Jacksonville Beach News

They say The Homestead is haunted by Alpha O. Paynter, the proprietor when the building was a boarding house.

While home construction is dwindling, bulldozers are clearing the way for a 228-unit apartment complex on Shetter Avenue and two developers have proposed new hotels on First Street North and at the corner of ...

They say The Homestead is haunted by Alpha O. Paynter, the proprietor when the building was a boarding house.

A roomful of spectators broke into applause at City Hall Monday when a contractor announced the new Publix on Beach Boulevard is scheduled to open at 8 a.m. July 31.

Charlene Asplund was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000. For years she has taken several medications to treat her condition.

Mark Talkington, a recent Michigan-to-Jacksonville Beach transplant, plays his mandolin Thursday on the SeaWalk at Jacksonville Beach.

After years of rising property values that made land at the Beaches some of the most valuable in the county, 2008 tax estimates show taxable land values declining or barely breaking even.

After years of debate, delay and inaction on renovating the Kings Road Bridge, the City Council Monday agreed on a contractor to begin revamping the aging wooden span across Hopkins Creek.

With a $7 million Florida A1A construction project a month behind schedule, a long-awaited traffic light at Osceola Avenue, the most urgent improvement, probably won't arrive by the end of the year as planned.

Jacksonville, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol are seeking volunteers to help clean up the beaches today after the Fourth of July fireworks.

Preparations are under way for July 4th Celebrations at Jacksonville Beach. Organizers are expecting thousands to attend "Liberty Celebration." It will be held at the Sea Walk Pavilion and include a fireworks ...

George is coming out from under wraps just in time for the Fourth of July. In March, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens acquired one of Gilbert Stuart's copies of his portrait of George Washington, commonly ...

The popular Jacksonville Beach restaurant has officially reopened, bringing back a tradition that began in the 1940s.

GARY WILCOX/Staff David Nies of First Coast Honda gives Shorelines Reporter Maggie Fitzroy instruction on riding a scooter for the first time.

The JTA is launching a new trolley service at the Beaches with a ceremony Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the park behind the Jacksonville Beach City Hall at 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue.

Have you seen an outstanding slice of entertainment recently in the Beaches area? A good band? An interesting art exhibit? A play not to be missed? Do you know of a good attraction that's coming our way? Please ...

by LIZA MITCHELL, Staff Writer, Beaches Leader

A salary increase of 3 percent for Jacksonville Beach police officers was unanimously approved at a special meeting last week by the City Council despite opposition by the police union.

Council members ratified the contract without discussion at Monday’s regular meeting. The raise will be effective June 1, 2008, which is the expiration date of the police union contract.

On May 28, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 17 rejected the city’s final offer of 3 percent across the board. Chief negotiator Gary Evans with FOP Lodge 17 asked that an additional 3 percent raise be inserted at step 12 of the city’s 17-step pay plan for officers with six or more years experience.

Cpl. Keith Brown presented a list of accomplishments that he said illustrates the level of integrity of the department staff. He said individual officers in Jacksonville Beach handle the same number of calls for service as in Jacksonville while maintaining a response time of three minutes or less.

Brown said the department was also selected as a model agency for the national law enforcement accreditation program.

But the council deduced that the 3 percent offered by the city was appropriate since starting officers in Jacksonville Beach make more than officers at an equal pay grade at JSO.

The starting salary for entry level officers in Jacksonville Beach is $35,564 a year, which is marginally higher than the annual state average of $35,129.

Veteran officers have the annual earning potential of $61,403 or more based on contract raises and double step increases.

A new Jacksonville Beach Citizen Police Academy is scheduled for next month to educate the public about police operations such as SWAT teams, firearms training and hands-on crime scene processing.

The following is a compilation of reports from Beaches-area police departments: ATLANTIC BEACH - Several gunshots were fired about 12:05 a.m. Saturday on .

Jim Morrison couldn't have said it better: Mr. Mojo's rising. In this case, it's Todd Lineberry, the man behind Mojo Bar-B-Que and Mojo Kitchen .