Top Stories

The latest news and biggest stories from both sides of the river.

Park Street ‘pool’ prevented with new drains

Park Street ‘pool’ prevented with new drains

Residents on a one-block stretch of Park Street are relieved that a longtime, serious drainage problem has been finally corrected. For years, downpours have created puddles large enough to slow traffic to a crawl. The problem began about six to eight years ago after the City of Jacksonville resurfaced Park Street, according to Susan Fraser, […]

Neighbors spearhead Largo Well Park makeover

Neighbors spearhead Largo Well Park makeover

San Marco’s 92-year-old Largo Well Park, home to many a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and other informal community gatherings over the years, is in dire need of a makeover. Plants in the park are overgrown and scraggly. The irrigation system is on the fritz and the artesian well, which sits in the center of the […]

San Marco residents preview Jackson Square plans

San Marco residents preview Jackson Square plans

Parking, security, and the density of the as-yet unplanned second phase of a new Jackson Square development were a few of the concerns posed by San Marco residents during a town hall meeting May 22 at Preservation Hall. Chance Partners Judd Bobilin of Orlando and Jeff Rosen of San Jose were on hand to answer […]

Developer appeals Historic Preservation Commission ruling

Developer appeals Historic Preservation Commission ruling

Builder/remodeler John Wells, owner of Classic American Building and Remodeling, Inc. is appealing a March 22 decision by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission to save a house at 1423 Rensselaer Ave. in Avondale from demolition. After the Planning and Development Department denied John Wells’ request to demolish the (at minimum) 86-year-old, 477-square-foot house, the builder/remodeler […]

New playground coming for Murray Hill children

New playground coming for Murray Hill children

Thanks to the efforts of a few Murray Hill residents who petitioned District 14 Councilman Jim Love for “equal time” when it comes to playgrounds, parents with young children will now have a safe, close place to take their youngsters. For the past 10 years, Nathan and Candace White have lived a block from Four […]

Former Riverside grammar school sold for taxes again

Former Riverside grammar school sold for taxes again

Once again, the Annie Lytle Elementary School on Gilmore and Chelsea Streets has been acquired in a tax certificate auction. The building was purchased for $106,800 in back taxes, according to the Duval County Clerk of the Courts, who was not able to divulge the name of the buyer. The historic school, which is surrounded […]

Handling of JSYO business leaves donors, students puzzled

Handling of JSYO business leaves donors, students puzzled

For more than two decades, Scott Gregg, 51, has lifted the baton for thousands of young musicians – 2,250 to be exact – as principal conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra. Despite accolades from his students, Maestro Gregg, as he is called, was notified of his release from the JSYO just prior to his […]

City Council approves REV grant for Bishopgate riverwalk

When TriBridge Residential of Atlanta received Jacksonville City Council approval Feb. 28 to rezone two parcels on Bishopgate Lane for the purposes of building a new 125-unit apartment complex in Riverside, the bill for the planned unit development was passed with a contingency for an improved riverwalk behind the building, a neighborhood amenity sought by […]