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St. Johns County officials are preparing its budget amid a proposed Florida constitutional amendment affecting property-tax rules that will appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot. The county’s Office of Management and Budget has identified more than $100 million in capital improvement projects to pause pending clarity on future revenues. One paused project is Fire Station 23 in the Beachwalk area, and associated positions would also be paused.
James O. Holloway Sr., an 85-year-old resident with dementia, was reported missing from Marcis Pointe Apartments on Jacksonville’s Westside and was found drowned in one of the complex’s retention ponds on March 21. His children have sued the apartment complex’s owner and management, alleging negligent pond maintenance and inadequate safeguards. The claims remain allegations that have not been proven in court, and the defendants had not responded to reporters’ requests for comment.
Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland established a Special Committee on Drowning Prevention to evaluate ways the city can reduce drownings, with particular attention to retention ponds and stormwater facilities. The committee’s charge includes public education, emergency-response data, infrastructure and safety standards, enforcement, and collaboration with agencies, community groups, and affected families. The initiative followed recent local child-drowning tragedies and is scheduled to begin meeting at City Hall on September 9.
Old Middleburg Road is a Westside Jacksonville corridor planned for a widening project. A public meeting was scheduled to let residents hear updates from the project team and ask questions; it also was set to include brief updates on the Collins Road sidewalk project and an Argyle community entrance sign.
Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia held a hurricane-preparedness news conference in Atlantic Beach on September 2, 2026, alongside local officials and emergency responders. The briefing stressed that a lengthy period without a major Florida landfall may leave newer residents and longtime residents alike underprepared as peak hurricane season approaches.
Regal is staging nationwide benefit screenings of two Dolly Parton films over six days in early September. In Florida, 21 Regal locations are participating, with ticket revenue designated for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Labor Day in 2026 falls on Monday, September 7, creating a three-day weekend for many Floridians. Forecast guidance issued September 2-3 indicated a persistently humid, unsettled pattern, with showers and thunderstorms likely across parts of the state through the holiday weekend. Beach-water monitoring programs use enterococcus bacteria as an indicator of potential health risks in recreational water, so conditions should be checked locally before swimming.