March 2005.pdfcity of atlantic beach newsletter
VOL.4 NO.3MARCH 2005
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904-247-5800
www.coab.us
Identity Theft
CDBG FUNDS
AVAILABLE TO ASSIST
WITH SEWER HOOKUPS
The City will soon begin
work projects funded by its
annual allocation of
Community Development
Block Grant funds. The City
will use a substantial portion
of this year’s funds to assist
low and moderate-income
homeowners with the con-
version from septic tanks to
central sewer where the
City’s mandatory connection
requirement will apply.
Assistance to individuals
is first provided to those
homeowners with the most
urgent needs where no other
form of help is available, and
grant recipients must meet
all eligibility requirements.
Applications for these
programs may be obtained
at City Hall or by calling
247-5826.
MARCH 2005 WATER
CONSERVATION ITEM
The Water Star Program
was developed by the
St. Johns River Water
Management District (SJR-
WMD) to encourage water
efficiency in building homes
and installing appliances.
The SJRWMD conducts
workshops with people who
build and renovate homes to
educate them about water-
efficient appliances, irrigation
and landscaping. This will
save homeowners money
while protecting our valuable
resources. The District is also
working with the University
of Florida to expand the
Water Star program into a
certification program for
builders and homebuyers
to ensure a minimum level
of water efficiency.
The SJRWMD
eventually hopes
that contractors
will be able to offer home
buyers Water Star Certified
houses, and that homeowners
will know they made an eco-
nomically and environmentally
responsible decision when
purchasing their home.
For more information on the
Water Star Program or other
water saving measures,
check the St. Johns River
Water Management District’s
website at www.sjrwmd.com
or www.floridaswater.com.
Remember - No watering
between 10:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m.
HOA Meetings
The Public Works Director
and/or Code Enforcement
Officer are available to
meet with Homeowners
or Property Owners
Associations to answer
questions or provide
general informational
briefs on City operations.
If interested, please call
247-5855 for Code
Enforcement or 247-5834
for Public Works.
Junk Vehicles
The storage of junk,
Inoperable or abandoned
vehicles in residential
zones is illegal.
A motor vehicle with a
mechanical or structural
condition that prevents its
ability for street travel, or
is dismantled, discarded,
wrecked or does not bear
current license tags shall
not be parked or stored
openly in any residential
zone. Furthermore,
out-of doors repair work
is restricted to minor
maintenance or emergency
repairs lasting less than
8 hours and performed on
the vehicle owned by the
occupant of the residence.
City Code: Chapter 24,
Sec 24-163 (c)
Pet Waste
Pet waste can be a
major source of bacteria
and excess nutrients in
stormwater. When walking
your pet, remember to pick
up the waste and dispose
of it properly. Leaving pet
waste on the ground or
beach increases public
health risks by allowing
harmful bacteria and
nutrients to wash into the
storm drains and eventually
into local water bodies.
Please do not place pet
waste in storm drainage
systems.
Identity theft is becoming a problem of epidemic proportions in the United States. It is the
fastest growing crime in America. It is estimated that identity theft is affecting 500,000 new
victims per year. Thieves can get your information in many ways. The most common ways
they are accessing the information is by:
While no one can totally prevent this crime from occurring, here are some positive steps to
take that will decrease your risk:
If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, follow these three steps:
1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a
fraud alert on your credit file.
2. Immediately close the accounts that you believe have been tampered with or opened
fraudulently.
3. File a police report (Atlantic Beach Police Department 247-5859).
• going through trashcans, looking for
straight cut or unshredded papers
• listening in on conversations you have
in public
• tricking you into giving them personal
information over the telephone or by email
• stealing it from a loan or credit application
form you filled out
• taking it from your computer, especially
those without firewalls
• stealing your mail or your wallet
• Check your credit reports at least once a
year from all three of the credit reporting
agencies: TransUnion 800-888-4213,
Experian 888-EXPERIAN, Equifax
800-685-1111.
• When possible, don't carry your social
security card with you.
• Don't print your driver’s license number or
your social security number on your checks.
• Carefully destroy papers you throw
out, especially those with identifying
information. A crosscut paper shredder
works best.
• Never provide personal information over
the telephone unless you initiated the call.
• Use a locked mailbox to send and receive
all mail.
• Delete any suspicious email requests
without replying to them.
• Reduce the number of preapproved credit
card offers you receive by calling 888-5OPT
OUT (they will ask for your SSN).
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Presort Standard
US Postage Paid
Jacksonville FL
Permit No. 1645
City of Atlantic Beach
800 Seminole Road
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
March Calendar
SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT
34
6
5
78 109
2
11
13
12
1716
20
19
21 24
18
25
29 30
*Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Code Enforcement
Board
7:00 p.m.
*Cult. Arts and
Recreation Advisory
Committee Mtg.
7:00 p.m.
Easter Egg Hunt
Jordan Park
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
City Commission Mtg.
7:15 p.m.
*Songwriter’s Concert
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
*Summer Camp
Registration Begins
For more information
call 543-9622
14
*Acoustic Night
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
City Commission Mtg.
7:15 p.m.
Run-off Election for
Duval County
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
3127
CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
John S. Meserve
MAYOR
Richard M. Beaver
MAYOR PRO TEM
J. Dezmond
Waters, III
COMMISSIONER
Sylvia Simmons
COMMISSIONER
Paul B. Parsons
COMMISSIONER
James Hanson
CITY MANAGER
Alan Jensen
CITY ATTORNEY
Donna Bussey
CITY CLERK
LETTER
FROM THE MAYOR
1Meetings are held in the Commission
Chambers unless otherwise indicated
*These events will be held at Adele Grage
Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd.
** These events will be held in the Conference
Room at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road.
262322
15
Community Dev.
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
28
*Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Recently the Commission held a workshop on
“How do we maintain the charm of Atlantic
Beach?” The ambiance and village atmosphere
we all enjoy are a good part of our quality of
life. Recognizing that, the Commission made
this issue an important part of our Strategic
Plan. We are now embarked on a long road
to define what makes us special, what are the
threats, and what can we, as government, do to shape the
future while not trampling on property rights. The challenges are
many: new construction that does not fit the neighborhood char-
acter; loss of our tree canopy; streets crowded with overflow car
parking; and, infrastructure unable to keep up with the massive
growth in our city. In a way we are a product of our success,
with property values skyrocketing which encourages the very
growth we are concerned with. We have taken the first steps
toward a systematic look at the various issues. Public involve-
ment is an absolute necessity to create solutions generally
acceptable to all. We will keep everyone aware
of progress throughout the process and invite
your participation. Our first meeting was with an
experienced consultant who pointed out what
other communities have accomplished and
suggested a process by which all can
participate. I hope you’ll join us.
John S. Meserve
Mayor
Other Useful Telephone Numbers
Atlantic Beach Elementary School 247-5924
Beaches Chamber of Commerce 249-3868
BFI 731-0551
Bus Schedule Information 630-3100
Clerk of the Court (Jax. Bch.) 270-1508
Dial-A-Ride 246-1477
Drivers’ License Bureau 270-2512
Fletcher Middle School 247-5929
Fletcher Sr. High School 247-5905
Homestead Exemptions 630-2020
Jacksonville (City Govt. Info.) 630-2489
JEA (Street Light Repair) 630-0300
Mayport Elementary School 247-5988
Mayport Middle School 247-5977
Property Appraiser 630-2011
Public Library (Beaches) 241-1141
Supervisor of Elections 630-1410
Tax Collector (Jacksonville) 630-2000
Tax Collector (Auto Tags) 246-7407
State of Florida Information 359-6000
City Telephone Directory
Animal Control 247-5866
Building Dept. 247-5826
City Clerk 247-5810
City Hall (Switchboard) 247-5800
City Manager 247-5808
Code Enforcement 247-5855
Finance Director 247-5800
Fire Dept. (Non emergency) 270-1540
Human Resources 247-5820
Garbage & Trash Collection 247-5834
Parks & Recreation 247-5828
Police & Fire Emergencies 911
Police Records 247-5863
Police Dispatch 247-5859
Public Works 247-5834
Purchasing 247-5880
Recycling 247-5834
Utility Billing/New Connections 247-5816
Water/sewer problems 247-5834
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