Cook Out is finally open on Beach Boulevard
A first-in-the-region burger stop, a new marina behind the Four Seasons, and a tax rate ceiling that just got set.
Northeast Florida's first Cook Out is now open for business on Beach Boulevard. On paper that is a single restaurant opening. In practice, it is the kind of arrival people in this city have been tracking by name for years. New chains land in Jacksonville constantly without anyone looking up. This one is different, and the traffic on Beach will tell you so. If you plan to go in the next few weeks, go at an odd hour or make peace with the line. Late night is probably your friend here.
Florida will refund sales tax on impact windows and doors
If you have hardened your house this hurricane season, the state owes you some money back. Florida is refunding sales tax paid on impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors installed on eligible homes. Qualifying purchases run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. The catch is that this is not a discount at the register. You pay the tax up front. Then file for the refund with your receipts and the required forms. Eligible homes must be site-built, have a homestead exemption, and carry a just value of $700,000 or less. One property per owner, capped at $500.
New marina behind the Four Seasons starts taking reservations
The new marina at Metropolitan Park is taking reservations. It sits behind the Four Seasons and brings 78 wet slips to that stretch of the Northbank. Boaters get electrical power, pump-out service, and boating supplies on site. That is a real change for a stretch of the Northbank that has never had slips of its own. It also means more traffic on the water right where the city has been pouring money and attention. If you keep a boat and have been eyeing downtown, the slips are live now.
An aviation-themed restaurant is coming to Beaver Street
Downtown is getting a restaurant called The Jenny, built around an aviation theme. It will be part of The Raven, an aparthotel going up on Beaver Street. The project also includes a speakeasy and a rooftop space, which is a lot of concept for one address. Beaver Street is not where most people picture a rooftop bar, and that is sort of the point. Downtown's growth keeps showing up on blocks that have been quiet for years. Nothing is open yet, but this is one to watch as it takes shape.
Your property tax rate just got a ceiling
City Council took its first swing at the budget and held the maximum millage rate steady. Barring a change later in the process, property owners will pay $11.1919 in tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Setting the maximum is the part that matters most to your wallet. Council can still go lower as the budget moves along, but it cannot go higher than this. So the number on your bill this fall is now capped. If your assessment climbed this year, that is where the increase is coming from, not the rate.
Art Walk returns downtown on Wednesday
First Wednesday Art Walk is back on August 5, which makes this a good midweek excuse to be downtown. Southlight Gallery is hosting its August Art Walk as part of the night. The gallery is also welcoming Kim Hurt to its roster, so there is new work in the room to go see. Art Walk is one of the few standing traditions that reliably pulls people into the core after 5 p.m. Go early, walk more than one block, and let dinner happen wherever you end up.
Five Westside candidates, one school board seat, and an August deadline
Five candidates are running for the District 6 Duval School Board seat on the Westside. School board races are non-partisan, which changes the math in a way a lot of voters miss. If one candidate clears the bar in the August 18 primary, the race is simply over. There is no November runoff to catch up on later. So the decision about who oversees Westside schools gets made in two weeks, by whoever bothers to show up. Worth reading the names before you fill in the bubble.