Latest news with #NortheastFlorida
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Florida Coastal Contractors Relaunch Services in St. Augustine and St. Johns County
06/09/2025, St. Augustine, FL // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // This month marks the beginning of a new chapter in outdoor living for Northeast Florida. Florida Coastal Contractors unveiled the relaunch of its premium paver installation services. Homeowners across St. Augustine and St. Johns County can now have pavers, from sunlit patios to winding walkways, from elegant pool decks to refined sidewalks, which are both sustainable and inspirational. Florida Coastal Contractors has extensive regional experience and a proven record of delivering durable results. It remains a leader among contractors offering paver installation services in Northeast Florida. The company implements site-specific preparation techniques, including subgrade stabilization, proper slope grading, and compaction testing, to ensure each installation meets structural and environmental demands. These techniques form the first line of defense against water intrusion, ground settlement, and premature surface breakdown. This level of efficiency reflects the expert paver installation St. Augustine FL homeowners trust to deliver durable, visually striking results. Its relaunched installation includes paver patios, walkways, sidewalks, and pool decks, embodying Florida Coastal Contractors' start-to-finish approach to outdoor design. Every project begins with a personalized consultation, where the team evaluates the site, discusses the client's goals, and offers expert guidance on selecting paver materials, patterns, and colors that complement the home's architecture. As experienced paver patio contractors, the team takes detailed measurements, assesses elevations, and develops a custom layout that ensures both functionality and visual appeal. This collaborative process sets the standard for paver installation that homeowners trust, ensuring cohesive, durable, and lasting surfaces. What distinguishes Florida Coastal Contractors LLC from typical paver patio installers is its ability to engineer surfaces that endure Florida's punishing climate. Florida is a region where intense sun, torrential rain, and coastal salt air can erode lesser work. Patios should be designed to resist fading, cracking, and drainage failures. With that, paver walkways should also be made with materials and grading techniques that are selected to handle heat and heavy use. For those seeking seamless paver sidewalk installation, meanwhile, the company's attention to drainage and edge stability ensures long-term performance in even the most challenging conditions. This level of climate-specific craftsmanship has not only ensured structural longevity but it has also earned the trust of property owners across the region. Its team's successful installation jobs are backed by a 4.80 average rating from 95 reviews and backed by a BBB+ accreditation. These positive reviews underscore the company's consistent delivery of resilient, high-performing outdoor spaces tailored to Florida's demanding climate. With the relaunch of its premium paver installation services, Florida Coastal Contractors LLC reaffirms its role as a cornerstone of outdoor transformation in St. Augustine and St. Johns County. The team's mastery of design and materials amid Florida's demanding environment makes them artisans of durable, elegant spaces. For homeowners seeking installations that are as resilient as they are refined, Florida Coastal Contractors LLC stands as the clear choice For additional details on services and project inspiration, please visit About Florida Coastal Contractors Florida Coastal Contractors is a trusted name in Northeast Florida's outdoor living industry. It is known for its craftsmanship, reliability, and customer-first approach. The company's streamlined design-to-build process ensures a seamless client experience, while its consistent top-tier ratings and BBB+ accreditation signal a track record of excellence. With each project, Florida Coastal Contractors seeks not only to enhance outdoor spaces but also to craft environments that inspire connection, elevate daily living, and surpass every expectation with enduring beauty and functionality. ### Media Contact Florida Coastal Contractors Address: 3501 North Ponce De Leon Blvd #374, St. Augustine, FL 32084 Phone: (904) 827-3962 Website: newsroom: Source published by Submit Press Release >> Florida Coastal Contractors Relaunch Services in St. Augustine and St. Johns County
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Northeast Florida organization honors women veterans with weeklong recognition event
Northeast Florida Women Veterans, Inc. (WOR) kicks off the annual Women Veterans Recognition Week on June 8 to honor all women veterans. As part of recognition week, women who served in the military are honored for their accomplishments, as well as the challenges they face when they return to civilian life. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Mayor Deegan will present the city's proclamation in City Hall to begin the event, and will end with a gala honoring women who served in WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The event will be open to the public and filled with fun and community awareness. 'Northeast Florida Women Veterans is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving women who served in the military, whether onactive duty, in the reserves, or in the National Guard, as well as their children. Over our 13 years of existence, we have provided food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance, case management, counseling, and true sisterhood to women veterans and their children,' said WOR. For more information, click here. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 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.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Horrifying secret of unassuming US town known as 'nub city'... where residents do the unthinkable for cash
Framed by lush woodlands, rolling farmland and glistening springs, the sedate town of Vernon in northeastern Florida has a fairly blissful appeal. But the tucked-away community of just over 700 residents has a grisly history lurking under the surface. When industry in the rural town died out during the first half of the 20th century, with the closure of the sawmill and steamboat port, many residents struggled to make ends meet. And that's when a bizarre and horrifying money-making scheme made its rounds and earned the town its nickname: Nub City. In a New York Times article published in 1972, insurance investigator John Healy reveals how people in Vernon started chopping off their own limbs to make false accident claims. Mr Healy, who worked for the Continental National American insurance group at the time, told how a 'three‐year orgy of self‐maiming that started with a claim for about $5,000 and petered out with one around the $300,000 level.' The piece reports that around a dozen of the town's residents were 'missing feet, arms, hands or eyes,' but other reports state that the number of maimed locals was closer to 50. Giving an insight into Vernon life at the time, Mr Healy wrote: 'To sit in your car on a sweltering summer evening on the main street of Nub City watching anywhere from eight to a dozen cripples walking along the street, gives the place a ghoulish, eerie atmosphere.' L.W. Burdeshaw, who also worked as insurance agent in the area during the 1970s, said that the incidents were put down to a variety of incidents which later transpired to be false. He said his list of policyholders in Vernon included a man who accidently shot his foot off while protecting chickens, another man who lost his hand while trying to shoot a hawk and a man who purchased insurance and then, less than 12 hours later, shot off his foot while aiming for a squirrel. While numerous claims went through, insurance investigator Mr Healy said suspicions were raised when the claims started reaching the six figure mark. He revealed: 'We got in on the thing with a claim at about the $100,000 level. I solved it pretty quickly.' One insurance investigator told the St. Petersburg Times that a local farmer made more than $1 million after taking out policies with '28 or 38 companies' before losing his foot. Before making the claim, he was apparently 'paying premiums that cost more than his income.' While the man's injury looked suspicious, with a tourniquet in his pocket and the fact that he had swapped his car that day for his wife's which was an automatic instead of a stick shift, the jury found it difficult to believe he would shoot off his foot. However, eventually the insurance companies cracked down on the insurance scam that was circulating through Vernon and the trend petered out. Mr Healy said when he was interviewed in 1972: 'After the first few times, nobody could collect anything more than nuisance value, and then nothing at all. 'We informed the local authorities about the thing, though there's not much they can do about it. 'And don't think those people down there can get accident insurance any more. I haven't heard anything from there for at least two years.' In some online threads, Vernon residents talk about the town's mysterious history and their memories of what was going on. Kelly Crocker wrote on YouTube in response to the 1981 documentary simply titled 'Vernon, Florida': 'My hometown. Was once called Nub City. 'When I grew up, there were seven local men with nubs. Some were legitimate accidents and others said to be fraud.' Meanwhile, another commenter added: 'Yep, from there too and there were plenty of "accidents" before the 80's fraud charges.' There is little in the way of imagery from Vernon's darker days. However one brawl, which took place during a local council meeting in 1984, was caught on camera and it shows resident James Armstrong wearing a hook in place of a missing left hand. When a reporter later asked his councilor wife Narvel how he lost his hand, she implied it was the result of self mutilation, by simply responding: 'I think you know.' Errol Morris, who was the film director behind the aforementioned documentary 'Vernon, Florida', originally set out to make a movie about Nub City and the insurance claim saga. However, he claimed that threats from residents who didn't not want the story being made public made him rethink his narrative. He told one reporter, following a particularly harrowing encounter: 'I knocked on the door of a double-amputee, who was missing an arm and a leg on opposite sides of the body - the preferred technique, so that you could use a crutch. 'His buff son-in-law, a Marine, beat me up. I decided whatever I was doing was really, really stupid and dangerous.' Instead of insurance 'scammers', Morris' documentary purely focuses on what life was like in Vernon in 1981, with a worm farmer and a turkey hunter among his subjects. Today, Vernon has moved on from its gruesome past with no amputations in sight. Touching on what it is like in the 21st century, one resident explains: 'I grew up near Vernon and live there now. 'The town is still full of eccentrics (we have a guy who exclusively rides his lawnmower around town) but it's nothing like it used to be. 'State highway 79 was expanded to four lanes a while back, and it's construction knocked out dozens of little shops and homes. 'The whole place has been taken over by asphalt. I wish it would go back to how it was before.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 Northeast Florida teachers in the running for 2026 Florida Teacher of the Year
Two Northeast Florida teachers are finalists for the 2026 Florida Teacher of the Year award. Mark Harrison, an Economics and American Government teacher at Union County High School, is up for the honor. 'Mr. Harrison is one of the most capable, remarkable, and highly regarded teachers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing throughout my career,' Union County School District Superintendent Michael Ripplinger said in reaction to the news. 'He has made a tremendous impact on countless students and has earned the admiration of his fellow teachers and the community. I cannot think of a better person to represent the field of education in the state of Florida.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Shelly Teel, a third-grade teacher at Westside Elementary School in Columbia County, is also one of the five finalists. 'Mrs. Teel possesses a remarkable ability to make learning both fun and engaging,' Columbia County School Superintendent Keith Couey said. 'She is a truly exceptional educator whose dedication, passion and ability to connect with students sets her apart.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Initially, 76 teachers from across the state were in the running, and that was narrowed down to five. Each one of those 76 teachers was recognized as the top teacher in their school or district. Here are the other local teachers who were named 2026 Teacher of the Year in their school district or for their school: Karlie Hodges, Legacy Elementary School, Baker County School District Audrey Murphy, Bradford High School, Bradford County School District Amanda Watson, Orange Park Elementary School, Clay County District Schools Vincent Taylor, Cedar Hills Elementary School, Duval County Public Schools Jessica Kiser Kaspar, Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Kayla Hooper, Callahan Intermediate School, Nassau County School District Arielle Driggers, Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School, Putnam County School District Jill Adams, Creekside High School, St. Johns County School District The 2026 Florida Department of Education Teacher of the Year winner will be announced in July. 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
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's chief of staff joins chorus opposing controversial Florida land swap
Over the weekend, outrage over the state of Florida's latest controversy involving public lands spilled onto sidewalks as residents launched protests. By Sunday night, it had also reached the White House. Susie Wiles, chief of staff for President Donald Trump and a longtime resident of northeast Florida, issued a statement to the Tampa Bay Times condemning the proposed swap of 600 acres of the Guana River Wildlife Management Area to a private company. 'Guana Preserve and its beauty, familiarity and serenity is woven into the fabric of our communities and is, indeed, a treasure in northeast Florida. To allow — even enable — this land grab to occur is outrageous and completely contrary to what our community desires,' Wiles said. 'Elected and appointed leaders should vote against this development wolf in sheep's clothing and preserve this extraordinary natural bounty,' Wiles said. Her comments were first reported by the Tributary, a Jacksonville nonprofit news outlet. Wiles' comments represent an extraordinary instance of a powerful and often behind-the-scenes figure wading into a local political issue that has struck a nerve across the state, particularly northeast Florida. But she also joins the growing chorus of bipartisan opposition from state and local officials against the proposal to trade away 600 acres of the protected wildlife area in exchange for a patchwork of more than 3,000 acres in four counties. State Rep. Kim Kendall, a Republican from St. Augustine, plans to hold a news conference Tuesday near the wildlife area in St. Johns County alongside county commissioners to oppose the swap. Kendall is also scheduled to hold another news conference Wednesday morning in the Florida Capitol, just before the proposal will be reviewed by the state's land acquisition council. Kendall blasted an email to every member of the Florida House around 4:30 a.m. Saturday asking for help building opposition. She also emailed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, asking them to reveal the identity of the person or company behind the proposal, she told the Times. Opposition to the swap reached across party lines, as Reps. Lindsay Cross of St. Petersburg and Allison Tant of Tallahassee, both Democrats, also voiced their outrage over the weekend. Last week, the director of the division of state lands abruptly resigned. On Sunday, a top official from the Florida wildlife agency that manages the Guana River Wildlife Management Area, Rodney Barreto, posted on Facebook a photo of himself standing next to DeSantis and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush after an apparent round of golf together. 'It was a great day of golf this morning at Biltmore Hotel,' Barreto wrote in the social media post. In the photo, DeSantis is wearing a dark hat with what appears to be the logo of Cabot Citrus Farms, the luxury golf course developer at the center of a previous land swap proposal revealed last year by the Times, which also stirred uproar. Cabot Citrus was seeking more than 300 acres of the Withlacoochee State Forest to expand its golf operation in Hernando County. In June, that proposal was added to the Cabinet's agenda the day before the meeting through an unusual, last-minute process typically reserved for natural disasters and other extenuating circumstances. Emails show DeSantis' deputy chief of staff, Cody Farrill, drafted agenda language with environmental agency officials a day before the rest of the Cabinet was officially notified of the new item. DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night about the Facebook post or Wiles' statement. Although Wiles managed DeSantis' first campaign for governor, the two have since had an acrimonious falling out. The Times first reported last week that the deal to trade the Withlacoochee State Forest is dead, after a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Cabot Citrus Farms 'has informed the department that they are no longer pursuing the exchange.' But just as one hot-button land swap proposal was shelved, another emerged with the agency announcing a previously unscheduled meeting for its land acquisition council this Wednesday. The rushed meeting is scheduled at the same time as top officials in Barreto's wildlife agency, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, convene to discuss one of the agency's most controversial proposals in years: opening a black bear hunt in Florida. Environmental groups, preparing to oppose the hunt, were quick to express their anger that they couldn't be in two places at once to also voice opposition to the proposed Guana land swap. Hundreds of Floridians convened on the corner of A1A in St. Johns County Saturday morning in protest of the deal. In a letter sent to the land acquisition council, Clay Henderson, an environmental lawyer and former president of the Florida Audubon Society, pointed to the similar outrage from Floridians last year over plans to develop state parks. 'Floridians deeply care about our state parks and conservation lands,' he wrote. 'This outlandish proposal could destroy the trust that Floridians have come to value that conservation lands should be protected in perpetuity.'
