started as a simple traffic report turned into something much bigger for News4Jax traffic anchor Sophia Vitello \u2014 and now, it\u2019s caught the attention of Jacksonville\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n
Over the past several weeks, Vitello has been visiting the Moncrief neighborhood, talking with residents and highlighting the community through neighborhood tours and candid conversations. Her videos on Instagram have been viewed nearly a million times, drawing attention from viewers across Jacksonville \u2014 and from Mayor Donna Deegan herself.<\/p>\n
Deegan made her way to Moncrief to see the neighborhood firsthand and hear directly from the families who call it home.<\/p>\n
How it started<\/p>\n
Vitello said her first video in Moncrief aired July 21, originally focused on the road conditions in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first video I did in Moncrief was July 21st. We just came out to talk about the road. That was it,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cThen it turned into, let\u2019s talk about the community. Then it turns into, let\u2019s highlight the good.\u201d<\/p>\n
The series quickly evolved into something far greater than a traffic segment, ultimately leading Vitello to a conversation with a Jacksonville City Council member \u2014 and then the mayor.<\/p>\n
Mayor visits Moncrief<\/p>\n
During the visit, Deegan stopped at Holley\u2019s Barbecue, a neighborhood staple that has been serving the community since 1937, where she met owner Wendy Holley. The mayor also spoke with volunteers at Simonds-Johnson Park, community members who Vitello said work day and night \u2014 without pay \u2014 to serve the children in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Vitello said she made sure to bring the community\u2019s concerns directly to the mayor, including notes she took at a town hall she attended in Moncrief weeks earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took notes on what everybody said and I brought that to the mayor,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cWe had a beautiful discussion about future plans, about what\u2019s went wrong, what she wants to make right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018This is only just the beginning\u2019<\/p>\n
The full conversation with Mayor Deegan will air Thursday on News4Jax.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what you guys asked for, this is what we\u2019re delivering on,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much to show you, so much of the conversation. This is only just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
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