An overnight fire in Fernandina Beach destroyed a locally owned business next Tiger Point Marina, said the Fernandina Beach Fire Department. Heavy flames engulfed the Ocean Outboard Marina boat shop around 11:30 Monday night. Firefighters were alerted to the fire after someone drove by the business and saw the flames. No one was injured in the fire that destroyed the business, according to the fire department. The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. Copyright 2018 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Fire destroys local business in Fernandina Beach
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Fernandina Beach surfer details struggle with shark that bit him
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After two shark bites within minutes of each other in the waters off Fernandina Beach, one of the victims detailed the harrowing experience as he recovered Monday at a Jacksonville hospital. From his hospital bed at Baptist Medical Center, Dustin Theobald recounted being bitten by a shark Friday afternoon while he was surfing with his 8-year-old son. More Headlines 2 bitten by sharks at Fernandina Beach Tennessee girl bitten by shark while vacationing on St. Simons Island "It happened so fast," Theobald told News4Jax. "I think, when he grabbed, I closed my eyes because the pressure was on there and I just kind of swung down and palmed it." As Theobald relived the experience that most people think of as their worst nightmare, he did so with a sense of humor. "Your adrenaline is pumping. Everything's going," he said. "I saw people I knew on the beach. Like, one of the lifeguards was my friend's little sister and she came over … [Read more...] about Fernandina Beach surfer details struggle with shark that bit him
Social Security ‘clerical error’ says Fernandina man dead, but he’s very much alive
A Fernandina man, who is very much alive, was marked dead by the Social Security Administration last October.John Perry said he couldn’t access his bank account but didn’t realize it was the source of a deeper problem.“I own a detailing business and I had recently changed names, so I figured it would resolve itself over a few weeks,” Perry said. Perry said other problems began when he tried submitting rent payments the front office refused to accept them.“They told me they couldn’t accept my payments and that I needed to contact their lawyer,” he said.Perry said he was told by apartment management that it was believed he was committing identity theft. He realized why, after he was pulled over in February and a deputy told him that he wasn’t alive according to records.“At first I thought it was a joke and then he told me he didn’t want to deal with the paperwork, so he told me to leave,” he said.Perry said he was … [Read more...] about Social Security ‘clerical error’ says Fernandina man dead, but he’s very much alive
Dead humpback whale washes ashore on Fernandina Beach
A dead humpback whale that washed onto Fernandina Beach early Sunday is the latest in an alarming increase in fatalities for the federally endangered mammal. And as biologists autopsied the 31-foot-long juvenile whale on the beach Monday, they said this is the furthest south any dead humpback has been found after two years of increasing mortality rates for the creature along the East Coast. “It was a juvenile humpback, and they did a necropsy on the beach and took samples so they will hopefully find out the cause of its demise. It was a male,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker said. “NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] said this was the first humpback whale that has washed up this far south. They have had an unusual mortality event for humpbacks in the past few years, which is why they are paying attention to this one.” Humpback whales, or Megaptera novaeangliae, start out at about 15 feet long and … [Read more...] about Dead humpback whale washes ashore on Fernandina Beach
TU Girls Basketball Power Poll: Fleming Island, Fernandina Beach move up
The girls high school basketball Power Poll will run Friday’s through the end of the regular season. Records are through Thursday Jan. 25 games. Rank, team, record, classification, previous 1. Nease (19-3, Class 7A), 1 Quality wins: Bartram Trail (twice), Homestead, Wisc., Melbourne, Menendez, Middleburg (twice), Ponte Vedra, Rockledge, St. Augustine, Spruce Creek, West, Calif., Notable: The Panthers enjoyed their first week as the area’s top-ranked team with a pair of comfortable wins. Nease routed a very good Menendez team 43-9, and then beat a quality Bartram team 42-30 in the St. Johns River Athletic Conference tournament. It faces area No. 2 Fleming Island on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) for the conference crown. It will be a chance to atone for one of its three losses this season. Fleming beat Nease 64-62 in the second game of the year. 2. Fleming Island (21-3, Class 8A), 3 Quality wins: Bartram Trail, First Coast, Middleburg (twice), Nease, Oakleaf, Orange Park, … [Read more...] about TU Girls Basketball Power Poll: Fleming Island, Fernandina Beach move up
Many stories to tell about the old school in Fernandina Beach, built 90 years ago in segregated South
FERNANDINA BEACH | Every old building has many stories, and here’s just one of the thousands from the Peck School, though it’s likely the only one featuring an outspoken granny who arrived on the scene in a rocking chair set up in the back of a ramshackle pickup truck, “Beverly Hillbillies” style. The Peck School, a pretty two-story brick building, would never have existed if not for a now-largely forgotten campaign by the Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and the black educator Booker T. Washington. They were visionaries who helped build thousands of black schools across the segregated South. Those schools eventually educated one in three black students in the region. Two of those students, in Peck’s class of 1949, were Charles Albert, a country boy from Nassauville, and Ernie Tyson, the pretty valedictorian. Ernie asked Charles to the prom that year. It’s not as if she had many choices: He was one of just three boys in the graduating class, … [Read more...] about Many stories to tell about the old school in Fernandina Beach, built 90 years ago in segregated South
Sheriff’s Office: Fernandina Beach baby dies in bathtub left with toddler sister
A 14-month-old baby is dead after her 22-year-old mother found her submerged in a tub in their Fernandina Beach home Tuesday afternoon, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bill Leeper said the baby and her 3-year-old sister were in the bathtub at their home on Linda Hall Road when the mother left the room “for a few minutes.” When she came back, the younger girl was underwater. Emergency officials were called about 1:20 p.m., and deputies who responded gave the baby CPR until rescue personnel transported her to the hospital. The child was pronounced deceased about 2:20 p.m., and the case remains under investigation, Leeper said. “Unfortunately this tragedy was totally preventable and is a sad reminder that when your child is in or near the water, you need to keep your eyes on them at all times,” Leeper said. Deputies have responded to a few previous calls at this address, including neighbors fighting and gunshots heard in the … [Read more...] about Sheriff’s Office: Fernandina Beach baby dies in bathtub left with toddler sister
Sheriff’s Office: Fernandina Beach baby dies in bathtub
A 14-month-old baby is dead after her mother found her submerged in a tub in their Fernandina Beach home Tuesday afternoon, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bill Leeper said the baby and her 3-year-old sister were in the bathtub at a home on Linda Hall Road when the mother left the room “for a few minutes.” When she came back, the younger girl was underwater. Emergency officials were called about 1:20 p.m., and deputies who responded gave the baby CPR until Nassau County Rescue transported her to Baptist-Nassau Hospital. The child was pronounced deceased at 2:21 p.m., Leeper said. The Times-Union and Jacksonville.com will have more information on the investigation as it becomes available. … [Read more...] about Sheriff’s Office: Fernandina Beach baby dies in bathtub
Saturday Editorial: Readers offer observations on the Jags success — and what it means for our city
The Jaguars have sparked a level of enthusiasm in this city that many say hasn’t been seen in some time. So what do you think a winning sports team means for a city like ours? Do you think it can genuinely bring a community together? The members of our interactive Reader Email Group responded with lots of thoughtful observations — as always! ^ HONESTLY APATHETIC I can honestly say that I really don’t care about the Jaguars. NFL players are paid way too much. Tickets are way too high. And I didn’t appreciate the Jaguars kneeling during the national anthem, especially in another country. My husband spent 22 years in the Navy defending the flag and this country. Patricia Bohanan, St. Augustine A BIG BOOST FOR JACKSONVILLE I think this has been a big boost for Jacksonville. We have been Jaguars fans since they got the franchise. And we are delighted to see how far they have come. My husband and I feel that having Tom Coughlin back in the … [Read more...] about Saturday Editorial: Readers offer observations on the Jags success — and what it means for our city
State website proposed by Sen. Bean posts unsolved homicide victim and info from around Florida
A new state website that lists about 400 unsolved homicide cases from throughout Florida has been posted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. More than half (233) of the cases posted are Jacksonville victims, the furthest back being 19-year-old Reginald Berring killed in 1990. Sen. Aaron Bean worked with the department to create the website, featuring unsolved homicides submitted by local law enforcement agencies. The website, at web.fdle.state.fl.us/unsolvedcases. The idea came about when the Fernandina Beach Republican chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice. “In Florida the bad guys are never off the hook,” said Bean, who represents parts of Nassau and Duval counties. “Our goal is to arrest the criminals who committed these crimes. By empowering our citizens, they can help local law enforcement agencies by providing tips on these cases.” “Florida’s local law enforcement agencies work tirelessly on … [Read more...] about State website proposed by Sen. Bean posts unsolved homicide victim and info from around Florida