Jax Beach sees flooding from heavy rains

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Parts of Jacksonville Beach were flooded after some heavy downpours from remnants of Tropical Storm Karen over a brief span late Monday afternoon.

A stretch of Third Street between Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Beach had the most flooding, and police closed Third Street at the Jacksonville-Neptune Beach line.

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IMAGES: Jacksonville Beach roads flood

Channel 4 chief meteorologist John Gaughan said there were nearly 3 inches of rain in that area over about a two-hour span.

"Within 3 miles by 2 miles is where the worst of all this rain was," Gaughan said.

The rain began to let up just before 6 p.m.

It was a night of water removal for the staff at Pep Boy's Auto, after a day that is typically filled with oil changes and swapping out tires.

"There was at least like 3 inches up in here, and then out in the shop there was about 4 inches out there" says Travis Thompson an employee at Pep Boy's Auto.

Travis Thompson, along with another employee, quickly put these cars on lifts to avoid any water damage. They ran to save thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment from becoming a soggy mess after a powerful band of showers pounds Jacksonville Beach.

"A couple of our technicians tool boxes almost got flooded. It was probably like a half inch before it actually got inside the tool boxes. So that was pretty close. They had a lot of money in those so it's a good thing that it didn't" says Thompson

But the high water didn't keep people from testing their luck around town. Jacksonville Beach Police say they received dozens of calls from flooded streets, to businesses needing sand-bags, drivers stranded in knee-deep water after their engines stalled out.

For a long-time tow truck drivers like Bob Biggie, downpours like these mean long days and often times a lot of head scratching too.

Bob Biggie of Silvermoon's Towing & Recovery says "I think some people just like to thread the needle and they hope they make it out."

The employees at Pep Boy's Auto are left taking stock of merchandise inside and saying goodbye to a few unfortunate casualties of mother nature.