DrewDixon's blog

Last modified 8/23/2008 - 6:44 am
Originally created 082308

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Specifics on the cruise-ship complex raise more concerns from Mayport residents.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

MAYPORT - As Jacksonville Port Authority officials unveil more details about a proposed cruise ship terminal, more opposition is voiced from residents, who said this week pollution from the ships will wreck the fishing village that was established in 1562.

By Drew Dixon

Shorelines Staff Writer 

Beaches streets swelled with flooding for the few hours on either side of high tide at about 12:45 p.m. Friday as Fay lashed the coastline for a third straight day.
The worst flooding was in Jacksonville Beach where streets were swollen with water between the shoreline west to Third Street. Motorists had to plow through water that was often almost a foot deep and traffic was at a crawl for hours. Many streets between First and Second streets were blocked by police who used yellow police tape to prevent access to the roadways near the ocean.
“The police were using the tape to warn drivers to not go through,” said Sgt. Thomas Bingham, Jacksonville Beach police spokesman. “The tape might still be up but we’ll try to get it down. We couldn’t put up barricades.”
There was no unique area of flooding in Jacksonville Beach. Bingham said it was widespread near the coast. “Everywhere from First Street to Third Street, down [south] to the county line.”
In Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach, flooding was limited, but was most noticeable on Atlantic Boulevard running through the Town Center commercial district.
“That’s one of the locations that we expected,” said Atlantic Beach Police Chief David Thompson. “We knew we’d have some [flooding] there in Town Center. I don’t think it got into any buildings, but it certainly covered the road."
Beyond the spotty street flooding, both Thompson and Bingham said the Beaches have come through “relatively good” in the third day of dealing with Fay. Both also said they expect much of the flooding to subside as the tides recede and rains from the tropical storm ease.
“The water levels are pretty high in the lagoons and the ponds right now. But we shouldn’t have any flooding in any homes or buildings,” Thompson said.
Atlantic Beach appears to be the area with the greatest beach erosion due to heavy surf from Fay, Thompson said. It will take some time to finish an assessment, but he expects erosion to be significant.
“The biggest area of damage, if you want to call it that, is going to be beach erosion. We’ll look at it over the next few days and figure out how much beach erosion we got,” Thompson said.
Residents seemed to heed orders by all Beaches law enforcement that the beaches were closed today and there were no reported rescues of any swimmers going into the rough surf, such as Thursday when a 21-year-old woman drowned.
She died when she and two men went into the water about 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Atlantic Boulevard beach access in Neptune Beach.
Neptune Beach Police Chief David Sembach Friday identified the woman as Rachel Ann Reed of Valparaiso, Ind. Her two companions in the water were 24-year-old Christopher Colella and 20-year-old Adam Colella, both of Crown Point, Ind. The men were not injured.
Witnesses said the three went into the ocean and quickly became overwhelmed in waist-deep water. The woman was seen unconscious in the water as one of the men was able to make it back to shore on his own power and the other man had to be helped out by witnesses.

Last modified 8/7/2008 - 11:07 pm
Originally created 080908

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More of the "low-speed vehicles" are turning up on roads at the Beaches.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

As gas prices continue to hover around $4 a gallon, more "low-speed vehicles," also called bubble cars, are popping up in Beaches traffic.

Last modified 8/11/2008 - 9:20 pm
Originally created 081308
  
In Atlantic Beach, residents are being asked to change the plan they voted for last fall.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

ATLANTIC BEACH - The City Commission voted Monday to approve the wording to a proposed referendum that says commissioners wouldn't have to live in the districts they represent.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

Two of surfing's earliest professional world champions will attend Saturday's Jacksonville premiere of Bustin' Down the Door, a documentary film that chronicles how short surfboards have impacted the sport.

Shaun Tomson and Peter Townend will take part in the event at 6:30 p.m. at the Regal Cinema, 14051 Beach Blvd. Townend, also known as P.T., and Tomson star in the documentary, which traces how short boards challenged surfing's traditions that originated in Hawaii in the 1970s.

Last modified 8/1/2008 - 2:46 am
Originally created 080208
  
A participant in the kingfish tournament says his vessel was nearly rammed.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

Two law enforcement agencies are investigating reports of "boat rage" in which a participant in the AT&T Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament said his vessel was damaged when he was nearly rammed by a boat carrying scuba divers about 50 miles east of Mayport.

073008 neshorelines 2 drew.dixon@shorelines.com Some Ponte Vedra residents deal with wildly fluctuating bills and bad water.--> Last modified 7/30/2008 - 6:59 am
Originally created 073008
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Some Ponte Vedra residents deal with wildly fluctuating bills and bad water.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - St. Johns County's recent purchase of Intercoastal Utilities water and sewer service is causing some mistakes in billing and issues with water quality, which government managers acknowledge need to be worked out in the period of transition.

Last modified 7/22/2008 - 12:36 am
Originally created 072308
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By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

NEPTUNE BEACH - A veteran of three decades at the city's police department, Lt. Joan Hermann retired Friday, but not before leaving the department's communication system in better shape than she found it.

072308 neshorelines 2 drew.dixon@shorelines.com NEPTUNE BEACH - Despite late spring and early summer concerns about a crush on parking at Town Center, the City Council agreed Monday to drop any plans to increase parking control at the popular commercial hub.--> Last modified 7/22/2008 - 12:36 am
Originally created 072308

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By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

NEPTUNE BEACH - Despite late spring and early summer concerns about a crush on parking at Town Center, the City Council agreed Monday to drop any plans to increase parking control at the popular commercial hub.

Last modified 7/18/2008 - 2:02 am
Originally created 071908
  
Atlantic Beach let him go after finding he used excessive force in 2004.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

ATLANTIC BEACH - A Florida appeals court has ruled a man fired from the city's police department three years ago on charges of using excessive force while arresting a juvenile should to be reinstated to his job as an officer.