Neighborhood News

All the latest news from the neighborhoods in our coverage areas.

Small business grant program depleted funds on first day

Less than a week after the Jacksonville City Council passed a bill authorizing $2,000 grants to small businesses whose incomes were crushed by the Coronavirus, all 4,500 grants available had been spoken for and there was a waiting list. On May 26, City Council members voted unanimously to approve The Small Business Relief bill sponsored […]

Residents expand lawsuit against San Jose Estates development

Residents expand lawsuit against San Jose Estates development

If they say a picture is worth 1,000 words, Kevin Schoeppel says he has photographs to show the court that are worth 10,000.  As the lawyer representing Kevin Conner and Lynne and David Robison of the San Jose Forest Subdivision, who are suing the developer of San Jose Estates LLC for water damage to their […]

Plans for pedestrian-friendly JEA headquarters move forward

Plans for pedestrian-friendly JEA headquarters move forward

The Jacksonville Electric Authority is closer to starting construction on a sleek new multi-story headquarters and parking garage downtown, after the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) gave its final approval to the project June 12, although the final version will not be as tall as developers had originally envisioned. Last year, plans for the headquarters […]

Skybridge links Baptist Medical Center to parking garage

Skybridge links Baptist Medical Center to parking garage

With an American flag shining forth within its glassy interior, Baptist Health and DPR/Perry-McCall Construction, Inc. used two 550-ton cranes to lift a new, steel and glass skybridge into place over Memorial Day weekend. The bridge, which weighs approximately 110 tons, is 85 feet long and 10 feet wide and will link Baptist Medical Center […]

Protesters remain calm as they march in San Marco

Protesters remain calm as they march in San Marco

Although rumors on social media tried to fuel fear among residents who didn’t know what to expect, San Marco’s “I Can’t Breathe Solidarity Reflection Walk,” which took place in George Floyd’s honor, turned out to be exactly what it was advertised to be, a peaceful protest. On June 3, between 1,500 and 3,000 community members […]

Residents to go to court to resolve contract dispute with dredging company

Residents to go to court to resolve contract dispute with dredging company

Millers Creek Special Tax District residents were “furious,” to learn the Texas-based company they had contracted with to dredge the waterway by their homes had walked off the job in early March citing the COVID-19 pandemic and has filed a lawsuit to terminate its contract, while demanding the board pay $250 an hour in standby […]

Balis Park seating available for weekend take-out diners

Balis Park seating available for weekend take-out diners

Keeping social distancing in mind, San Marco area residents and their friends now have an opportunity to visit with one another – albeit distantly – over a meal in Balis Park. In the first official in-person social event since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March, the San Marco Merchants Association (SMMA) and the San Marco […]

Mourning a loved one during the Coronavirus pandemic

Mourning a loved one during the Coronavirus pandemic

When it comes to mourning the death of a loved one, “there is no textbook way to grieve,” said Jody Brandenburg, president of Hardage Giddens Funeral Homes and Cemeteries, which owns 10 funeral facilities including Hardage-Giddens Riverside Memorial Park & Funeral Home and Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel & Cemetery in San Marco. His words perfectly describe […]