Latest news with #CurtisFord
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlantic Beach considering cutting contract with Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department
After years of paying millions in taxpayer money to the City of Jacksonville for fire rescue services through the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, the City of Atlantic Beach is asking whether it should be paying at all. The conversation came up in an Atlantic Beach City Commission meeting on April 28th, when Mayor Curtis Ford brought up his concerns with continuing the city's contract with JFRD. Read: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers set to retire, city confirms 'Fire services are a county service and, therefore, should be paid by the county,' Ford said during the meeting. City commissioners said Atlantic Beach pays more than $1 million every year to the City of Jacksonville for fire rescue services. The money is used for staffing, equipment, and fire engines inside of Atlantic Beach's fire station, which the city owns. But since Atlantic Beach leaders pointed out Neptune Beach doesn't pay a cent for fire services from the City of Jacksonville, it doesn't believe it should have to do so, either. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'We shouldn't have paid last year, that was my thinking, and I don't think we should pay another penny after this year,' said Commissioner Jessica Ring during the April meeting. The contract for fire services between Atlantic Beach and the City of Jacksonville recently expired. Atlantic Beach leaders initially had a plan to slowly stop paying Jacksonville for fire services over the next three years. But Mayor Ford called the plan generous, saying he doesn't believe another dollar should be paid. 'I'm very concerned about this, and this is the time to take action,' said Ford. The City of Jacksonville could not provide an interview with Action News Jax, but did provide a statement: 'Over the past year, the City of Jacksonville and City of Atlantic Beach have been reviewing the interlocal agreement between the two cities. These discussions are ongoing. No decision has been made yet about fire services. Mayors Deegan and Ford will be meeting soon to discuss further.' We asked the city of Atlantic Beach how fires would be managed in the city if it were to cut its contract with JFRD. The city told us it is working on arranging an interview with us to help answer this question. The City of Jacksonville tells us the mayors of the two cities are expected to meet next week to discuss fire services. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Keep your animals inside': Reported coyote attacks under investigation in Atlantic Beach
The hunt is on for an aggressive coyote in Atlantic Beach. In the last 24 hours, a coyote bit one person and injured a dog. These attacks were confirmed to Action News Jax by the Atlantic Beach Police Department. But Facebook posts suggest there could have been additional attacks. All of these incidents appear to center around the Begonia Street area. 'Right now, because we had several incidents in a 24-hour period, it's appropriate that you keep your animals inside the home and don't let them run loose,' Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford said. We spoke with Mayor Ford and Atlantic Beach Police Chief Victor Gualillo to get an update on the investigation. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'We believe it's one coyote,' Gualillo said. 'The ones we've seen out there from reports from the citizens, we believe it is one coyote. We don't believe it is rabid. Nothing about the behavior of the coyote suggests anything unusual.' However, these incidents are leaving residents unsettled. Katie Pacetti is a mother of a 3-year-old and a dog owner. She saw the coyote firsthand Wednesday morning. She said she's not taking any chances with her babies. 'I'm definitely probably not going to let either one of them in the yard by themselves at all until the coyote is taken care of,' Pacetti said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Gualillo said police only learned about the coyote through a social media post Wednesday morning. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the investigation. They sent us this statement: 'The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is aware of recent reports of human-coyote incidents in the City of Atlantic Beach between April 29 and April 30, 2025. Staff are currently investigating the reported incidents and are in contact with the City. 'Unprovoked aggressive behavior from coyotes is unusual. If a coyote is approaching people closely, allowing people to approach closely, or acting in an aggressive manner, we ask that people contact the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (8922). More information about coyotes in Florida can be found at We also asked FWC if they believe the coyote is rabid and how they are going about trapping it. They said they could not comment on it at this time. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Donte Jackson steps down as Grambling Basketball coach
Story by: Curtis Ford; Grambling State Athletics GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University men's basketball head coach Donte Jackson has announced that he is resigning as head coach effective immediately. GSU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Trayvean D. Scott announced that a focused national search for the next leader of the Grambling State men's basketball program will begin immediately. 'We deeply appreciate Coach Donte Jackson's dedication, leadership, and impact on Grambling State basketball,' said Scott. 'His commitment to excellence has elevated our program and inspired our student-athletes. We thank him for his service and wish him success in his next chapter.' Under Coach Jackson, the G-Men reach new levels of success, capturing multiple Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Regular Season Titles, a SWAC Tournament Championship and a trip to NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time in GSU's Division I program history. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
