If it does we will respond and notify everybody as soon as possible,” Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham said. “Just the regular stuff, you know, getting your groceries in making sure everything is picked up,” said Jacksonville resident Lashell Hartney. Typical Friday nightlife in Jacksonville BeachPeople were still out and about at restaurants Friday night in Jacksonville Beach, none of whom spoke to News4Jax felt threatened by Mother Nature. “It’s going to be here and gone in one day,” said R.J. Berger, a Jacksonville Beach resident. “I don’t think there is really much to worry about.”“If people pray, the storm will go a different way,” said Tatyana Bankratova, another Jax Beach resident.

The voters of all three Duval County beaches elect members of their city councils this year and Atlantic and Jacksonville beaches and Baldwin will vote for mayor. These races are nonpartisan and open to all voters. In Neptune Beach, Mayor Elaine Brown is unopposed and the only City Council race was settled in the August Primary. Races for the other cities within Duval County will appear on the November ballot. ATLANTIC BEACHAtlantic Beach mayor-commissioner – Seat 1Ricky L. CarperEllen Glasser (incumbent)Terri Lynn RayAtlantic Beach commissioner – Seat 2Bruce BoleFrank T. CashmanAtlantic Beach commissioner – Seat 3Lisa GoodrichMike WatersReferendum to modify Atlantic Beach Charter to modify the mayor-commissioner terms of officeBallot question: “Commencing with the election in November 2022 shall Section 5 of the Atlantic Beach Charter be amended to: (1) extend the Mayor-Commissioner term of office from two to four years; (2) reduce the Mayor-Commissioner number of allowable consecutive terms from four to two terms; and (3) limit any Mayor-Commissioner holding office as of November 2022, who has served two consecutive terms, to one additional consecutive four-year term?”JACKSONVILLE BEACHJacksonville Beach mayorCharlie Latham has served his limit of two terms as mayor, so this is an open seat.

Fourth of July fireworks in Jacksonville will still go on as planned, despite a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The city-sponsored Independence Day fireworks will take off from six locations in whats planned to be Jacksonvilles largest display ever. We are prepared to act if theres an urgent need to act, said Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham about beaches being open. This isnt over, said UF Health infectious disease expert Chad Neilsen, who holds a masters degree in public health. The city of Jacksonville will launch fireworks from six locations this 4th of July.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. The mayors of Jacksonville-area beaches on Friday announced that they will begin stop the sale of alcohol on premises after midnight in hopes to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the beach community. The suspension of these permits does not affect any restaurant or bars ability to sell alcohol for consumption on premises, said Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham. Establishments can remain open after midnight, but alcohol sales must stop. In Jacksonville Beach alone, more than a dozen businesses closed voluntarily on a temporary basis after employees or customers tested positive for COVID-19. A story that made international news originated from Jacksonville Beach following a group of friends going out to Lynchs Irish Pub on June 6.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. During a Monday evening meeting of the Jacksonville Beach City Council, leaders discussed whether to mandate having people wear face masks in public, which health experts have said help thwart the spread of the virus. Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham said its been to lead by example and strongly encourage everyone to wear face masks. Other Council members seemed to agree when the mayor who said its not a good move to make wearing face masks mandatory. Mandatory face masks, at this point, seem rash especially with the lawsuits that are going on, Latham said. He was referring to lawsuits, particularly in Central and South Florida, where people are suing several counties for forcing the public to wear masks -- calling government mandates over what a person wears a violation of privacy.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. Jacksonville Beach residents are bracing for crowds this weekend even with a spike in new coronavirus cases. Over the past week, dozens of customers and staff at beach bars and restaurants reported being positive for COVID-19. He and his friends arent worried about visiting Jacksonville Beach because they said trying to be responsible about it. Me and my friends like to go to the beach bars, but we wont be going anymore, said Jessica Hernandez. Two Neptune Beach police officers and two Jacksonville Beach lifeguards also have the virus, News4Jax has confirmed.

Jacksonville Beach City Manager Mike Staffopoulos said he was not prepared to sign the contract for the show yet. He said he was waiting for Jacksonville city leaders to make a decision. A decision is expected to be made at the Jacksonville Beach City Council meeting on June 1. The city of Jacksonville usually allocates $20,000 for the Jacksonville Beach show, but the city of Jacksonville Beach spends additional money on public safety measures, such as extra police officers, lifeguards and emergency services. Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham said it was a difficult decision to make because the pandemic is unprecedented and has been unpredictable.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla - A young man who went above and beyond in private had his act of kindness go viral and it earned him special recognition. Veance Pantfoeder, who works at the Jacksonville Beach Publix, won the Gold Coin Award. Veance's walk across the street highlighted something that just naturally happens at this particular Jacksonville Beach Publix. It's right across the street from the senior apartment complex Pablo Towers and sometimes the shoppers need a little extra help. The employees seem to understand that and Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham didn't want these small acts of kindness to go unnoticed.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Beaches residents got a chance to hear from Atlantic Beach Mayor Mitch Reeves, Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham and Neptune Beach Mayor Elaine Brown at the Beaches Watch meeting Wednesday night. About 100 people joined the mayors as they discussed the state of their cities at the Beaches Branch Library in Neptune Beach. Many of the meeting's highlights centered on Jacksonville Beach, including Latham's announcement that the city will be debt-free by 2020. He also said Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach are working on lowering mileage rates. During the meeting, Reeves discussed Atlantic Beach's search for a city manager.