Beaches Watch Monthly Meeting
2026-06-03 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Beaches Branch Library, Community Room, 600 3rd St., Neptune Beach, FL, 32266, United States
Topic: The Good and the Bad of the 2026 Legislative Session
Guest Speakers: Jacksonville Beach City Manager Mike Staffopoulos, Neptune Beach City Manager Richard Pike, Acting Atlantic Beach City Manager Kevin Hogencamp
IMPORTANT: Enter through the NORTH Library entrance ONLY. The south entrance will be locked. Parking is available in the north parking lot.

The three beaches City Managers will help the audience understand the impact legislative action during the 2026 Legislative Session will have on their lives. Guest speakers will be Jacksonville Beach City Manager Mike Staffopoulos, Neptune Beach City Manager Richard Pike, and Acting Atlantic Beach City Manager Kevin Hogencamp. Expected topics include affordable housing, property taxes, local government land regulations, sovereign immunity, local government spending transparency, and more. There will also be discussion about bills that didn’t pass and are expected to come back in the 2027 Legislative Session. There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Beaches Watch Monthly Meeting
2026-07-15 19:00 - 20:15 | Beaches Branch Library, Community Room, 600 3rd St., Neptune Beach, FL, 32266, United States
PLEASE NOTE – Date changed to July 15, 2026!
Topic: 2026 Police Panel
Guest Speakers: Atlantic Beach Police Chief Vic Gualillo, Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith, Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key
IMPORTANT: Enter through the NORTH Library entrance ONLY. The south entrance will be locked. Parking is available in the north parking lot.

After the fireworks have stopped and the July 4th visitors have gone home, our beaches police departments continue to stay busy keeping our communities safe. So, what do our police departments deal with during the summer – and during the winter?
To find that out, this program will help our beaches residents understand more about public safety issues for our beaches police departments. Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith, Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key and Atlantic Beach Police Chief Vic Gualillo will share updates. Issues they are expected to address include successes and challenges in the past year, crime statistics and trends, updates on recent large events such as July 4th and Memorial Day, staffing updates, department needs and more.

District 2 School Board Candidate Forum
2026-08-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Community Presbyterian Church, 150 Sherry Drive, Atlantic Beach, FL, 32233, United States
Beaches Watch will host a District 2 Duval County Public School Board candidate forum on Thursday, August 6 at the Community Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 150 Sherry Dr, Atlantic Beach, FL. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. This program will give District 2 voters an opportunity to meet the candidates and learn more about their platforms before the primary election on August 18.

Three candidates are seeking the District 2 Duval County School Board seat: Donovan Bradley, Terence Myers, and Donna Westrich. All three candidates have confirmed they will be participating in the candidate forum.

Beaches Watch President Maria Mark said, “Local elections, such as for the Duval County School Board, are fast becoming one of the more critical elections for our communities. It’s extremely important that citizens attend so they can make a well-informed decision.”

Questions can be submitted in advance via email to info@beacheswatch.com no later than July 17. The audience will have the opportunity submit questions in writing to the candidates the night of August 6, as well. There will also be an opportunity to meet the candidates after the candidate forum.

Established in 2004 as a non-profit, non-partisan civic organization, Beaches Watch promotes and facilitates educated and productive citizen involvement in local and state government decisions that affect the quality of life in our beach communities. Informative monthly meetings, candidate forums for area elections, and special community programs provide factual information for the general public and government officials while encouraging citizen participation.

To become a Beaches Watch member please go to https://beacheswatch.com/join-us/. For more information contact 904.878.0435, email info@beacheswatch.com or visit the Beaches Watch website at www.beacheswatch.com.

Atlantic Beach Candidate Forum
2026-09-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Beaches Branch Library, Community Room, 600 3rd St., Neptune Beach, FL, 32266, United States
As a service to Atlantic Beach voters, Beaches Watch is sponsoring a candidate forum for the Atlantic Beach candidates on the General Election ballot. The candidate forum will be held Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 7pm at the Beaches Branch Library, 600 3rd St, Neptune Beach. Please enter the north library entrance because the south entrance (main entrance) will be locked.
The Atlantic Beach candidate forum is open to the public and will give voters the opportunity to learn about the candidates as well as their platforms and positions on Atlantic Beach issues before the November 3 general election. Candidates on the general election ballot for Atlantic Beach Mayor are Curtis Ford (incumbent) and Nancy Staats; Commissioner Seat 4 are Lisa Herrold and Jennifer Lagner. For anyone who is unable to attend the candidate forum, a video of the forum will be available at www.BeachesWatch.com on Thursday, September 3.
The general election will be held on Tuesday November 3, 2026 and early voting will be held Monday, October 17 through November 1 at the Beaches Branch Library (600 3rd St, Neptune Beach) and Jacksonville Beach Community Center (2508 S. Beach Parkway, Jacksonville Beach).
“Beaches Watch promotes citizen education on local issues and participation in local government,” said Beaches Watch president Maria Mark. “The election of our city officials is one of the most important ways citizens can participate in their local government. Through this forum, voters can learn more about the candidates and make an informed decision when they vote.”
The Beaches Watch organization does not endorse candidates and has been sponsoring non-partisan candidate forums for Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach since 2004.

Beaches Watch Monthly Meeting
2026-10-07 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-11-04 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-12-02 19:00 - 20:00, 2027-01-06 19:00 - 20:00, 2027-02-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2027-03-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2027-04-07 19:00 - 20:00, 2027-05-05 19:00 - 20:00 and 7 more dates | Beaches Branch Library, Community Room, 600 3rd St., Neptune Beach, FL, 32266, United States
