current events - City of Jacksonville Beach

JACKSONVILLE BEACH
CURRENT EVENTS
F R O M : G E O R G E D . F O R B E S , CI T Y M A N AG E R
September 21, 2016
Upcoming Events
September 22
First Day of Fall
September 24
Surfers for Autism
September 29
Beaches Area
Historical Society
Fall Concert
October 1
Right Whale
Festival
October 1 - 2
Beaches Area
Historical Society
Art Fest
October 7
Jacksonville
Symphony Concert
October 8
Volcom's Totally
Crustaceous Tour
Seacow Surf
Contest
October 8- 9
Jax Beach Fitness
Fest
October 11
Art Walk
October 14 - 16
Oktoberfest
October 15
Florida State
Surfing
Championships
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 2
FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING
Multi-Company Drill #8 (Aerial & Ground
Ladders)
This training drill covered both ground ladder
use and correct operation of the ladder truck.
Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Review
and Emergency Procedures
Fire Investigation Data
This training session reviewed techniques for
3 Fires in August
dealing with low air emergencies and multiCause of Fire
ple ways to supply air to a downed firefighter 2 Unintentional
1 Failure of Equipment
who is low on or out of air.
Types of Fire
1 Building
2 Vehicle
Dollar Loss Total $13,761
4 Auto Aid Fire Responses
8/11/16 - Dryer Fire - Personnel responded to a structure fire at First Coast Laundry
on 3rd Street South. Upon arrival, crews
found heavy smoke in the building and a
 Blood Pressures – 25
cart with burning rags on the sidewalk. The
manager had placed cleaned kitchen rags
 Child Safety Seats
Other Training Division Activities
in the dryer to dry. He then left the building
Installed – 15 (4 from
Jacksonville Beach
for the night. After approximately 30
 Performed quality assurance on Basic
and 11 from outside
minutes, he left his house to go to the KanCity limits)
Life Support and Advanced Life Support
garoo Store which was beside the laundroincident reports.
mat. He smelled smoke and investigated,
 Significant medical reports were given to the Medical
discovering the fire inside the laundromat. Fire damage
Director for review.
was contained to the dryer. Approximate fire damage was
 Tracked and monitored the department's EMT/
estimated at $750. The cause of the fire was determined
Paramedic Refresher Program, updated the inforto be spontaneous combustion due to oily rags (photo bemation board on the Kaplan (EMS Training) website
low).
and monitored completion of classes.
Ground Ladders Training
This training session contained both a video
and practical review of all ground ladders
carried on our engines and ladder truck.
SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS
8/4/16 - Vehicle Fire - Personnel responded to a vehicle on fire in the 1700 block of Beach Boulevard. Upon
arrival, crews found the engine compartment fully involved. The fire was extinguished quickly. There was
approximately $2,000 in damage. The fire was determined to be caused by a mechanical failure (see photos
below).
8/13/16 - Drowning - Personnel and Lifeguards responded to a 50-year old drowning victim on the beach near 6th
Avenue South. Lifeguards had removed the patient from
the surf. CPR was being performed upon fire department
arrival. ALS procedures were performed and the patient
was transported to Baptist Medical Center Beaches with
no change in status.
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 3
8/14/16 - Shark Bite - Personnel responded to a patient
suffering from a shark bite in the 16th Avenue South End
Zone. Upon arrival, crews found the patient with a 6" laceration to the left knee from a possible shark bite. The
wound was treated and the patient was transported to
Beaches Baptist by Rescue for further evaluation and
treatment.
August Pictures
Station 1 Tour
8/23/16 - HazMat Spill - Personnel responded to 355 Penman Road South to a HazMat spill. Upon arrival, crews
found a large dump truck with a ruptured hydraulic line
and an approximately 5-gallon spill. A small amount of
hydraulic oil went into the storm drain and was recovered
by use of oil recovery blankets by fire department personnel. The trucking company dispatched a clean-up service
to mitigate the rest of the hazard (photo below).
Animal Rescue - Injured Hawk
8/29/16 - House Fire Mutual Aid (St. Johns County) Personnel assisted St. Johns County with a house fire at
723 Ponte Vedra Boulevard. Jacksonville Beach Fire personnel set up the aerial ladder at the front of the building
for access to the roof. The cause of the fire was determined to be from lightning (see screen shot from local
news story below. JBFD members are seen climbing the
ladder).
Diesel Fuel HazMat Spill at 15th Street South
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 4
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Building Division
The Building Division issued 115 construction permits in
August for proposed construction valued at approximately $4.5 million. Of this month’s overall construction
value:

$2.3 million was associated with six new singlefamily homes

$795,382 was associated with residential additions/
alterations/repairs

$1.5 million was associated with commercial additions/alterations/repairs
Code Enforcement
Code Enforcement activity in August consisted of 102
violations. These violations consisted of 33 General
Nuisance, 25 Housing Code, 10 Lot Clearing, 8 Junk
Abandoned Property, 8 Parking of Heavy Vehicles, 7
Sign Standard, 4 Building Code, 1 Household Pet, 3
Miscellaneous, 1 Premises Identification, 1 Unsafe
Electrical, and 1 Zoning violation.
Community Redevelopment Agency
Vehicle Fire JTB Westbound On-Ramp
Assisting Broken Down Motorist on 3rd Street
The CRA held a special meeting on August 10, 2016.
Agenda items included:

Amending the South Beach Capital Improvement
Budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1,
2015 and ending September 30, 2016 to appropriate $726,668 from South Beach Tax Increment
Trust Funds for the "Stormwater Pipe Cleaning, and
Alternatives Analysis and Re-design of Channel
improvements" project in the South Beach Parkway/Jacksonville Drive vicinity.

Amending the South Beach Capital Improvement
Budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1,
2015 and ending September 30, 2016 to appropriate $1,532,086 from South Beach Tax Increment
Trust Funds for the completion of construction of
the overall Skate Park Construction project, which
amount includes construction of the Concrete Skate
Park Amenities, and 10% contingency fees.

A resolution adopting the CRA operating budget for
the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2016 and ending September 30, 2017.
PAGE 5
CURRENT EVENTS
B E AC H E S E N E R G Y
3M Sales Representative Brian
Hebling conducted an on-site training session on the proper installation of new 1000kCM wire splice
kits. Photo shows Brian instructing
Apprentice Lineworker Justin Mays
on the installation at the Fairway
Lane Overhead Line Rebuild Project.
Maintenance
Energy Efficiency/Green Programs

Construction and Maintenance personnel completed
63 street light repairs/requests.

The Energy Auditors performed 50 energy audits and
27 field audits in August.

Lewis Tree cut back vegetation on the transmission
lines from Sampson Substation, Ft. Diego Substation,
Guana Substation, and Butler Substation.

Fifty customers utilized the "My Energy Planner" online
energy audit.

During the month of August, 97 customers were issued
rebates from The Energy Efficiency and Customer Incentive Rebate Program.

Lewis Tree cut back vegetation on the distribution lines
in the North Jacksonville Beach area and South Jacksonville Beach along South Beach Parkway.
Capital Projects

Crews installed a new sectionalizing cabinet, switch
and approximately 2,000 feet of conductor for the Plantation Subdivision Cable Replacement project.

Heart Utilities continues to directional bore the conduit
for the Fairway Lane Phase 1 Overhead Line Rebuild
in Jacksonville Beach.
Apprentice Lineworker Jose Grimaldo installing a
new underground at Fairway Road and Fairway
Lane in Jacksonville Beach for the Overhead Line
Rebuild on the Fairway Road Phase 1 Project. Seven new risers were rebuilt for the project during
the month. The project is about 80% complete.
PAGE 6
CURRENT EVENTS
Photos above show Construction and Maintenance crew
removing the overhead line that ran down the north
side of the Jacksonville Beach Golf Course. This is part of
the Overhead Line Rebuild on 15th Street South Project.
During the month, 15 wooden poles and all overhead
conductor from the driving range, parking lot and the
maintenance area was removed. The area was converted to underground for improved reliability during
storms.
Photo at Left shows crews installing a new gang-switch
on 15th Street South for the same project which is
about 90% complete.
Relay/Substation personnel during a
recent training session on TTR
(Transformer Turns Ratio) conducted by
Megger.
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 7
PARKS & RECREATION
Carver Center

The first day of school began for Duval County students on August 15.

A Tai Chi class was added to the activities available
at the Carver Center. The certified instructor, Deidre
Dwyer, is a Carver Center parent and a teacher at
the Foundation Academy. Ms. Dwyer has lived in the
Pablo Beach South neighborhood for three (3) years.
Tai Chi engages the mind, body, and soul, is low impact, fun, easy to learn, can be done seated or standing, and needs no equipment. It is recommended for
those with balance impairment, arthritis, cancer, depression, and osteoporosis.
Tennis Center

The Beaches Health Jam was held at the Carver
Center. The event was very successful (see photos
above).

Enrollment took place for the Young Men of Carver
and CAPE mentorship program. The program is designed to bridge the gap between the community
youth and the police department.


August was a relatively quiet month at the Jacksonville Beach Tennis Center located at Huguenot Park.
Tennis play was mostly in the morning and evenings
as the weather was quite hot.

Children's summer tennis camps were run the week
of August 8 - 11.

Children's clinics continued to be offered Tuesdays
from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 5:30 - 6:30
p.m. Adult clinics were held on Sunday mornings
from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Recreation

The Carver Center dance team held a summer recital
at the Carver Center (see photo below).


Registrations for youth baseball, girls fast pitch softball, and junior high Babe Ruth baseball were completed.
Pop Warner football and cheerleading practice began
August 1. Per Pop Warner rules, the first week of
football practice included conditioning. Pads and
helmets were applied the week of August 8. The
season is scheduled to begin in September.
Adult softball is at the mid-point of the season.
Cemeteries

Weekly mowing continued in Lee Kirkland and H.
Warren Smith cemeteries.

Trash pick-up at both cemeteries is completed every
Tuesday and Friday.

Staff continued bi-weekly trimming and edging to improve aesthetic value of the cemeteries.

Staff continued applications of a non-selective herbicide around all fences and headstones to reduce
string trimming.
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 8
Ball Fields

Staff began preparing the fields for daily play, including lining and striping the fields, dragging the clay,
and facility set-up for nightly games.

An insecticide was applied to control grubs,
armyworms and fire ants.

Staff continued to mow the football field twice a
week. Granular fertilizers were applied on a biweekly
schedule.
Projects

Storm preparation and post-storm clean-up was conducted in the parks during the last week of August.
Preparation included the removal of wind screens at
both tennis centers, rolling up swings at the parks,
and securing trash receptacles (see photo below).
Community Response Team
Active Cases
The Community Response Team (CRT) is currently assigned several drug complaints. CRT received two drug
complaints (one Crime Stoppers and four internal) in reference to drug activity within the city. Both complaints were
assigned to detectives and the cases are pending. Two
complaints were cleared unfounded. There are currently 11
open drug/vice complaints.
Detectives assisted patrol officers with a drug complaint.
Patrol officers responded to a landlord tenant complaint.
During the investigation, 16 pounds of marijuana was located in the residence along with paraphernalia. The investigation is currently active.
Detectives conducted an Alcoholic Beverage compliance
check of the alcohol establishments in the city. This targets
the sale of alcohol to underage subjects. During the operation, 16 establishments were selected. During the investigation, seven establishments sold to an underage subject
and subsequently seven arrests were made.

The unit continued with the summer schedule by augmentStaff conducted weekly maintenance at Paws Park
ing Downtown CAPE. CRT worked six days in the downevery Thursday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Maintenance
town area this month.
included trash removal, mowing, trimming, and blowing/shoveling the walkway.
General Investigations Team
Grand Theft-Retail
Detectives were assigned a grand theft case from a local
retail store. Investigation revealed the defendant entered
the store and went directly to the electronics section and
chose several expensive surveillance-type cameras. The
defendant is then seen on video walking around the store
switching the UPC codes with more inexpensive priced
items. The defendant then checks out successfully and
exits the store. The defendant’s identity was discovered
through another investigation in Jacksonville. A warrant
was issued and the defendant was arrested by the Clay
County Sheriff’s Office.
CURRENT EVENTS
PAGE 9
Grand Theft
GIT detectives were called to meet with officers from Neptune Beach Police Department in reference to possible
stolen items from our city found during a traffic stop. It
was discovered the defendant stole several mail-order
packages from the front of homes in our city. The defendant was ultimately arrested by Neptune Beach for unrelated charges. Once all of the packages were inventoried
and the victims interviewed, we placed felony charges on
the defendant as well.
Grand Theft and Dealing in Stolen Property
Detectives investigated a grand theft of a camera and
cellular phone from a local water park. It was discovered
the items were pawned on the west side of Jacksonville.
Once the items were recovered and a fingerprint identification was made, we were able to get an arrest warrant
for the defendant. The defendant was arrested a short
time later by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Armed Robbery
Detectives were called to a reported armed robbery at
local fast-food restaurant. The defendant made contact
with the manager and forced her way into the restaurant
office stealing money. The defendant fled out the back
door. The defendant was ultimately identified and arrested within several days of the incident.
Downtown Cape
The month of August was full of nice weather and large
weekend crowds. The Jacksonville Beach Downtown
CAPE unit continued proactive patrols during the day and
evening hours. Some events held in August were the Tour
de Pain run at Latham Plaza, the Brix 10th year anniversary party and the annual National Night out. National
Night Out was held at Latham Plaza due to the large array
of vehicles brought by several different Jacksonville law
enforcement agencies. The event drew a nice crowd and
looks to be an even bigger event next year. The annual
car cruise and art walk continued during the month. Both
remained very successful.
There were 47 arrests made in the downtown area this
month. Downtown CAPE officers made several drug related arrests, most stemming from proactive patrols on the
beach, end zones and the beach boardwalk. Other charges included alcohol related arrests for drinking in public,
disorderly intoxication and breach of peace. Five felony
related arrests were made in the month of August. These
arrests included felony warrants and felony drug charges.
CAPE also arrested a male for battery on a law enforcement officer. The incident occurred while completing a
separate aggravated battery investigation in the 500 block
of Beach Proper North.
CAPE continued to meet with the Mission House, discussing how to better help the homeless population. Approximately 15 new transients were contacted during the
month. During the last day of the month, CAPE unit’s prepared for Tropical Storm Hermine.
Services
Crime Prevention
In the month of August, the Crime Prevention Unit hosted
the 4th Annual National Night Out event in Latham Plaza.
The event faced a tough challenge of inclement weather
but was a great success overall. The attendance even in
bad weather was estimated at 400-450. Numerous prizes
were given away and two bicycles were given away by
Target. Several City departments were on-hand for the
event as well as all surrounding law enforcement agencies. We received several complements on the organization of the event from the community participants.
The volunteer arm of the unit increased our efforts in
pushing out information regarding our Neighborhood
Watch Program. They spoke with several interested parties and provided handouts to the subjects.
Crime Prevention Officers continued to provide information to local businesses and schools on active shooter
response as well as other public safety information. 52
people attended our officer’s presentations.
A site review was completed for the new Oceanfront Condos being built on 1st Avenue South. Plans were reviewed
and suggestions submitted back to the developer. CPA
Class 37 continued in full swing with four different sessions. The critiques are all good to outstanding.
30
23
Beaches Oktoberfest
16
Jax Beach Fitness Fest
9
BAHS Art Fest
3
2
7 PM
COMMISSION MTG
PLANNING
BOARD OF
31
7 PM
COMMISSION MTG
PLANNING
25
7 PM
24
7 PM
CITY COUNCIL MTG
18 Classic Car Cruise
Jax Beach Art Walk
7 PM
ADJUSTMENT MTG
11
4
Tue
BOARD OF
ADJUSTMENT MTG
17 BAHS Fall Concert
10
7 PM
CITY COUNCIL MTG
Mon
Sun
2:00 PM
TENTATIVE SPECIAL
MAGISTRATE
26
19
12
5
Wed
27
20
13
6
Thu
Halloween Food Truck
Rally
28
21
Beaches Oktoberfest
14
Jacksonville Symphony
Concert
7
Fri
City of Jacksonville Beach Calendar of Meetings & Events
October 2016
29
22
Buddy Walk
ESA Surf Contest
Beaches Oktoberfest
Championships
15 Florida Surfing
Jax Beach Fitness Fest
Surf Contest
8 Volcom TCT Seacow
BAHS Art Fest
Right Whale Festival
1
Sat