City Council committee on regulating vacation rentals hears from hosts, opponents and industry lobbyists
At the start of the Nov. 15 special committee meeting on short-term vacation rentals, Committee Chair and District 11 Councilman Danny Becton stated his goal was to leave the meeting with a template to begin crafting legislation that will provide guidelines for the city departments which will oversee the popular trend of renting private homes […]
Council members propose legislation to tighten ‘contract’ zoning
Three term-limited members of the Jacksonville City Council are hoping to draft an ordinance that will tighten up what can and can’t be done through minor modifications when it comes to zoning changes. Before their term ends June 30, 2019, John Crescimbeni (Councilmember At-Large), Lori Boyer (District 5) and Bill Gulliford (District 13) want to […]
Community celebrates Murray Hill Branch library’s 50th anniversary
City leaders honor late Bill Brinton at library rededication Through a twist of financial circumstance, the Jacksonville Public Library’s Murray Hill Branch was both the last library to be built before and the first to be open after City-County Consolidation in 1968. Nearly 100 gathered Dec. 15 to celebrate […]
Throwback to Sixties raises funds for land trust
There was music in the air and flowers everywhere at Wayne Wood and Lana Shuttleworth’s historic Riverside home for the epic gathering of Wayne Woodstock 2.0. There were good vibrations all around at the private party with over 500 people. The festival was a great way to counter the negativity of world events and political […]
Cold weather underscores all-too-real homeless experience for youth
Vowing “no matter the temperature or weather,” Family Promise’s major fundraiser, Cardboard City was held Nov. 16 at Southside United Methodist Church as temperatures plunged into the 40s, giving participants a true taste of what the homeless in Jacksonville encounter each winter. Individuals, families or groups spent the chilly night in cardboard boxes, tents and […]
Eagle Scout strives to tidy up historic cemetery
Under the leadership of prospective Eagle Scout Will Weinbecker of St. Nicholas, the Historic St. Nicholas Cemetery got a much-needed spruce up Nov. 4 thanks to the efforts of Boy Scout Troop 106 from Assumption Catholic Church and more than 20 neighborhood residents. A sophomore at Bishop Kenny, Weinbecker lives within shouting distance of the […]
Florida Ballet dancers raise awareness for shelter pets
Taking advantage of a social media trend, dancers of the Florida Ballet Conservatory took time from their rigorous schedule to visit the City of Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Service facility on Forest Avenue to pose with shelter dogs and kittens. Many dancers post photos of themselves in pose with their own pets, but Riverside […]
No room at the Inn
For fifty Beaches residents who recently became homeless as the result of a devastating fire at the Seawalk Hotel (which also houses the Beaches Rescue Recovery Mission), a Christmas miracle is definitely in order. Now these former residents of the Seawalk Hotel face the same dilemma faced by the family of the Christ child on […]
