Amelia Island, Florida will host the Amelia Island Songwriter Festival August 27th to the 31st, 2008. Songwriters can gain Continue reading
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Category Archives: News
No Back to School Tax Break
If you were waiting for the ten day sales tax holiday to shop for school and hurricane supplies, forget it. Florida lawmakers have chopped the popular event that saved consumers a whopping $41 million during the 2007 tax holiday.
Almost all of the state’s money comes from sales tax and this year the state just cannot afford the holiday for residents. Expect retailers to advertise sharp discounts to get consumers into their stores to attract more shoppers.
Watch the ads, shop with a list and look for items on clearance racks to get your best deals.
Ameliaman
On Saturday, October 4th, 2008, Gatorade, Open Road Bicycles and Hammer Nutrition are sponsoring the 1st triathlon to be held on Amelia Island. The Atlantic Coast Triathlon will feature Continue reading
Marketing Florida
Richard Goldman, Chief Marketing Officer of the Amelia Island Plantation, will serve as chairman of the board for Visit Florida, the official marketing company for the state’s tourism industry.
Goldman will chair the board for fiscal year 2008-09, which began on July 1 and brings more than 30 years of broad marketing experience to this position.
He is currently responsible for marketing the Amelia Island Plantation. A 1,350 acre, AAA-Four Diamond resort located about 30 miles north of the Jacksonville International Airport nestled among the Atlantic Ocean, scenic marshlands and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Risky Business
Two Nassau County entertainment venues were shut down after being raided. Continue reading
What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Governor
Fernandina Beach could have lost federal grant money if found in violation of the Florida’s Resign to Run law, which prohibits government employees from running for partisan political office if they are employed on programs financed with federal loans or grants. The State Elections Office determined in February that Continue reading
Beach Access for Thousands, Could Be Lost to a Few
53 beachfront properties located in the county near Peter’s Point want to be annexed into the city limits to restrict beach driving and further reduce beach access to all other residents and visitors. Continue reading
Quick Fix Bouillabaisse
If you live on an island where seafood is a main staple in everyone’s freezer and weekly new catches create the need to keep a certain turn around frequency, a Bouillabaisse may be a great way to clean out the deep-freeze. Continue reading
County Feeling Rising Fuel Costs
Rising fuel costs have caused the Nassau County Commission to restrict county employees from taking home county vehicles. Nearly 40 employees currently take their cars home. Only employees who average at least 32 after-hour service calls in a year will be authorized to drive their vehicles home, reducing the number to about 14. That is a substantial reduction in fuel and maintenance expenses for the county.
Feeding the Hungry
An 11-year-old from South Florida, Jack Davis, brought about the Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act after learning that restaurants throw leftover food away rather than donate it because of liability concerns. Now our own, Ritz-Carlton, Continue reading
EMMA LOVE HARDEE WINS $10,000
GOVERNOR CRIST SIGNS BILL TO REQUIRE PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES K-5
Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation requiring that elementary students at public schools receive an average of 30 minutes physical education each day. The goal is to encourage young students to choose an active lifestyle that will last a lifetime.
“Florida has the unique potential to become a national leader Continue reading
Rehabilitating Pete
A deteriorating landmark in historic Fernandina Beach, one who stood proudly as a symbol of community fellowship at the old Welcome Center at the waterfront, was recently hijacked by the Fernandina Pirates Club who coordinated the restoration and unveiling of the wooden sculpture of a pirate.
A community-wide contest to name the statue was won by the students of Emma Love Hardee and Peg Leg first took his place on October 14, 1978. Originally carved from a single ten foot piece of live oak by artist Wayne Ervin, it took the cooperative spirit of an additional two dozen volunteers and contributors to bring the historic landmark to life. Pete, as Peg Leg became fondly known, is reported to be the single most photographed icon in Fernandina Beach. When Eric Childers was the president of the Fernandina Pirates Club, he approached his crew about the project to restore their comrade and was met with an overwhelming commitment to accept the responsibility to patch up the acclaimed pirate.
Since 1973, the pirates have been responsive to the tangible needs of our community such as promoting the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, local charity events and are the sole sponsor of a scholarship contest provided each year to Nassau County High School Seniors. Though mostly thought of as fun-seekers who only hand out beads at local parades, these Pirates do a whole lot more!
But, when the club took a closer look at Peg Leg, they realized he had lost over half of his original weight and in fact, he was in worse shape than anyone had imagined. “This is going to take more than a face-lift and a paint job,” members teased. His fragile core was hollow in many places from insect damage, his rotting wood was crumbling apart and a bird had even built a nest in his weathered head. With the welding skills of Container Corporation and the professionals with the City’s Street Division, Peg Leg was transported into the care of the Pirate Club’s membership to undergo several weeks of intense rehabilitation and therapy.
On November 10, 2007, the Fernandina Pirates Club proudly unveiled Peg Leg Pete, refurbished and restored. The Sign Shoppe provided a new dedication plaque and Rafloski Photography documented the exciting event. On December 4, 2007, the City Commission of Fernandina Beach presented a formal Proclamation to the Fernandina Pirates Club in appreciation of “their efforts in restoring the City’s beloved Pirate, Peg Leg Pete, which has been a landmark in our downtown for over 30 years.”
The Pirates would like to formally thank all of those who felt connected to “rehabilitating Pete.”
Discovery lifts off for space station
CAPE CANAVERAL Shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts blasted out of the Kennedy Space Center today on a mission to deliver the last of the major science laboratories to the International Space Station.
Japan’s Kibo science complex, the largest piece of the station to be launched on a U.S. space shuttle, will join U.S., Russian and European laboratories on the orbiting outpost. Kibo will be attached to the space station on Tuesday and open for business on Wednesday if all goes as planned. The long-awaited launch of Kibo was held up, along with the overall construction of the space station, by the 2003 Columbia accident.