Jacksonville Beach, District 2
Community Newsletter
June 2019
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JB Council Voted to Contract Jax Beach Fire Services to the City of Jacksonville

On May 20, the City Council voted to contract Jacksonville Beach's fire services to the City of Jacksonville by a 4-3 vote (Doherty, Hoffman, Nichols, and Vogelsang in favor; Dumont, Golding, and Latham opposed).

An effort to have the issue moved to a ballot initiative so that voters could have input into the decision was defeated by a 3-4 vote (Dumont, Golding, and Latham in favor; Doherty, Hoffman, Nichols, and Vogelsang opposed).

For this transfer of service to be finalized, Jacksonville's City Council will need to vote to approve the contract. If they approve the contract, then JBFD personnel, apparatus, and equipment will be moved to JFRD no sooner than October 1, 2019.
Below is the video of the council meeting where this was voted on. The video starts at this specific agenda item.
Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.
904.486.6865
June Events
6/9
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Jax Beach Jazz Concert Series , Seawalk Pavilion

6/11
12:00 pm - 10:00 pm Great Atlantic Music Festival, Seawalk Pavilion

6/20
2:30 pm Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard Challenge , Jax Beach Lifeguard Station

6/22
7:00 am Super Grom Surf Festival , North Side of Jax Beach Pier

10:00 am - 5:00 pm Summer Arts Market , Latham Plaza

6/28
9:00 pm Moonlight Movies: Bumblebee , Seawalk Pavilion

Click here for more information and events.
Congratulations to
Police Chief Gene Paul Smith
On May 20, City Council voted to confirm the appointment of Gene Paul Smith to lead the Jacksonville Beach Police Department as its next Chief of Police. He was selected out of 67 applicants for the position.
Chief Smith is a resident of Jacksonville Beach and has been a member of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department for the past 24 years, where he served as a Commander for the past 16 years.
Please join me in congratulating Chief Smith on his well-earned promotion!
Downtown Jax Beach
The following properties/projects are new large-scale developments in downtown Jacksonville Beach:


SpringHill Suites (Current location of the Pier Cantina restaurant)
Rooms: 136
Height:56' (5 stories)
Element Hotel (southeast corner of Beach Blvd. and 3rd Street)
Rooms: 80
Height: 35' (3 stories)
(oceanfront lot north of Casa Marina)
Rooms: 202
Height: 89' (eight stories)
Dolphin Depot (across 1st St from Margaritaville)
Rooms: 57 hotel rooms, 54 apartments
Height: 68' (6 stories)
Short Term Rentals
Jax Beach has many short-term rental properties and the vast majority of them are run well with no negative impact to those who live around the location. However, there are exceptions.
Jax Beach does not currently have any ordinances that pertain to these rentals. Moreover, the state of Florida has prohibited cities from enacting restrictions on short term rentals based on length of stay or through zoning.
To address the concerns of those who are currently being negatively impacted by these establishments, and to plan for continued growth of this specific type of rental, Council is discussing the best way to meet the concerns of our residents while also having a minimal impact on those who have short-term rentals but do not negatively impact the neighborhoods where they are located.
In April, Council had a briefing where we started discussing proposed legislation. Below are the documents that were discussed.
Memo from the City Attorney, Denise May
Draft Ordinance for Short Term Rentals
Draft Resolution for Short Term Rentals
Council will have another briefing to discuss this issue more on June 3 at 5:30 pm in Council Chamber Conference room. If Council decides at the briefing to move forward, it will then go to the Planning Commission on June 10 at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers. Next, Council will vote on the ordinance on June 17 , then on July 15 , both at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers. (Changes to an ordinance require two readings).
Here is the section of the workshop in April when Council was initially briefed on this issue.

It’s Hurricane Season!

While we also hope for the best, we should plan for the worst. The 2019 hurricane season starts on June 1. To help Floridians prepare, the state has authorized as sales tax holiday on emergency items from May 31 - June 6.

More information can be found here .


Together, we will make a difference.
Let's continue work together to ensure that Jacksonville Beach remains one of the greatest places to call home! Reach out if you have any questions or concerns about what is happening in your neighborhood or City.
Cell phone: 904.486.6865