Musings, opinions, observations, questions, and random thoughts on island life, Fernandina Beach and more

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Category: Island Issues

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The next appointed Iranian Supreme Leader should have a  “Kick Me” sign taped to his back.

“These People Are Crazy!”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) doesn’t have to create ads for the midterm elections. The Democrats did it for them at President Trump’s Tuesday night (February 24, 2026) State of the Union Speech.

Democrats Foment, Fund, Fuel Chaos

What is it about low crime rates that Democrats don’t like? And what is it about murderers, rapists, pedophiles, thieves, gang-bangers, wife beaters, and other criminals that Democrats find so appealing?

Local Leftists Berserk With Rage

Local left-wing activist and professional protestor, Sheila Cocchi, and wannabe journalist, Mike Lednovich, are prime examples of the local far left’s efforts to squelch or demean the speech of anyone holding viewpoints contrary to their own.

What’s All The *!%&)# Swearing About?

Until I was inducted into the Army I rarely heard anyone swear. Not in my family. Not at the schools I attended or at family and friends’ homes, and certainly not in public places such as restaurants, parks, theaters, even ball parks.

Maduro Snatch & Grab A Pie In Face To Democrats

The stunningly successful snatch and grab of Venezuelan “President” Nicolas Maduro is as much a pie in the face to Democrats as it is a tribute to the professionalism of the U.S. military.

National & Local Democrats Embrace Deceit & Larceny

Why do Democrats defend and champion illegal aliens, criminals, drug smugglers, the theft of U.S. foreign aid, the plundering of domestic assistance programs and other acts that harm American citizens, steal tax money, and more?

Lawsuits, Inept Politicians Create Local Economic Chaos

New York City residents fleeing the socialist nightmare of that city’s newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani and seeking relief may find that living in Nassau County, FL is not the economic refuge they have been led to believe.

T-Ray’s Nabs Second Universal Best Burger Honors

The last time the two Fat Men From Space visited Amelia Island searching for burgers was seven years ago in 2018 when their gluttonous, but discerning appetites declared a tie between Amelia Island’s iconic T-Ray’s Burger Station. 202 South 8th  St., and the now shuttered Joe’s 2nd Street Bistro as the best burgers their spacy palates […]

Good To The Last Customer?

Maxwell House has joined the ranks of Cracker Barrel, Bud Light, Target, and Jaguar by taking a giant Woke step to destroy its iconic brand and alienate loyal customers.

Democrats Are In A Very Dark Place

The statement “Being a Democrat is a mental disorder” is increasingly ringing true as elected Democrats screech that their political opponents are as ideologically dangerous as Nazis, thereby inspiring their mentally deranged followers to violently attack them.

Charlie Kirk’s Killing Sounds An Alarm

While visiting  the Utah Valley University campus September 10 and appearing before a crowd of 3,000 while sitting under his traditional banner that proclaimed, “Prove Me Wrong”, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed by a cowardly madman.

Left-Wing Scorn Makes Jeans Ad A Winner

The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle blue jeans promotion accomplished what advertising is supposed to do – create chatter, sell products, generate revenue, and build brand recognition.

Despite Moving Ross Still Making Local Headlines

The Yulee News June 26, 2025, front page story headlined: “The Cost of Control: How Chip Ross Maneuvered Fernandina Beach into Another Losing Lawsuit” revealed a behind the scenes scenario that most hereabouts were unaware took place.

Busted Leg Sparks A Reading Frenzy & A New Business Idea

I’m currently laid up at home with a busted fibula in my left leg. I’m wearing a doctor- prescribed massive black boot that resembles a device used in a medieval torture chamber or the Frankenstein family’s preferred footwear.

1954 Act Casts Doubt on Democrat’s Legitimacy

There’s no need for supporters to reestablish a U.S. Communist party because the Democrat party has reversed its 1954 position when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act outlawing the party. In 1954 Democrats didn’t offer even token opposition to the act; on the contrary, they enthusiastically supported it. No longer. Democrats haven’t lost […]

Local Rehab Center Says Distress Signal A False Alarm

This past Wednesday alert reader, entrepreneur, and local security expert, Bernard Martinage, alerted me to a troubling signal implying that all was not well inside the Fernandina Rehab and Nursing Center’s 1625 Lime Street (Quality Health of Fernandina Beach) facility.

Frantic National & Local Democrats Appear Deranged

“Disgusting, shameful, appalling, disgraceful” and “repulsive” are just a few of the adjectives the media and a majority of Americans are using to describe the Democrats’ obscene behavior in the House chamber when President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, March 4.

We’ll Be Back After The News Wrecker Is Published

The blog commentary will continue to take a few weeks off to concentrate on researching, writing, printing, and distributing the Amelia Island News Wrecker, an annual parody about local, regional, state, national and international events.

We’ll Be Back After The News Wrecker Is Published

This commentary will take a few weeks off to concentrate on researching, writing, printing and distributing the Amelia Island News Wrecker, an annual parody about local, regional, state, national and international events.

America’s Headache Is Over, Fernandina’s Is Just Starting

(Editor’s note: There will not be another commentary for several weeks following this one as we will be working on the annual Amelia Island News Wrecker, scheduled to come out before the end of the year. Those wishing to contribute hilarious, clever parody or purchase an ad can contact me at davidnscott@bellsouth.net).

Govt. Bureaucrats, Democrats & EVs Add To Storm Misery

While Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina residents continue looking for missing relatives and neighbors and dig out from underneath the devastation of Helene and Milton, the doofus bureaucrats that run FEMA say the agency is broke. They say it ‘ran out of money’ after spending billions on illegal immigrants.

Nassau County Buyers, Sellers & Renters Feel The Pain

Increasingly escalating property values, high mortgage rates and home owners reluctant to give up low interest mortgages have dramatically slowed the Nassau County’s real estate sector according to statistics compiled by the Amelia Island Nassau County Association of realtors.

Fun Football Names, Dim Docs, Electric Shockers & More

This past Labor Day Monday, September 2, a fleet of some 65 boats took off from Amelia Island’s Dee Dee Bartels Boat Ramp on the North end of the island to enjoy a day on the water and display their support for Donald Trump as shown by a few of them in the picture above. […]

Relief, Retribution & Unity Will Come At The Polls In Nov.

Despite firefighter and rally attendee Corey Comperatore being murdered, two others severely wounded and President Trump less than an inch away from a kill-shot by a Pennsylvania shooter Saturday, July 13, Democrats continue to ramp up their inciteful hate speech unabated.

Biden Says He’s Doing “Goodest” Job He Can Do

During the Friday, July 5 George Stephanopoulos interview on ABC News Joe Biden mumbled: “If Trump wins in November, I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and did the goodest job I know I could do.”

“Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh; I Really Hate Your Alma Matuh!”

A little more than 60 years ago comedian/singer Allen Sherman wrote and performed a novelty song (“Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!”)  https://genius.com/Allan-sherman-hello-muddah-hello-fadduh-a-letter-from-camp-lyrics about a young Jewish boy who was sent to camp. The parody describes unpleasant, dangerous, and tragic situations, such as fellow campers going missing or contracting deadly illnesses.

Fat Men From Space Advised To Avoid The “Bosey Burger”

Joe Biden spoke — or more accurately, mumbled and slurred a series of run-on sentences — at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, April 17. He had just returned from the Scranton Veterans Memorial Park, where his late uncle Ambrose J. Finnegan Jr.’s name is reportedly listed on a memorial wall.

Protest Purpose Perplexes Passersby, Planners, & Protesters

The April Nassau County Citizens Defending Freedom organization’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting at Amelia Island’s American Beach, Thursday, April 4 attracted a goofy gagged gaggle of sign-waving protestors aghast that folks have opinions that differ from theirs.

You might be a Democrat If……

In 1989 Jeff Foxworthy produced a hilarious best-selling book titled  “You might be a redneck if…” that was an instant sensation and today is in its 30th printing with more than one million copies sold.

Want To Get Rich? Amelia Author Entertainingly Explains How

In 1965 Amelia Island resident Pat Keogh was attending law school in Washington, D.C.  holding down a fulltime job as a 21-year-old intern with the federal government’s General Services Administration and bought his first house. A few months later he bought another one. He has never slowed down.

Your Childhood Friends: Where Are They Now?

In the early 1990s when I headed up Corporate Communications and Advertising for Atlanta-based National Data Corporation (NDC: NYSE) the company “adopted” Kittredge Magnet School for high achievers, grades 4-6.

New City Scorecard Says Residents Now Have A Solid Lead

The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to pull the plug on City Manager Dale Martin’s support system terminating his governmental existence hereabouts and effectively putting residents back in charge of their city.

Fernandina Beach Residents Editorially Hammer City Hall

Fernandina Beach’s “consigliore” Tammi Bach and pompous gasbag Commissioner Chip Ross took it on their chins by well-researched opinion editorials penned by two informed residents in the Wednesday, January 26, 2023, print News Leader.

Grieving TCU Fans Can Call On Herb’s Café Support Group

If you are a TCU fan or a Texan who wants to erase the ugly memory of Monday night’s, 65-7, national football college championship drubbing of the Horned Frogs by Georgia and have your spirits restored, then pick up a copy of the late Dan Jenkins’ 1981 book “Baja Oklahoma”.

Two Fernandina Commission Candidates Hiding Perverse Views

Two Fernandina Beach City Commission candidates are being deliberately dishonest and evasive with voters by concealing their backgrounds and refusing to respond to questions about their views that all other candidates have openly answered.

Democrat States’ Pain Becoming Florida’s Gain

While Chicago, New York, and major California cities are losing corporations and residents Florida is benefiting as those people and companies fleeing high taxes and crime are finding a safe haven in the Sunshine State, particularly in cities like Miami, which resembles a boom town.

Prices Continue To Climb For Florida Houses Ian Left Behind

(This week’s commentary was completed while Hurricane Ian was rolling by Amelia Island and in hopes that my Florida relatives, friends, and neighbors survived it safely with no serious damage to their properties. Also, a huge “Thank you” and shout out to the Nassau County Emergency Management Department and county Public Information Officer Sabrina Robertson […]

They’re From The Government And They’re Here To Help

I’ve known local resident Fred Borakove for more than 10 years. He’s a very pleasant man, smart, courteous, well-read, and well-spoken. He’s also a retired employee of the Internal Revenue Service, serving full time from 1971 to 2003. Following his IRS employment, Fred served from 2003 to 2012 as a Senior Law Enforcement Advisor for […]

Media & Democrats Take Lying And Deception To New Heights

Prominent Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan told an enthusiastic crowd at Amelia Island’s Walkers Landing last night (Thursday, September 1) that the media and the Democrats are in lockstep and “the disdain they have for ‘We the people’ is scary.”

‘Come On Man’ Where’s The Black Book?

For fun let’s assume that the real reason behind the DOJ’s and FBI’s unprecedented raid on former President Donald Trump’s Florida home was that the Dems were desperately searching for child molester Jeffrey Epstein’s little black book of guests who visited his fantasy island of underaged girls in the Caribbean.

News Leader Writer’s Book Review Causes Mental Dyspepsia

Fernandina Beach News Leader columnist and former local car dealership owner, Rick Keffer, wrote in his Friday, July 29 “Keffer’s Corner” column (“A historic eye opener”) that he recently read a book, something he admitted he rarely does.

“California Here We Go” Sing Residents Headed to Florida

While Miami is welcoming Chicago‘s $51 billion dollar Citadel hedge fund, and Texas is toasting the arrival of that violent city’s Boeing and Caterpillar headquarters operations, clueless sad sack Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is toddling off to Europe to promote her crime-ridden city as a viable place to do business.

Former Nassau County Exec. Joins DeSantis Administration

Laura DiBella, Former Nassau County Economic Development Director and head of the Ocean Highway and Port Authority of Nassau County, has accepted a position this week in Florida Governor Rob DeSantis’s administration as Deputy Secretary of Commerce for the State of Florida. You read it here first.

The Woke Mob Celebrates Gender Appropriation

Remember when kids were scolded by loony left-wing extremists for wearing sombreros on Halloween, telling them it was a form of demeaning appropriation? They said the same about white restauranteurs who sold tacos and burritos.

Biden’s America Beginning To Resemble A Soviet Era Hellhole

I’m old enough to remember watching news reports about the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states describing electricity blackouts, stores with empty shelves and people standing in long lines at shops to purchase scarce necessities.

Like A Creepy Perverted Neighbor State Farm Is There

I cancelled my coverage with State Farm Insurance Company this week due to an outrageous program the firm initiated in Florida that flies in the face of the majority of the state’s residents, the Florida Legislature, Governor Ron DeSantis, and defies the values of most Americans.

Does City’s Nervous Silence Foretell An Impending Storm?

Certain members of the Fernandina Beach City Commission and City Manager Dale Martin have been awfully quiet recently in their defense of the outrageous and out-of-whack city building code charges and the notorious “impact” or “capacity fees” as they are now called.

Area News Media Shuffle Underway

A flurry of media activity is taking place in Northeast Florida including reporting and editorial shuffling, an upcoming challenge to the area’s legacy news outlets, and the reemergence of the satirical Amelia Island News Wrecker.

Ukrainian President Has America Yearning For A Real Leader

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership and resolve during the Russian invasion of his country have inspired his countrymen and moved many western democracies to compare him to Great Britain’s iconic World War II leader Winston Churchill.

Happy Christmas And A Prosperous New Year To Everyone!

(Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all the subscribers and readers. Unless something compels me this will be the final column of 2021. Thanks to all of you for your loyal readership, comments, and article ideas this year. I wish you all a bountiful and conservative New Year. The column will resume January […]

The Biden Administration Is Channeling The ’62 NY Mets

There is no blog this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. However, you can read my recently published national BizPac Review column at https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/11/24/dave-scott-biden-makes-62-mets-look-good-1167337/.

A Marxist Mayor, DOA Letters To The Editor And Much More

Fernandina Beach Mayor “Marxist Mike” Lednovich, apparently wants locals to be aware that airplanes coming and going at the Fernandina Beach Airport make noise. Folks tell me he doesn’t like that. However, I’m not sure, because he won’t talk to me.

Canadians Provided Solace And Comfort During 9/11 Attack

Since this week marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on America by primitive middle eastern Islamic terrorists that resulted in the deaths of some 3,000 men, women, and children I looked for a bright spot to commemorate that terrible tragedy.

Books, Battles, Burgers & Beer On Tap At PJD’s Beer Garden

Local resident Bill Craun’s book that portrays a fictional account of his life in combat is now published, and the former mercenary will be signing and selling copies tomorrow, Saturday, May 29, beginning at noon at PJD’s Beer and Wine Garden, 12 South 2nd Street downtown.

“Green” Forms Of Energy Leaving Folks Broke & In The Dark

Those hideous, useless, bird-chopping, oil-leaking windmills that froze up in Texas this winter are just one example of the failure of the alternative forms of energy that Democrats tout as they pull the plug on fossil fuels and wonder why they’re freezing in the dark.

Fernandina City Commission Is Area’s Most Entertaining Venue

Folks seeking entertainment to take their minds off the pandemic should consider attending any Tuesday evening session of the Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting featuring the tragicomic duo of Chip “Sue Their Pants Off” Ross and Dale “The Big Spender” Martin.

Florida’s Liberal Invasion & Fernandina’s FEMA Financial Fiasco

As I watched another car with New York license plates follow a moving van into our neighborhood the other day I thought, “Oh! Oh! We’re going to soon see something far more dangerous than Covid-19 spreading throughout our state – the contagion of liberalism.” The Chinese couldn’t have cooked up anything more deadly than this […]

Fernandina City Manager Accused Of Discriminatory Behavior

(Editor’s Note: I will be taking time the next two weeks to spend the Christmas holidays with friends and family members. As a result, I won’t be posting this column again until January 8. I appreciate all of the readers who slog through it each week and sincerely hope all of you have a happy […]

Attention Democrats! Karl Is Not A Marx Brother

When I see and hear Democrats, TV news talking heads, newspaper columnists, professional sports team executives and their players, corporate CEOs, and Nassau County locals praising and donating money to Black Lives Matter (BLM) I’m appalled.

What Causes The Most Harm To Area Citizens? The Virus Or The Fernandina City Commission?

Like most U.S. municipalities residents of Fernandina Beach are experiencing distressing financial suffering due to the rampaging virus pandemic and government mandated lock downs. But unlike other towns Fernandina Beach’s misery is compounded by a trio of uncaring city commissioners and a tactless city manager indifferent to its citizens’ financial pain.

City Spending, Firearms, Newspapers, Tattoos, Pandemic Observations & Random Thoughts

Despite severe pandemic belt tightening by local businesses and residents, Fernandina Beach City Manager Dale Martin and his Four Horsemen of the Free Spending Commission are acting as if they’re flush with cash and are going through our tax money like drunken sailors on shore leave, with one astonishing exception — Commissioner Mike Lednovich, a […]

2020 Amelia Island News Wrecker Edition Has Been Wrecked By The Virus Pandemic

(Editor’s Note: Many businesses are negatively impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. Especially hard hit are the nation’s newspapers with many completely closing while others are cutting back on the number of pages and days of the week they print. For example, as advertisers melt away the Jacksonville-based Florida Times-Union said reporters and editors who earn […]

Local Group Seeks To Hold Fernandina Beach City Staff And Elected Officials Accountable

Several months ago Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Chip Ross contacted a handful of individual city residents who have been publicly critical of the city and city commissioners for a variety of reasons, ranging from the management of city assets (golf course, marina, etc.) and conservation land purchases to the city’s deteriorating infrastructure, budget growth and […]

Hollywood Hypocrites Can’t Take A Joke While The US Media Have Become A Joke

(Editor’s note: This blog wasn’t posted last Friday because GoDaddy, the company I pay to host it, told me that their server had a “catastrophic failure” while it was “migrating my data and it would take seven or more days to complete the transfer and fix the issue.”  The “catastrophe” was that they lost/destroyed my […]

Let’s Buy A Cop A Christmas Coffee!

(Editor’s Note: I will take a couple of weeks off to celebrate the Christmas season with family and friends. The blog will resume January 10. I appreciate your readership and comments and hope all of you have a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2020.)

Are “Fat, Drunk & Stupid” Keys To Success?

“You can’t go through life fat, drunk and stupid son,” said Dean Vernon Wormer in the 1978 film Animal House to Delta Tau Chi fraternity member Kent “Flounder” Dorfman, who boasted a 0.2 GPA.

I’m Sorry! Except, I’m Really Not

When I was kid I led some pals of mine through a neighborhood yard trampling freshly planted flowers into mush, an incident that incited the neighbor to call my mother and complain.

Rogue Commissioners, Double Talking City Manager, Etc. Just Another Day At The Beach

A couple of rogue Fernandina Beach City Commissioners, a double-talking City Manager, bands of hostile environmental extremists, and the resignation of the county’s highly successful Nassau County Economic Development Director and Ocean Highway and Port Authority Director, are factors that must certainly have future investors reconsidering Nassau County — particularly Fernandina Beach — as places […]

Hurricane Dorian Observations, Immigrant Kids, Norwegian Socialism, And Fighting City Hall

While trading emails about Hurricane Dorian with friend, Tampa Plant High School classmate, and American Spectator writer, Larry Thornberry, I noted that when I was in the local Publix it appeared they had over-ordered water as I heard an announcement requesting: “Assistance on Aisle 17, customer drowning.” I also said I found it ironic observing […]

News Leader “Lunatic Fringe” Flourishing

When I was a newspaper reporter for the Binghamton Sunday & Evening Press and Tampa Tribune in the 1960s and 1970s people who wrote letters to the editor had to take time to type or handwrite their comments, address an envelope, buy a stamp and then mail us their opinions.

Americans Are Tiring of Being Called Names; “The Squad” Is Succeeding In Destroying Dems

Last Saturday, July 20, Peggy Noonan devoted her weekly Wall Street Journal opinion column to America’s need to rediscover tact, citing Democrat NY Governor Mario Cuomo’s “rubbing their noses in it” act of lighting up New York City skyline landmarks in pink following his Democrat controlled state legislature passing one of the country’s most pro-abortion […]

Fernandina “Stuck” Seeking An Identity

Fernandina Beach needs an identity. It needs something to make it stand out above the ho-hum, humid, hot, look-a-like Florida communities and divert attention from the stupid stuff going on hereabouts. So far it’s not going well.

Stop Calling Us Names You #%$&*^!

I pointed out last week that the folks at Conserve Amelia Now (CAN)  don’t care for me or my opinions and they make that abundantly clear with their comments here and on their web site.

Development? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Development!

The folks that populate the recently created Conserve Amelia Now (CAN) organization obviously don’t care for me or my opinions very much as indicated by their recent Facebook postings in response to my comments last week condemning their Amelia Bluff and other anti-development activities.

After A Tumultuous Commission Meeting Will We Have Litigation Or An Agreement?

Long-time Amelia Island residents Pat Keogh and Phil Griffin are successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, and two very savvy, well-respected citizens who disagree with Fernandina Beach City Commissioners Chip Ross and Mike Lednovich about the controversial Amelia Buff housing development. They articulately voice their opinions on why here. But first some background.

Cuba Tour Illustrates Democrat Party’s Vision Of Their Plan For The Future Of America

(Editor’s note: Guest editorial writer Pat Keogh is an entrepreneur, businessman, lawyer and investor who owns restaurants and other properties in Fernandina Beach and Nassau County. He recently returned from a trip to Cuba and shares his views of what he saw there that  Democrat Party Socialists now enthusiastically want to foist onto the American […]

Government? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Government

Last week the Dow Jones jumped more than 700 points and is still climbing; the Federal Reserve said it wasn’t considering raising interest rates anytime soon; the December job numbers blew way past the predicted 176,000 to more than 312,000; U.S. manufacturers say they are experiencing their best phase in two decades; and unemployment is […]

Holy Moley! Things Just Keep Getting Better

(Editor’s note: This commentary will take time off during the holidays to spend more time with family and friends. I’d like to thank all of you who have read this blog the past five years and particularly to those who take time to comment, whether you agree or disagree. I hope all of you have […]

President Trump Emulates Calvin Coolidge Making The Business of America Business

(Editor’s note: Guest editorial writer Pat Keogh is an entrepreneur, businessman, lawyer and investor who owns restaurants and other properties in Fernandina Beach but fled the city in 2016  for Austin, Texas due to the outrageous city fees, taxes and bureaucracy.“When the rest of the universe is trying to make it easier for business, Fernandina […]

Florida Residents Feeling Financial Impact Generated By The Illegal Alien Invasion

Illegal aliens cost American taxpayers a staggering $134.9 billion annually, according to a detailed analysis of federal, state and local programs that include education, medical care, law enforcement, and welfare. U.S. citizens, particularly those of us in Nassau County, are on the hook for that tab. And it’s only going to get worse.

Democrats Falsely Whine At Local Campaign Rally: “You an’ me, we sweat an’ strain”

“Nobody should have to work three jobs to support their kids,” said a guy named Russell Harper, president of something called the North Florida Central Labor Council, who was a warm-up speaker at a sparsely attended Amelia Island Democrat Party rally for Chris King, the party’s candidate for Florida’s Lt. Governor, last Sunday afternoon. “Can […]

Mayor Moonbeam’s Top 10 Silly Thoughts

Fernandina Beach Mayor Johnny “Moonbeam” Miller’s embrace of wacky causes is reminiscent of the Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks sketch, where candidates perform highly exaggerated and outrageous gaits to obtain government endorsement and grants.

Ges Who’s Running For Congress?

(Editor’s Note: This blog will take a two-week hiatus and will be back on Friday, September 28, 2018) It wasn’t until I got to the wordy second paragraph of News-Leader Editor Peg Davis’ lengthy patronizing August 31 Page 1, article about a fellow named Ges Selmont that I realized she wasn’t gushing about a rock […]

HELP! Mr. Potter Took Over My Bank

I recently received a letter from Keith Leibfried, CEO and President of First Federal Bank, headquartered in Lake City, a town about 95 miles west of here.

Fernandina Beach Commission Chimes In As Raging Gun Debate Further Divides Factions

As a result of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting, there’s been a variety of “solutions” offered by pundits, alleged experts, politicians, among others on how to stop these tragic and senseless killings ranging from calls to ban all guns or just certain guns to arming teachers and putting police officers in schools.

Baseball’s Worst “Wrong Mistake”

Rob Manfred, is the guy who walks into a crowded chili parlor wearing a tie and complains that the juke box playing “Waltz Across Texas” by Earnest Tubb is too loud.

The Day The Music Died On Amelia Island

A long long time ago I can still remember how That music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they’d be happy for a while

“First, Do No Harm!” Don’t Vote For Chip Ross!

Residents of Fernandina Beach who vote for Ronald “Chip” Ross for City Commissioner Tuesday, November 7, couldn’t do more harm to the community and local citizenry unless they burned the city to the ground.

Soccer Or Turnips Boiling! What’s More Exciting?

Jacksonville is one of 34 cities being considered as a host for the 2026 World Cup, the Super Bowl of soccer. The last time it was held in 2014 in Brazil, 200 teams played a total of 853 matches in 30 days and scored a total of three points.

Are The Dog Track And A Coffee Can Your Retirement Programs?

Financial statements from brokerage firms contain terms and phrases I don’t understand, particularly when the promised results didn’t materialize and my long-term investment program is now the 1-8-5 trifecta in Thursday’s second race at the Orange Park Greyhound Track and some loose change in a coffee can, mostly Canadian pennies and nickels.

Why Do We Need A Fernandina Beach City Government?

(Editor’s note: Guest editorial writer Pat Keogh is an entrepreneur, businessman, lawyer and investor who owns restaurants and other properties in Fernandina Beach but fled the city for Austin, Texas due to the outrageous city fees, taxes and bureaucracy. “When the rest of the universe is trying to make it easier for business, Fernandina Beach […]

My Friend Irma! NOT!

My Friend Irma, was a top-rated, long-run radio situation comedy that was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films, television, a comic strip and a comic book. The 1949 movie was the first for the new comic duo of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in 1949 that rocketed them to […]

Will Taliban/ISIS Wannabe Statue Vandals Target Fernandina Beach’s David Yulee?

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always […]

Are Burger Reviews UnAmerican & Bigoted?Despite the Criticism Here Are The First Five

It’s highly unusual for this blog to receive attention from a celebrated national figure when we can barely get family members to read it.  But it happened recently when the following missive arrived in our mailbox from Mr. Ronald McDonald. With tongue firmly wedged in one cheek and a hamburger in the other, here’s what he had to say:

The Difficulties of Swamp Draining!

Former full-time and now part-time Amelia Island resident, Pat Keogh, had an article printed in late May in the Washington DC based “Government Executive Magazine,” a publication that says it offers “practical advice for federal leaders on managing people, processes and projects.”

Chicken Little Has A Pal – Chicken Littler!

That clucking noise coming from the Fernandina Beach City Commission chambers is Commissioner Johnny Miller and Dr. Ronald “Chip” Ross, two Chicken Littles, frantically attempting to peck to death a proposed affordable apartment project with their preposterous “end of the world” scenarios.

How About An Airport On A Stick?

Since Fernandina Beach City Manager Dale Martin and the town’s commissioners are hell bent on building an airport that looks like an airplane why not an airport on a stick?

Work From Home? “Fuggedaboutit” Says IBM

IBM recently announced that telecommuting from home or the local coffee shop is no longer an option and that the 152,000 of its 380,000 employees currently tapping away on computers from the master bedroom or the local coffee shop need to get back to the office pronto or hit the bricks.

Florida: Best State Ever Or The Funniest?

(The blog will take a two-week spring break beginning next week to enjoy a visit with our visiting son, daughter-in-law and grandson and work on the upcoming issue of the Amelia island News-Wrecker to be distributed Thursday, May 4. We’ll be back April 27.) Sitting on the back porch in a pair of shorts, drinking […]

In A Fight The Irish Will Have Your Back

Guest Commentary (Patrick Keogh, a friend, long-time Fernandina Beach resident, entrepreneur, attorney, out-spoken city critic and business owner who took his capital and fled Amelia Island for Austin, Texas because of the city’s unfair and extortionist impact fees, offered this fascinating commentary as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today, March 17.)

Time To Terminate The Terminal?

City Manager Dale Martin and many on the Fernandina Beach City Commission, believe the proposed new airport facility is a good idea and a project that is ready for takeoff, but to many it won’t fly…. except when it’s not supposed to.

It’s A Dog’s Life On Amelia Island

In addition to its ideal climate, bucolic views, friendly people, historic Norman Rockwell-like downtown, delightful harbor, golf, fishing, and relaxing beaches there is another aspect of Amelia Island that intrigues me and that’s the island residents’ fondness …. no, their slavish devotion, for dogs.

Women Marchers Outraged But Not Sure Why

I’ve read and heard a number of news reports about the women’s marches conducted in various communities including Fernandina Beach last Saturday but still have no idea what the gals’ overall objective was. And I’m not sure they do either.

Small Plates? I Don’t Want No Stinkin’ Small Plates!

(This will be the last commentary of 2016 as I am taking a Christmas break and will resume the blog January 6, 2017. I wish all readers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous, healthy and fun New Year.) Two popular restaurant trends I don’t like are wraps and small plates.

Mr. Rogers Never Met My Neighbor!

A satirical piece making the rounds on the Internet since the election ended describes those on the left that are unable to accept the fact that Donald Trump won as suffering from Trump Acceptance Resistance Disorder (TARD).

It’s Time To End Mayor Moonbeam’s Madness

Folks who read this blog regularly obviously know I am not voting for Johnny Miller for Fernandina Beach City Commissioner and am encouraging others to vote for former commissioner Eric Childers to oust Moonbeam Miller from that commission seat.

Baseball’s Cubs: A Perfect Election Diversion

As a kid in the 1950s, I followed the then 16 major league baseball teams (eight in the National League and eight in the American League), and determined that the Braves of Boston — then Milwaukee and now Atlanta — and that team’s left-handed pitching machine, Warren Spahn, were the most worthy of my loyalty.

Lawyers & Bureaucrats; The Mayor Bounces A Check; Flag Flap; Sloppy Journalism & More

During a talk to the European American Business Club this past Tuesday evening, local architect John Cotner not only held the rapt attention of his audience with his relaxed and entertaining speaking style, but also took aim at bureaucrats and lawyers, two groups of people whose objectives he says impede progress and increase costs without […]

“Frankly, Sir, We Don’t Give A Damn!”

The Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) President Jeffrey M. Hirsch, recently sent a letter to the owner, the CEO, and the President of the Dallas, Texas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts telling the three of them that if they didn’t remove the word “plantation” from their Amelia Island property name the group would not return […]

New Team On Tap At Amelia Tavern; BLM Hatred In St. Marys; Rep. Brown Jail-Bound?

It didn’t take local restaurant entrepreneurs T.J. Pelletier, Roberto Pestana and Al Waldis long to cash in on their wildly successful downtown Fernandina Beach Amelia Tavern as after less than three months they handed over the keys last week to their key financial backer, Amelia Island resident Dr. Robert Hogan, and his newly recruited management […]

Deceitful, Inept Politicians Capitalize On Tragedy To Promote Left Wing Nonsense

While law enforcement officials and even many in his own party in Washington and elsewhere were calling the Orlando shootings an act of terrorism, loopy Florida 8th Congressional District Congressman Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, immediately jumped in front of TV cameras and called the attack a “hate crime” because the shooting happened at a gay club.

Bad Bookkeeping Begets BBQ Brouhaha

There’s a brouhaha still brewing over the cancellation of the Fernandina Beach BBQ and Bluegrass Festival competition that was scheduled at Main Beach June 10-11.

I Kneed To Take A Break!

Due to a mechanical failure with my right knee I will not be posting a blog for the next couple of weeks. If everything goes the way I hope it will the next Blog will be June 10.

Loopy Local Lemmings Intimidate City Commission

Local “Get off my lawn you little bastards” curmudgeon Ron Sapp danced a written jig of joy in an April 27 News-Leader column after like-minded, but misguided commissioners, Mayor Johnny Miller, Roy Smith and Len Kreger, voted “no” during a recent session recommending that certain parcels of property on Fletcher Avenue be modified to enable […]

Great Scott! Mistaken Identity May Be OK!

  When I Googled my blog recently and the name of  tri-athlete “Ironman” Dave Scott popped up it reminded of an incident about 10 years ago when I was running my own marketing and PR consultancy in Atlanta.

Cash Cow’s Car Clamor Calamitous Claim City’s Churlish Curmudgeons

According to Amelia Island Tourism Chief Gil Langley, the month of March with its automotive events that included the Concours d’Elegance, Festivals of Speed and the new Vintage Grand Prix drove a lot of money onto the island. And according to Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Len Kreger it drove some of his constituents nuts with […]

Experience, Local Supporters Make Burns The Best Candidate to Head School System

If the county’s 14,371 registered Democrats wanted to vote for one of the two leading contenders for Nassau County School Superintendent they’d have to have switched party affiliation and joined the county’s 32,696 registered Republican voters. There are also 12,059 other registered voters ranging from Independents to Green, Ecology, and even a group claiming allegiance […]

Media Negative About Restaurant Chain’s Positive Principles While Ignoring Reality

A couple of years ago fast-food chain Chick-fil-A made national headlines when company President Dan Cathy spoke out in support of traditional marriage causing liberals and gays to come unhinged and launch nationwide protests against the chain.  The Atlanta-based company was founded on Christian beliefs and today still staunchly follows those tenets in dealing with […]

Without Double Standards The Left Wouldn’t Have Any Standards

Discussing the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court caused by the sudden death of Antonin Scalia On ABC’s This Week Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said: “You know, the Constitution, Ted Cruz holds the Constitution, you know, when he walks through the halls of Congress. Let him show me the clause that says the president’s […]

Before Solar Panel Activity Heats Up Local Officials Need To Study Other Cities

Before the City of Fernandina Beach gets too excited about a proposed solar panel farm that Mayor Johnny Miller says could help lower electric bills, it might want to take a look at other communities that held out similar hopes only to see them turn dark, particularly one just a couple hundred miles north of […]

Six New Restaurants Opening In Downtown Fernandina Within The Next Three Months

Six locally owned and operated restaurants, all within walking distance of each other, will have opened up in downtown Fernandina Beach by the end of the first quarter of next year and if the numbers and expectations I’ve heard from the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council, local hotels, bars, and current restaurant owners are correct, […]

Sign This Then Take Off All Your Clothes

What’s happening on college campuses around the country today should frighten any parent about to send a kid off for the first time to further his or her education.

Guess Who’s NOT Coming To Dinner?

  We all are acquainted with neighbors, relatives, celebrities, politicians and news makers that we would be reluctant to invite to have dinner in our homes and chat with our spouses, children or grandchildren, and I have a list of those that would never make it past my front door at dinnertime or any other […]

Great Smoked Mullet & BBQ Brisket No Longer Require Long Drives Or Air Travel

There are two reasons I travel to Houston, Texas. The first and foremost is to visit our son, Eric, daughter-in-law, Leslie, and four-year-old grandson, Luke. The second is to gorge myself on friend Ron Craig’s Luling City Market’s BBQ brisket, smoked beef links, and bring home as many bottles of the Market’s BBQ sauce as […]

Did You Know Nassau County Has Ghost Towns & Cliffs That Can Be Visited By Boat?

Locals and visitors that want to visit a place they’ve probably never seen or even heard about in our area will want to get in touch with Captain Flip Gallion, owner of the charter boat Oceanbird, and have him escort them to the Nassau County ghost town of Crandall to view the “sand falls” and “bluffs” among […]

Former FSU Quarterback Ernie Saltmarsh Scoring Touchdowns in the Business World

There are many things to admire about local entrepreneur Ernie Saltmarsh but two stand out: 1- He works hard, very hard, never asking his employees to tackle jobs that he wouldn’t pitch in to do himself, ranging from mowing the grass to helping out in the kitchen; and 2- He is sincerely dedicated to improving […]

“Miller Time” At City Hall Not A Happy Hour For Current And Future Area Businesses

Listening to liberal activist Commissioner Johnny Miller bloviate with haughty moral certitude on a litany of far left social and economic topics ranging from increased bureaucratic regulations to outrageously strict environmental curbs will probably have any business that was considering Fernandina Beach as a possible location scurrying to seek a more sane climate to set […]

Florida Times-Union Columnist Dismisses Jacksonville’s Soaring Crime As “Venting”

Just when I thought the Jacksonville-based Florida Times-Union newspaper had reached its limit of absurdity with its massive nonstop coverage of that city’s three-victory NFL football team, which hasn’t played a game in almost six months, along comes FTU editorial columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee with outrageous excuses for that city’s mindless violence and crime.

News Wrecker Parody Newspaper Pokes Fun At Amelia Island’s Sacred Cows

Last April in this space I announced that I was considering producing the Amelia Island News Wrecker, a satirical newspaper devoted to good naturedly spoofing the island, its history, businesses, government and anything else in my sights and said the target date for publishing it was Shrimp Festival 2015.

News-Leader’s Foaming-At-Mouth Reporting Aims at Poynter & Shoots Self in Foot Again

The headline on the page 1 lead story in Wednesday’s, April 1 local News-Leader blared “Business, politics are mixing again” but nowhere in the story about local restaurateur and City Commissioner Tim Poynter’s plans to develop an “extended-stay” hotel in downtown Fernandina Beach was there a mention of how politics are playing a role. The News-Leader […]

We Can Call Them “Pay-to-Play” Fees? But No Matter What The Name They’re Still Illegal

In 2010 Public Utilities Director John Mandrick wrote an opinion editorial in the local News-Leader (City Utilities Department pushes forward, Friday, Nov. 12, 2010) where he stated that his “recent $3.5 million facility  improvements would provide enough capacity to take the city to 2030” based on what he said was a “three percent” growth rate. He said […]

Listener Warning: National Public Radio Can Have Very Serious Side Effects

(Note: This blog will take a break and resume posting January 9, 2015. Thanks for following it the past 12 months. If there are items you think I’ve overlooked or areas you think I’ve gotten wrong please don’t hesitate to tell me. I can be contacted at davidnscott@bellsouth.net. or you can post a comment below.) […]

Boating Opportunities On Amelia Island Provide Visitors & Residents Unusual Options

Residents and visitors who want to explore the maze of islands, marshes and rivers that separates our island from the mainland, go fishing, take nature walks, watch birds, dolphins, manatees, wild horses, sunsets or go sunbathing or fishing from a boat have plenty of opportunities as a variety of local enterprises offer a diverse choice […]

Fernandina News-Leader’s Unhinged Editorial Positions Make Paper A Laughing Stock

The Fernandina Beach News-Leader is part of the privately owned Community Newspapers Incorporated chain of weeklies and it can print whatever it sees fit. But there is little virtue in having editorial and news pages that the paper’s masthead says are “…dedicated to the truth, integrity, quality and hard work” and whose aim is to […]

If Election Was “Amelia Island Idol” Talent Show These Two Challengers Would Be Finalists

If political forums operated like talent shows and applause was the deciding factor, then two city commission candidate challengers — restaurateur Tim Poynter and educator Robin Lentz — would be declared winners. During last Tuesday evening’s gathering at the Amelia Park Holy Trinity Church of all the candidates running for city commission seats Poynter’s and Lentz’s […]

That Flushing Sound Is $600,000 Of Our Tax Money Disappearing Down The Toilet

Close to $600,000 of our Fernandina Beach tax money has been needlessly flushed down the toilet as Adam Kaufman reports in the online newspaper Fernandina Observer last week that the city has spent almost that much prosecuting and defending the two indefensible cases involving its imposition of “impact fees” on new water customers as a […]

A Few More Things That Make Amelia Island An Attractive Place To Live & Visit

Sitting at the Green Turtle bar late last week chatting with quirky Addison B&B owner Bob Tidball and patting his dog, Maggie, who was occupying the stool next to me, pretty barkeep “Larry” explained the new beers on tap and asked if we had any questions. Bob thought for a few seconds and said, “Yes. […]

Amelia Island Residents Are Living A Norman Rockwell Painting Existence

A little more than three years ago when wife Linda and I had been full-time residents of Amelia Island for about three months the Fernandina Beach News-Leader printed an opinion-editorial I submitted expressing our observations about our new hometown. Surprisingly a number of readers told me that they remember that piece and asked me if

Do You Remember Your High School Friends And Ever Wonder Where They Are Now?

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a discussion with a former high school or college classmate and asked: “I wonder what ever happened to (insert name)?” Over the years I’ve been fortunate to stay in touch with many of my Tampa Plant High School classmates, even coincidentally running into some of them in very […]

All The News About The Jaguars That Fits, The Jacksonville Times-Union Prints

The editor of the Jacksonville Times-Union’s Metro Section apparently didn’t get the memo regarding the paper’s Friday, July 25 edition as his was the only one of five sections that day that didn’t run a story on its front page about the city’s hapless pro football Jaguars along with an accompanying photograph. Even the Money […]

For Doing Absolutely Nothing I Won A $50K Car, Trips, & More! Or Did I?

The other day at our house someone named Alex representing “The Notification Center” called and left a message saying that he had “excellent news” for me.   On the recording he said I “had been selected in an official contest – that I or someone else may have entered in my name” – and I […]

Is Current Fernandina Beach Commission Getting Credit for the Work of Others?

Steve Nicklaus, an island financial adviser who writes a weekly “Steve’s Market Place”  column for the Fernandina Beach News-Leader, is an entertaining and fun guy to join for a couple of cold beers, and his columns are well written, interesting and amusing. I’ve discovered that he is most always factual and rarely lets things get […]

Media On The Offense Against ‘Offensive’ Conservative Columnists And The Redskins

The nation’s media is on the offense to protect the public from what they consider “offensive.” Editors of several major newspapers in California, Washington State, and Oregon have said they will no longer allow “Redskins” to be used in print in their publications and syndicated columnist George Will’s opinion is no longer welcome in the […]

Need Cash? Then Ask City Hall For A Taxpayer-Funded, No Strings Attached Check

If you’re running short of funds and could use a few thousand extra bucks then head downtown to City Hall and ask the Fernandina Beach City Commission to dip into the taxpayer’s till for a “no questions asked, no contract” deal and see if they’ll ask City Manager Joe Gerrity to cut you a check. […]

Nassau County And Fernandina Beach Cops Have Crime And Criminals on the Run

While it appears that both Nassau County and Fernandina Beach law enforcement agencies are doing bang-up jobs it also appears that a few of those that do commit illegal acts hereabouts have elevators that don’t go all the way to the top. Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper reports that crime fell by 17.2 percent county-wide, […]

Fast Growing Fernandina Beach Company Rapidly Adding Customers & Revenue

What locally headquartered Fernandina Beach company is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing on Amelia Island or maybe in all of Nassau County in terms of annual revenues? This does not include the Amelia Island Plantation, Rayonier, Rock-Tenn, or the Ritz Carlton, because even though they represent the area’s largest employers and hundreds of […]

City Commission has Bigger Fish to Fry Than Bag Bans, Dogs, Chicken Coops & Water Slides

In an insightful piece titled “How’s City Government Working for You?” written for the online newspaper Fernandina Observer Monday, May 12, Suanne Z. Thammprovides her perspective on political ailments that impede our town’s progress in her 20 years of observation and it differs very little from what I’ve observed in just three years. While the […]

Indignant Race Demagogues Whining About Shrimp Festival Parade Whip “Cracker”

A handful of observers at the Thursday, May 1 Shrimp Festival Parade were whipped into an emotional frenzy by a lone entry walking the route, cracking a bull whip, saying the whip “cracker” was a symbol of slavery and its brutality. Based on an article in the online Fernandina Observer, “Two parade marchers whip up […]

Amelia Island’s Cal Atwood Is A Living American History Lesson

Amelia Island resident Cal Atwood is one of those rare Americans who has lived a historic chunk of our country’s past that is prominently portrayed in school texts, had numerous books written and movies made about it, a statue exclusively dedicated to it and is represented in one of the most instantly recognizable photographs ever […]

Want To See A Photo Of My Cat? Or Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah

The Austin Lounge Lizards, a group I have followed for a number of years, wrote a song called “Old Blevins,” that tells the tale of a guy who retreated from a domestic squabble to a bar only to be trapped next to Old Blevins, an incoherent, non-stop yakker, a situation that is similar to what […]

Can You Read, Write & Need A Job? $50K Plus Benefits Could Be Yours

Flipping through the Fernandina Beach News-Leader last week a display ad in the Help Wanted Classified section jumped off the page and slapped me in the face. The ad said that the RockTenn Fernandina Beach Mill is looking for folks to fill manufacturing operations positions there that require them to handle some simple physical requirements […]

Beer, Spirits, Oysters, Patio Dining On Tap for Downtown Fernandina

…… despite town’s anti-business impact fees It appears that entrepreneurs are shaking off Fernandina Beach’s restrictive and arbitrary impact fees as reports of a rash of new businesses sprouting up downtown range from a distillery and a brew bar to a raw bar and a new outdoor dining venue, all in the very near future. […]

Coming to a News Stand Soon: The Fernandina Beach News Wrecker

Just like Amelia Island, the folks in Durango, Colorado celebrate their town’s heritage with an annual festival, an event called “Snowdown,” a celebration devoted to “fun, commerce and tourism” that includes parades, costumes, musical performances and more. But Snowdown has something we currently don’t at our yearly Shrimp Festival. My Indian Rocks Beach, Florida cousin, […]

Want a Divorce & Can’t Afford a Lawyer?

If you’re thinking about getting rid of your spouse, can’t afford a divorce lawyer and a hit man violates your moral code, then you might want to check out mediation, a process that not only costs less, but is much speedier than the litigation route and less messy than an assassin. Pretty blonde attorney Alexandra […]

National Parks Service Being Urged To Say ‘OK’ To Florida-Georgia Ferry

…….and you can help If you’re one of the many Northeast Florida residents that would like to take a ferry from Amelia Island’s Fernandina Beach downtown harbor to Cumberland Island and maybe even take your bike along, then take a minute to contact Gary Ingram of the National Parks Service at gary_ingram@nps.gov telling him you […]

Whacky Law Has Beer Lovers Growling

Because of a Florida law that State Senate President Don Graetz says he can’t explain but will continue to support anyway, beer aficionados awaiting the opening of a micro brew pub in downtown Fernandina Beach at the site of the now shuttered O’Kane’s, will not be able to purchase the popular half-gallon growlers, that are […]

Environmentalists say ‘Bag It!’ But in What?

Last Saturday, at the initiative of Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Johnny Miller, a group of some 20 local citizens including a Sierra Club representative met at Sheffield’s to discuss what they view as a community plastic bag problem. At least this group hasn’t yet reverted to the tactics of the apocalyptic loons who wander the […]

Drinking & Driving is Cheaper in Georgia

To save a few bucks on liquids the less than 20 mile drive North from Amelia Island to the Georgia state line may be in order as gasoline, wine and distilled spirits all cost less in our neighboring state than they do here says the non-partisan, non-profit Tax Policy Foundation (TPF). At the time of […]

Impact Fee “Impact” = Empty Store Fronts

During a conversation at the Centre St. Amelia Island Coffee Shop the other day an acquaintance and life-long island resident told me that he counted 15 empty store fronts in the downtown area, a number he attributed mostly to the negative effect of the city’s reckless impact fees. I may have missed it, but so […]

“Going Postal” 100 Years Ago Was a Family Travel Bargain

In 1914 if junior wanted to visit granny and granddad, you could just drop him off at the local post office, slap down a little less than 20 cents, and off he went via parcel post. Some 100 years ago the NY Times reported that a small boy was shipped by his grandmother from Stratford, […]

‘Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here’ With Wheelchairs, Walkers & High Heels

Miller Time: To prove a point our newest city commissioner and Palace Saloon barkeep Johnny Miller took off in a wheelchair the other day to try and maneuver the downtown Front St. area from the corner of Centre St. to the entrance of the Salty Pelican and discovered what those who use wheelchairs regularly already know…it can’t be done.

On a second attempt he did manage to cross to the other side of Front St. and make the short trip, but it put him smack in the middle of the road and precariously close to the train tracks.

OK folks, something really has to be done about this before there is a tragic accident, more law suits and additional groups of disgruntled pedestrian locals and tourists thumbing their noses at all of us.

Eatery Serving Edible Family Heirlooms

Drinking, Dancing & Dining: First Coast Highway’s Wines by Steve and Horizons have teamed up to host a $40 per person (not including tax and tip) dinner Wednesday, February 26 at 6 pm at Horizon’s new location at  5472 First Coast Highway, former home of long-gone Gennero’s. The menu and wines aren’t set yet, but […]

Island Resident Takes Unique Approach To Help Pay for “Unaffordable Care Act”

Many people are discovering that the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is anything but affordable. In fact it is just the opposite according to news reports and individual testimonies, thereby forcing folks to scramble for ways to pay for lost health care coverage and its increased costs. Fernandina Beach resident and neighbor Dan Broyles took an […]

Being on the Fast Track Not Always Best

Marina restaurant owner Patricia Toundas suffered a fate many saw coming for others…her car was whacked by a train as she left it parked on the tracks while she unloaded supplies for her eatery. Ms. Toundes is involved in a property dispute with the city of Fernandina Beach claiming the disputed space between her restaurant […]

Is Florida Going to the Birds?

Amelia Island has a lot in common with a number of other Florida communities when it comes to fowl places to live as towns from Coconut Grove to Longboat Key and Plant City to Cape Canaveral have grappled with how to deal with the noisy, nonnative, invasive peafowl while Key West is fighting a chicken […]

‘You’re Fired!’ ‘Really? When was I hired?’

In early January, while flipping through its newspaper, management at the Fernandina Beach News-Leader was alarmed to discover that I had been writing a weekly column (Dave’s World) for it the past two years and promptly told me to knock it off. But not because I deserved a break after devoting 15 minutes and a […]