Bridgette Matter Biography
Bridgette Matter is an American journalist who is an Emmy-nominated reporter and weekend evening co-anchor for Action News Jax. She joined Action News Jax in June of 2015. She spent five days covering the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando. Bridgette was the first reporter in the country to obtain additional information about the gunman and the venues he cased in the months before.
That same year, she covered the manhunt of Steven Murray in South Carolina and Georgia. Murray killed a beloved St. Johns County priest. In a line of questioning with Bridgette, Murray essentially confessed to the murder, apologizing to Action News Jax’s cameras.
Bridgette Matter Age
Matter was born on May 22, 1992. She is 27 years old as of 2019.
Bridgette Matter Early Life
Bridgette grew up south of Orlando and attended the University of Central Florida, earning a bachelor’s in Political Science. She is currently enrolled at UCF working on a master’s in Criminal Justice. Bridgette became interested in journalism late in college, which began with an internship at a local Orlando station. There she quickly became passionate about helping people in the community, becoming a truth seeker and storyteller.
Bridgette Matter Career
Bridgette has corresponded and interviewed with several local high profile prisoners, including Ruben Ebron, Michael Dunn, and James Rhodes. She is most interested in covering the criminal justice system, local trials, and breaking news.
Bridgette has had some unique opportunities during her time in Jacksonville, including staying on a Navy Nuclear Submarine for 26 hours, being taken down by Navy K-9’s in a bite suit and covering Hurricane Matthew.
Before moving to Jacksonville, she started her career in South Bend, Indiana, as a reporter and fill-in anchor. She spent a year there covering everything from the brutal winter to local crime and Notre Dame Football.
Bridgette Matter Net worth
Matter’s estimated net worth is still under review but the information will be updated soon.
Bridgette Matter Article
Army Corps of Engineers to assess Hurricane Dorian damage
The outer bands of Hurricane Dorian swept across Florida’s east coast, leaving behind destruction on local beaches. In 2018, thousands of cubic yards of sand were added to the beach, the Army Corps of Engineers says at first glance the sand did its job.
“Our initial indication is from some folks who saw your footage, is the beach held up very well.” Jason Harrah, a project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, says an assessment of the beach will begin tomorrow to determine if any renourishment needs to be done.
The beach is renourished about every five years unless there are major storms that cause damage. If the county believes a renourishment is needed, the Corps of Engineers will seek federal funding, and the county will seek funding for the dunes if needed.
The Army Corps of Engineers has also been asked by the city of St. Augustine to complete a flooding study to address storm surge and rising sea level. The Army Corps of Engineers is now awaiting funding. A survey could take about 36 months to complete.
The city would have to identify trouble areas they would like studied. It could then lead to a solution to combat flooding after major weather events.
Places like the St. Augustine Bay Front and Davis Shores saw a significant amount of flooding during Hurricane Matthew and some flooding during Hurricane Dorian.
Potential solutions from the study could include flood barriers, seawalls, living shorelines, etc. Action News Jax Christy Turner looked into when the fishing pier in St. Augustine will reopen and if it was damaged.
State Attorney says shooting cycle disrupted using new crime technologies
In 2019, 82 people have been murdered, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office transparency page, compared to 63 at this time last year.
According to FDLE’s latest numbers, Duval County’s crime rate ranks second in the state. It’s a harsh reality for city leaders like State Attorney Melissa Nelson. “Because we didn’t get here overnight, we’re not going to fix it overnight,” Nelson said.
While there’s no quick fix, the city has spent millions on crime-fighting technologies, including Jacksonville’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, which opened in May.
The center is housed in the State Attorney’s office. It is equipped with a firearms lab using what’s called NIBIN technology. NIBIN stands for National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which uses a ballistics imaging network.
The technology has disrupted shooting cycles even here in Jacksonville by linking shell casings to crime guns. “The challenge that we have right now is we are flooded with information, so it’s working.”
The links can mean solving crimes faster instead of crimes going cold.
Another piece of technology used by investigators is Shot Spotter, which just this week alerted police to a deadly triple shooting where a 17-year-old was killed.
While we don’t know if that shooting is gang-related, Nelson said her office has intercepted at-risk youth through prevention efforts but social media pose an extra challenge.
“Now they communicate their threats and celebrate their criminal actions through social media. It’s publicly available. It’s new and different in figuring out how to address that issue,” Nelson said.
The State Attorney is optimistic for future change and said the technologies are proving their worth already.