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
Get away from it all, and enjoy the clams, on remote Cedar Key
CEDAR KEY — You don’t get here easily. Unending miles through forest and farmland to a spit of small islands where clams are king, history is rich and people are scarce.You would never know Cedar Key was once a bustling Gulf Coast seaport, the primary transit point where goods arriving by ship from Central America were loaded on the state’s first railroad bound for the bustling docks of Fernandina Beach and the East Coast.A booming pencil industry emerged here during the 19th century under the flag of Eberhart Faber, exploiting the region’s namesake cedar forests.To the south, Tampa emerged as a new port of entry, resulting in the shutdown of the Cedar Key railroad in 1932, and these islands have been frozen in time ever since.To give you a sense of Cedar Key’s separation from civilization, the nearest interstate highway (I-75) is 60 miles east.Oh, those sweet clamsCedar Key’s claim to fame today is its shellfish industry, clams farmed across … [Read more...] about Get away from it all, and enjoy the clams, on remote Cedar Key
Senators wade into legal thicket of Miami-Dade vegetable garden
Growing your own food may be as American as apple pie, but it’s a no-no for gardeners who happen to live in Miami Shores and want to plant veggies in their own front yard. Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll are asking the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a long-running dispute with the Village of Miami Shores, which passed an ordinance four years ago banning front-yard vegetable gardens like the one the couple had maintained for nearly two decades. The ordinance also allowed the village to impose fines of up to $50 per day for noncompliance. Ricketts and Carroll turned to the state high court, which hasn’t decided yet whether it will accept the case, after two lower courts sided with Miami Shores and upheld the regulation. In the meantime, a powerful state senator has taken up the couple’s cause, with a proposal that would prohibit local governments from telling homeowners where they can plant their veggies. And Tuesday, a Senate committee backed the proposal. … [Read more...] about Senators wade into legal thicket of Miami-Dade vegetable garden