John doesn’t just practice in Jacksonville — he’s invested in it. Literally and personally.

In 2020, he purchased Folio Weekly, the city’s 35-year-old independent news publication, because he believed Jacksonville needed a local voice that wasn’t owned by a national chain. Owning a newspaper isn’t a money play — it’s a civic one. Independent local journalism holds institutions accountable, and John wasn’t willing to watch it disappear.

He has served on the boards of the Shannon Miller Foundation, the National High School Basketball Association, the Spina Bifida Association, and the City of Jacksonville’s Human Rights Commission. The Mayor nominated him to the HRC in 2015. In 2017, he resigned — not because he lost interest, but because he needed to file multiple civil rights lawsuits against the City of Jacksonville. When the institution you serve needs to be held accountable, you don’t look away. You step up, even when it costs you a seat at the table.

Every holiday season, Phillips, Hunt & Walker sponsors a toy drive supporting 3,000 children, delivering over $10,000 in gifts each year. The firm also hosts “Tailgating for a Cause” at the Duuuval House, spotlighting a different local nonprofit every month — turning football Sundays into something bigger than a game.

John has personally raised over $20,000 for the American Cancer Society through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. He’s spoken at schools, churches, and community centers across the city. He’s the kind of person who shows up — not with a press release, but with his sleeves rolled up.

Phillips, Hunt & Walker is a two-time “Company With Heart” recipient from 904 Magazine and a Jacksonville Business Journal Partner in Philanthropy. Those awards sit in the office. But the real evidence is in the community.