Has Jacksonville consolidation finally reached us?

Historic City News reader, Carolyn Mudgette, told local reporters that, as part of her exercise regimen, she goes out for a morning run. Mudgette is a Licensed Massage Therapist in St Augustine Beach.

This morning was out-of-the-ordinary, Mudgette said, because as she was running on 11th Street, east of Mizell Road, she spied an unusual manhole cover — it said, “City of Jacksonville Florida” and she didn’t think she had run quite that far!

Mudgette took a photo of the out-of-place cover, and submitted it to Historic City News to be published — asking the obvious question, “Does anyone know why a City of Jacksonville manhole cover would be installed in St Augustine Beach?”

During my formative years, growing up in St Augustine, especially after I-95 was connected and the Duval County government was consolidated with the city government; it was common to hear it said, “Soon, St Augustine will be just another part of south Jacksonville.”

Well, at least that hasn’t happened yet.