Jacksonville Beach Fla
North East Florida's Island Playground to the East
Located just east of Jacksonville Florida, Jacksonville Beach has evolved over the years into a world class resort renowned for good times, good food, and luxury living. Long gone are the days of the old Jacksonville Boardwalk and all the sleaze it was known for in the late fifties and sixties. Today Jacksonville Beach aspires to be the South Florida of the north. Seperated from Jacksonville by the Intercoastal waterway (aka "the ditch") our humble town has become both a refuge for the downtrodden townies, and a destination for tourists and business travelers alike. Join me for a tour of Jacksonville’s worst kept secret - Jacksonville Beach.
The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier opened with two days left in 2004. Built to withstand Hurricane weather, (and it has-twice before it opened!) somebody forgot to lock the gate on New Years Eve! Some surprised locals brought in the new year from about a half mile into the Atlantic!
Some of the best east coast surfing happens here, with contests for the kids and the champs occurring just about every weekend in the summer. Not the hugest waves in the world, but our kids sure know how to tear it up in the Jax Surf!
Entertainment in Jacksonville Beach is often and varied. Spring and
Summer Festivals at the outdoor Jacksonville Beach Seawalk Pavilion offers free
concerts featuring bands from all over. Springing the Blues- our version
of the Right of Spring, features three days of music, food, and fun! Across
the street is FreeBird Live, a nightclub bringing in bands from all over
all year round!
Florida Seafood at it's best! From Joe's Crab Shack, a colorful building at the end of Beach Blvd., to the upscale Bonefish Cafe in south beach, tons of restaurants for every taste line A1A and First Street.
Make no mistake about it, Jacksonville Florida's worst kept secret -
Jacksonville Beach is a party town! Restaurants abound, and live
music occurs more often than not at the many nightclubs and restaurants that
concentrate around Beach Blvd. and spread out both north and south on A1A. If
you're ever in the Jacksonville area, do yourself a favor and visit Jacksonville
Beach!
Shorelines
Clay Teenage Republicans seeking more Northeast Florida members
by Beth Cravey
2 Jul 2009 at 11:45am
By NAOMI ROBERTS
Clay County Republican Executive Committee secretary
Led by Skylar Zander, the Clay County Teenage Republicans are starting to create a voice for teens in our area.
Coast Guard, law enforcement looking for drunk boaters on July 4 weekend
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
MAYPORT - After cracking down on drunken boaters last weekend, Coast Guard and local law enforcement officials are gearing up for the busy July Fourth weekend.
The Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and several local law enforcement marine patrol units concluded "Operation Dry Water" on Sunday. Officials were targeting drunken boaters.
Jacksonville's beaches will celebrate the Fourth with fireworks, music and more
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
A spectacular fireworks show to honor America's independence is planned for the Fourth of July Liberty Celebration on Saturday at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. Weather permitting, the huge display is scheduled to take place beginning at 9:30 p.m.
"People will see a lot of different fireworks that they haven't seen before," said Michael Walden, vice president of operations for Pyro Shows. The Tennessee firm has produced fireworks shows for several years in Jacksonville Beach, downtown Jacksonville and other locations.
Mayport ferry ridership down, some worried service could go away
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
MAYPORT - Despite some residents' fears that the financially ailing Mayport ferry could close down, the Jacksonville Port Authority plans to keep it running at least another year, a JPA official said Friday.
Both groups hope the Fourth of July weekend brings lots of ferry riders to Mayport.
Mayport Village Civic Association President Mikki Baldwin expressed fears last week that "it's a very, very real possibility that in just a few months the ferry could be shut down." Baldwin is also a board member for the Mayport Waterfront Partnership.
Players Club homeowners angry over Sawgrass Village plan
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The Sawgrass Village renovation developer doesn't plan to significantly alter his project despite negative reviews in a survey from a nearby homeowners association's members, the association president said Friday.
In fact, one of the developer's suggested changes is "a joke," said Ron Porterfield, president of the Sawgrass Players Club Homeowners Association.
There'll be new traffic pattern after fireworks at Jacksonville Beach
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
JACKSONVILLE BEACH - With July Fourth weekend crowds expected to reach up to 100,000 people, visitors are asked to use the Beaches Trolley and work with police who will be trying a new method to clear traffic after the fireworks show.
Also, people are warned not to bring fireworks to the beach. Five years ago, the city passed a fireworks ordinance that prohibits firecrackers, skyrockets, Roman candles, torpedoes and other devices that explode in the air. Under the law, police may confiscate the fireworks and hand out $50 fines.
Transient charged with stabbing near Jacksonville Beach pier
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
The following is a compilation of reports from Beaches-area police departments:
JACKSONVILLE BEACH
- A 46-year-old transient with a long history of violence was arrested Monday and charged stabbing another man several times in the torso in the 400 block North of the beach, about a block south of the fishing pier.
The victim was air-lifted to Shands Jacksonville hospital, where he was in stable condition.
'See' the music at Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
Beaches-area artists will bring musical imagery to life in a new exhibit opening Friday, July 10, at the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach. The public is invited to the opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
"The Sight of Music" features works by 22 Cultural Center artist members who used color, texture and movement to interpret the symmetry between music's tone, rhythm and harmony.
Beach shorts
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
Government offices closing
All Beaches-area government offices will be closed Friday in observance of the July Fourth holiday.
City Halls in Neptune, Atlantic and Jacksonville Beach will be closed as well as St. Johns County's satellite offices in Ponte Vedra Beach. Garbage will be collected as usual in all those areas.
The Beaches and Ponte Vedra Beach branch libraries will also be closed Friday.
The U.S. Postal Service in Jacksonville Beach will shut down earlier than usual on Friday. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Kids learn cheers, chants and more from Fletcher High's cheerleaders
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
Ten-year old Hannah Othmer always wanted to be a cheerleader.
So she was excited to learn the sport from some experts last week at a Fletcher High School Cheer Clinic for kids.
She kept her eyes glued to the Fletcher High varsity cheerleader squad Thursday afternoon, imitating their every move as she learned cheers, chants, dancing, motions, jumps and stunts.
"It's fun. You get to make friends," Hannah said during a break.
"My favorite part is the stunting," she said. "It's really fun because once you fall, you can get up and try again."
Shorelines is moving to a new office
by Times-Union
30 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
We're moving!
In August, Shorelines will be moving to a new Beaches location. The new address will be 910 Third St. in Neptune Beach, just south of the Beaches branch library. We will provide more details when the moving date becomes available.
Transient arrested in early morning Jacksonville Beach stabbing
by Dana Treen
29 Jun 2009 at 6:56am
A transient has been charged with an early morning stabbing in Jacksonville Beach today that hospitalized the victim, police said.
Shawn Burgess, 46, was charged with attempted murder in the 3:45 a.m. attack on the beach a block south of the Jacksonville Beach pier. The assailant was frightened away by another person at the scene, police Sgt. Tom Bingham of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department said in a release after the attack.
SeaWalk Pavilion to host winter Right Whale Festival
by Times-Union
26 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
Wildlife advocates have chosen the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach as the site for a Saturday, Dec. 5, Right Whale Festival to celebrate the endangered mammals' winter calving season off Northeast Florida's coast.
The Ocean Conservancy is organizing the festival, the first of its kind in this area, to educate people about the importance of the right whale, a species hunted to near extinction that now has only about 350 members.
Jacksonville Beach wetland sale hits spoil site snag
by Times-Union
26 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
JACKSONVILLE BEACH - Jubilation over a state grant to buy 140 acres of sensitive wetlands north of Beach Marine on the east bank of the Intracoastal Waterway is waning since the preservation effort has stalled again.
The money became available in September, when Jacksonville got a grant from the Florida Communities Trust to cover half the tract's cost.
St. Johns deputies continue crackdown on cyclists
by Times-Union
26 Jun 2009 at 11:00pm
PONTE VEDRA BEACH - After years of verbal warnings to bicyclists breaking traffic rules, police are letting citations do the talking, officials said this week.
Before deputies started issuing citations last month, they had repeatedly warned bicyclists who ride along Ponte Vedra Boulevard in the Municipal Service District about the traffic rules, said Lt. Tommy Aman, patrol administrator for the St.
