Medical plaza preps for grand opening

MIDDLEBURG – A once-shuttered Walgreens drug store has been given new life just north of Middleburg in the growing Baxley and Branan Field Roads area.

Coastal Specialists will hold a grand opening of its 15,000 square foot medical plaza on Oct. 31 to serve the multi-specialty groups under the Coastal umbrella of patient care. The new plaza is at 1821 Blanding Blvd. north of Middleburg.

Coastal plans to close its office at 3839 County Road 218 on Oct. 27, with the first patient being seen at Coastal Medical Plaza on Oct. 31.

Coastal Physical Therapy will also be serving patients at Coastal Medical Plaza in addition to their four current locations.

“Our goal is to make receiving care that our patients’ need easier and more convenient for them,” said Bridget Roberts, chief executive officer. “This new plaza will allow us to service more patients with different needs under one roof as we work with our network of specialists and primary care doctors.”

Coastal Medical Plaza will operate under a team-approach with family practices and other specialists in the Coastal network to create customized and comprehensive patient plans and treatments. Coastal Spine and Pain Centers and Coastal Physical Therapy are part of a network that includes multispecialty groups such as Coastal Neurology Associates, Coastal Orthopedic Associates, Coastal Podiatry and Wound Care, Coastal Family Medicine, Coastal Kidney Clinics of Jacksonville, Amelia Psychology, Family Medical Centers, MedMatch Pharmacy and Coastal Laboratories.

Archaeological research produces dramatic opera

JACKSONVILLE – The Archaeological Institute of America-Jacksonville Society meets at noon on Nov. 19 in Building 51 at the University of North Florida to hear a lecture by John Ehrenhard, former director of the National Park Service Southeast Archaeological Center in Tallahassee.

His lecture is titled “Archaeology Goes to the Opera.”

Improbable as it sounds, a full-length dramatic opera “Zabette” resulted from archaeological and historical research conducted by the Southeast Archaeological Center related to stabilization evaluations of a slave quarters complex at the 19th century Stafford Plantation on Cumberland Island, Ga.

Human occupation of this site was filled with adventure, misfortune and sorrow. The opera is related to historic events in the life and times of Elizabeth Bernardey, a young woman of mixed ancestry. Now retired, Ehrenhard will give an anecdotal account of archaeological events that led to producing the opera. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by complimentary refreshments in the Archaeology Lab. On Saturday parking is free and spaces are available to everyone. For more information contact Melva Price at (904)241-9411 or aiajaxsoc@gmail.com.

USF surveys finds Floridians’ trust of government drops

TAMPA – An overwhelming majority of Floridians do not trust leaders at any level of government and 88 percent oppose lengthening term limits for state legislators, according to a new survey published at the University of South Florida.

Florida residents do not give governments high marks for the job they do serving the public, says findings of the 2016 USF-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey. A majority of residents surveyed – 56 percent – identify integrity and honesty as the most important leadership quality. Racial and ethnic differences (24 percent) are the most-cited obstacle to solving major problems compared to 2014 when it was partisan differences (28 percent).

The survey is overseen by professor Susan MacManus at the University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences and identifies Floridians’ stance on emerging and hot-topic issues. All survey data releases are posted on the USF-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey website, including Quick Facts summaries, infographics in .jpg format, and data analysis with cross tabs.

“Floridians have become more critical of government at all levels regarding their leaders’ trustworthiness and job performance (public service). A majority values a leader’s integrity and honesty above all else,” MacManus said. “But Floridians also recognize that solving the state’s big problems can be more difficult because of the extremely diverse population which yields differences of opinion about what should be done and how. The most cited obstacle in 2016 is the state’s racial/ethnic divide. In 2014, it was the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans.”

Biggest Divide

•Racial/ethnic differences are the biggest divide in the state – Racial/ethnic differences are seen by 24 percent of Floridians as making coalition-building more difficult – an increase of 14 percent since 2014 (the last time the question was asked.) Other responses include elected official/average citizen differences (16 percent), partisan differences (13 percent), income inequalities (12 percent) and generational differences (11 percent). In comparison, the partisan divide was the most cited in 2014 (28 percent), followed by elected official/average citizen differences (17 percent) and income (rich vs. poor) differences (16 percent). Racial/ethnic differences ranked fourth (12 percent).

Infographic: Biggest Divide in State

Leadership and Government Performance

•Most Important Leadership Quality – A majority (56 percent) of Floridians identify integrity and honesty as the most important leadership qualities, followed by consensus-building/bipartisanship (9 percent), consistency (7 percent), good communication skills (7 percent), intelligence (7 percent), compassion (6 percent), and vision (5 percent). Older Floridians look for integrity and honesty at a higher rate than younger Floridians.

Infographic: Most Important Leadership Quality

•Citizen Trust in Leadership – Leaders at all levels of government received negative trust ratings (“fair” or “poor”) from a majority of Floridians. The federal government leaders are trusted least with 80 percent of Florida citizens giving them negative marks. Local government leaders are trusted the most, although a majority (62 percent) of their ratings are still negative. State government leaders fall in the middle—74 percent with “fair” or “poor” evaluations. Females trust government leaders at all levels more than males. Hispanics trust the federal government more than other races.

Infographic: Citizen Trust in Government

•New Increasing Term Limits in Florida’s Legislature – Almost 90 percent of Floridians oppose increasing term limits for state legislators from 8 to 12 years. Whites, retired Floridians and mid-income households are the strongest opponents.

Infographic: Increase Term Limits in Florida’s Legislature

•Government Performance Ratings – Floridians do not give governments at any level high marks for the job they do serving the public. They are most critical of federal and state governments’ performance (rated as “fair” or “poor” by 73 percent and 69 percent respectively. There is less disparity between positive and negative ratings of local governments. Overall, females, older Floridians, and mid-income households assign more positive government performance ratings than their respective counterparts.

Livability (Quality of Life): Present and Future

•State of Florida: Better or Worse Than Five Years Ago – Almost half (48 percent) of long-term residents think that Florida’s livability is the “same” today as five years ago, but slightly more rate it as “worse” (26 percent) than “better” (23 percent). The “worse” ratings are the lowest in 10 years.

Infographic: Florida Better or Worse Than Five Years Ago

•Future Outlook (Next Five Years) – Younger Floridians, African-Americans and mid-income households are most likely to believe quality of life will get better over the next five years. Older Floridians, Hispanics, and low-income households are most prone to project a worsening quality of life.

State – Four-in-10 Floridians (41 percent) believe the quality of life in the state will not change during the next five years, while a third (32 percent) are optimistic and believe it will improve.

County – A plurality (42 percent) predicts little change in their own county’s livability, while 36 percent expects it to improve.

Neighborhood – The clear majority (60 percent) does not see the quality of life in their own neighborhood changing much during the next five years – a pattern observed since 2010.

Results of this survey are based on 1,248 telephone interviews conducted by The Nielsen Company Sept. 1-19, 2016 with a random sample of adults, aged 18 and older, residing in Florida households. For a random sample of 1,248 adults, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ± 2.77 percentage points.

Historical Society invites community on an outing

FERNANDINA BEACH – The Historical Society of Orange Park will host an outing to Fernandina Beach on Nov. 5.

The group’s first stop will be the Amelia Island Museum of History on Historic Centre Street followed by a one-hour guided tour of historical sites in the center of town. Prior to stopping for lunch, attendees will visit the city’s Old Town area for a short visit.

Time permitting, guests will visit Fort Clinch where historical re-enactors will be on-hand to portray the fort as it was in 1864. Those interested in attending should plan to meet at Clarke Park on Kingsley Avenue before 9 a.m. on Nov. 5 and return that afternoon.

Admission to the museum is $8 per person and the guided tour along Centre Street is $10 per person and admission to Fort Clinch is $2 per person. Lunch will be on your own.