WHAT? LIKE IT'S HARD?

BEST COMMUNITY ACTIVIST

Ben Frazier

BEST DRESSED

Bobby Kelley

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE

St. Johns Riverkeeper

BEST FIRST RESPONDER

Lakesha Burton

BEST LOCAL CRUSADER

Hope McMath

BEST LOCAL HERO

Donna Deegan

BEST LOCAL PERSONALITY

Bobby Kelley

BEST LOCAL WEIRDO

Kerry Speckman

BEST MUSTACHE

Shad Kahn

BEST NONPROFIT

JASMYN

BEST PHILANTHROPIST

Delores Barr Weaver

BEST SPIRITUAL LEADER

Joby Martin

MOST LIKELY TO JOIN THE CIRCUS

Ron DeSantis

WORST LOCAL ZERO

Ron DeSantis

Hope McMath

A crusader is someone who campaigns vigorously for social, political or religious change. And when Jacksonville was asked to name its “Best Local Crusader,” they resoundingly voted for Hope McMath. A graduate of Jacksonville University, McMath is the founder and director of Yellow House, an art gallery more accurately described as “a place where art + action creates change” and oversees the student gallery at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Prior to opening the doors to Yellow House, she worked at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens for more than 20 years, including eight years as its executive director.

Not only is McMath a lover of the arts, but she is a renowned artist herself (a printmaker to be exact), whose work sparks conversations around equity, race, education and human rights.

Over her career, she has given countless hours to speaking truth to change “especially when it is hard, messy and unpopular” and has been honored with an EVE Award, OneJax Humanitarian Award and Cultural Icon Award, the Frances Kinne Alumni of Distinction Community Service Award and the Educational Service Award (among others) and Jacksonville’s “Best Local Crusader.” - Ambar Ramirez

JASMYN

Having been open for an impressive 28 years, JASMYN is no stranger to offering refuge, support and empowerment to LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults in the community through leadership, advocacy, and resources. The organization is constantly working toward a safer, more accepting environment where LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults are appreciated and valued for their identities, aspirations and contributions. It is clear why JASMYN won “Best Non-Profit” through their support and encouragement for equality and human rights for all. –Molly Britt

Is it because I’m old enough get the senior discount at Surterra (you’re welcome for that tip) but still find it hilarious to ask Alexa to make fart sounds? Or could it be my signature hair (shout out to Pat Cole at Total Hair Experience for creating and tending to this masterpiece) that’s the same color as a Muppet who happens to be a fairy-in-training? Perhaps it’s my obsession with bankers boxes and selfies or that I’m related to a serial killer (only a true weirdo would even admit that). Or is it because I openly talk about things most people would keep to themselves, like anxiety, bipolar disorder and IBS? (Update on the chiggers: All gone.) I guess it doesn’t really matter why my fellow Jacksonvillians voted me “Best Local Weirdo” or, to be honest, what anyone thinks of me in the first place (another tell-tale sign of a weirdo). What I do know is I love being me and if that’s weird, then so be it. At least I’m “best” at something. –Kerry Speckman

If you don’t know Bobby Kelley, let’s just say he’s the tits, a word that not only describes him perfectly but is also a brilliant reminder of why he personifies Jacksonville’s “Best Local Character.” Colorful and outspoken, the fashion designer and entrepreneur owns BobbyK Boutique in Springfield and certainly has, ahem, ruffled some feathers around town over the years (tits are also birds, FYI). Like in 2017, when he created and sold an “Avondale Is the Tits” T-shirt that offended people of all ages and genders and prompted members of a prominent local women’s Facebook to call for a boycott of his business. But did that stop our fearless creator from producing more salty graphic tees, like “Jesus Saves Because He Shops at Walmart” and “I Love Hot Dads” currently on the racks or producing a line of celebrity “prayer candles” featuring the likes of Kim Kardashian (featured on Pete Davidson’s IG, btw), Jeff Goldblum and Gardner Minshew in a jock strap (that last one is out of stock)? Not even a little. In fact, haters and doubters only strengthen his resolve to turn his insanely hilarious (or hilariously insane) sense of humor into a fashion and home decor empire (spoiler: it’s already happening).

Kelley grabbed the title of “Best Dressed,” as well, for a look he describes as “a prep school student who just discovered metal” with his ever-changing hair color and beloved Converse high-top platforms highlighted in his fit pics. He also admits to owning a “ridiculous” amount of mesh because if anyone can pull off the “giant tilapia trapped in a net” look (his words, not mine), it’s Bobby Kelley.- Kerry Speckman

Ben Frazier

Veteran journalist, news anchor, producer, narrator, motivational speaker and life-long activist, Ben Frazier can do it all — and if he hasn’t, he will. Frazier loves the city that he calls home and refuses to be silenced. Having founded the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville in 2015 to address social, racial and economic injustice, Frazier believes all voices should be heard and has made it his mission that they are. Frazier feels strongly about voting equity, homelessness, adult and youth literacy, and ending gun violence. He wishes to keep his community informed and educated on the racial injustices seen not only in Jacksonville but across the globe and recently spoke in Geneva, Switzerland at the U.N. Committee to Eliminate Racial Discrimination to discuss the “anti-riot bill” passed in Florida after the death of George Floyd.

On Dec. 13, 2022, Frazier made a public statement at a City Council meeting where he plead for city leaders to tear down the confederate monuments that still stand. After he violated a newly-changed rule by speaking 65 longer than the allowed time limit, he was taken into custody by police. The arrest did not phase Frazier, of course. He only used it to fuel the fire that burns in him for social and racial reform. He is a force to be reckoned with.

–Carmen Macri