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One of the things that you’re going to find with the current real estate market is that if you have always wanted to live in Florida, there are some great opportunities out there. Whether you are looking for a home in Jacksonville Beach or in St. Augustine, whether you’re looking for a condo on Amelia Island or a townhouse in Ponce Inlet or a home within Jacksonville’s city limits, you’re going to find that there are great deals that are there waiting to be discovered.

One of the biggest benefits that you’ll discover about the current real estate market is that for those who have been planning ahead and looking at their goals, those who have been saving and are prepared, is that prices are down. In some cases, you’re going to find that it’s possible to buy a brand new condo for less than it cost the developer to get it standing.

With deals like this, living in Florida isn’t something that you’ll have to just dream about any more - it’s something that you are going to be able to turn into your own reality. So what are you waiting for? Take the time, look at your options and see just how great they are.

If you live near Jacksonville Beach or in any of the nearby communities and you are looking for the chance to make a difference and raise awareness, then you may want to pencil an event onto your calendar for this coming Saturday morning. On November 1, starting at 8am from the Sea Walk Pavilion, you will be able to participate in an awareness walk:

(source)By walking in the 2008 Out of the Darkness Community Walks to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), you will be walking with thousands of people nationwide to raise money for AFSP’s vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and assist survivors of suicide loss.

Whether you or someone who you have known has struggled with depression, whether you personally have lost someone to suicide or you want to merely show your support for a cause that rarely gets enough attention - especially given the number of suicides that have taken place by those soldiers who have returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - participating in the Darkness Community Walks will help to make a difference.

If you’re looking for more information, you will be able to find it at: www.outofthedarkness.org.

Every year, there are those college football games that some people describe as “must see.” In the southeastern states, one of those games is between Florida and Georgia and will soon have college fans heading into Jacksonville for the chance to see what happens. Of course, Travel Golf if encouraging those who are going to be in Jacksonville for the game to bring their clubs - and it makes sense:

(source) If you want the best Jacksonville golf courses the area has to offer, you’ll most likely want to head to the beach - that is, to Ponte Vedra.

Stadium course at TPC SawgrassThe Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass is the track most of us are familiar with from The Players Championship. The course went under the knife two years ago, when they re-did the irrigation and doubled the size of the clubhouse. It’s Pete Dye at his best or worst, depending on your opinion of him, where even great shots can produce eventual curses. This is where stadium golf was invented and island greens made famous.

When you live in Jacksonville, this is the type of game that you are going to be able to focus on without having to head out to the stadium but, far more importantly for many, it’s the type of golf that Jacksonville residents are able to take advantage of whenever the mood strikes. Once you’ve been out on the course, you might be surprised too by how often the impulse to get out there catches up to you.

One of the things that you are going to find is that, when you are living on Florida’s First Coast, there are numerous opportunities for you to reach out to others. One of those opportunities, particularly for fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, includes donating food during the annual food drive which has just kicked off:

(source)This week the Jaguars, along with corporate partner Winn-Dixie, moved the chains for a big first down in launching the Jaguars’ 14th Annual Food Drive to benefit thousands of needy families on Florida’s First Coast.

The shelves at the Food Bank are empty, and restocking those shelves with food is crucial as the holidays approach. Support from fans and neighbors by donating non-perishable food items during the next four weeks at area Winn-Dixie stores is the best way to get involved in helping to relieve hunger. Forty-four participating Winn-Dixie stores within Jacksonville are serving as collection sites.

Over the next month, those who live on the First Coast as well as fans who are coming into the area to see the Jaguars will have a chance to donate non-perishable foods at local Winn-Dixie stores, but there will also be a push for donations for those who are attending the Jaguars game in Jacksonville on November 23rd when the Jags take on the Vikings at Municipal Stadium.

The beauty of Florida’s First Coast owes a lot of the credit to the shoreline of the Atlantic. Add in a mix of rivers, streams, lakes and other smaller bodies of water and what you are going to find is that the water has a lot to do with the appeal of coastal Florida.

Preserving the environment is important - as is water conservation. Because of this, the focus of the 2008 Northeast Florida Environmental Summit - to be held November 6 from 9am-4pm at the Jacksonville University Davis College of Business - will be on water conservation:

(source)Now in its 10th year, organizers say this year’s event, “Water Wars: Use, Conflict, and the Future,” is especially relevant.

“For a long time people thought of water use conflicts as being a problem only felt by western states,” said Coastal Law Professor Andrew Long, “but we are now seeing these issues arise within Florida, as in the case of the St. John’s, and between states in the southeast.”

Long said panelists at the summit will provide scientific, legal and policy perspectives on water-related issues arising in international, national and regional settings. Further discussions, he said, will include the physical and jurisdictional underpinnings of water use conflicts, the various approaches to effectively handling water shortages, and the water crises bubbling up in Florida.

If you’re looking for more information on the event - including details about speakers and planning to attend, visit www.ju.edu.

If you have been living on Florida’s First Coast for a while, one of the things that you are going to want to think about is what you can do to secure your home. One of the best reasons for looking into buying a Florida condominium of your own is that you will be able to count on yourself - rather than paying rent to someone else, you could be building equity of your own. When you look into owning your own Florida condo, you will find that there’s less risk of the unexpected.

If you live on the First Coast, you’ll know the story that’s being referred to:

(source)Wednesday night, Taylor found out she had less than a month to find a new place to live, and she’s not the only one. About 90 other residents of Watermark Marina Apartments at 2039 Niblick Drive, got their own letters saying the complex was shutting down.

In other words, when you have made an effort to buy a Florida condo of your own - a home that you will be able to build equity in but that will not force you to do a great deal of maintenance - you won’t have to worry about having someone else at the reigns; you’ll simply find yourself in a far better position.

When it comes to those who are living in Jacksonville and other areas on Florida’s First Coast, if you’re a football fan, then there is some likelihood that you are going to pay attention to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And, if you are Jaguars fan, the news that Walker has been hospitalized is likely to come as a major disappointment - just as it has for the team:

(source) Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Mike Walker has been hospitalized with an infection in his right knee, coach Jack Del Rio announced Monday.

Walker, who suffered the injury in an October 5 game against Pittsburgh, has 12 catches for 161 yards this season.

Del Rio also said Walker was hospitalized to receive antibiotics in hopes of reducing any chance of infection.

“He’s going to miss next week for sure,” Del Rio said. “It could be a couple of weeks.”

Whenever the team that you cheer for suffers an injury, getting the news feels a bit like a personal affront. Even when you’re just a fan of the sport, hearing about an injury like this one is going to have an effect on you - after all, a great player is out of the game. Still, the news is optimistic - here’s hoping that Jaguars fans don’t have to wait long to see Walker back on the field.

When you are looking for the chance to get away from the disruptive news about the economy, one of the best things that you can do is to take a closer look at those areas that are going against the trends: when you live in or around Jacksonville, you’ll have the opportunity to live in an economy that’s doing well:

(source)Jacksonville had the 44th-largest economy in the U.S. in 2006, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The Metropolitan Economic Data report also noted metro Jacksonville’s economy grew at an impressive 9.3 percent clip from 2005 to 2006. The area’s gross domestic product was $58.2 billion in 2006, compared with $53.2 billion in 2005 and $49.1 billion in 2004.

If you’re looking for the chance to live in an area where businesses are doing well, where residents are still finding jobs and you will have the opportunity to find the success that you’re looking for, then you are going to want to be sure that you are taking a closer look at living in Jacksonville and in nearby Florida First Coast communities.

Florida’s First Coast is a great place to be if you are looking into continuing to move forward, into building a life for yourself and your family that you can be proud of and a life where you’re able to have just a little less stress.

Every year, those who call Florida’s First Coast home have the chance to see some of the younger, up and coming football players thanks to collegiate teams in the area. Last year, the big draw - the game that got the most attention - was Alabama coming in to take on Florida State; the team’s going to be back this weekend:

(source)40,000 tickets have been sold for the Florida State-Colorado game in Jacksonville on Saturday. He’s hoping to get a turnout of between 50,000-55,000.

The Alabama game in Jax last year was a blast, and it set the attendance record for Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

In other words, if you’re living on Florida’s First Coast, if you’re passionate about football - on the collegiate level, especially - chances are good that you’re going to want to show up for the game this weekend. And, if you don’t attend on your own, you’re going to want to be sure that you’re able to get together with some friends, grab a bite to eat and to check out the game from one of your favorite local haunts.

Getting out and about and taking advantage of all that the Jacksonville area has to offer is simple: it’s all just a matter of heading out the door and doing it.

One of the great things about living in Jacksonville or in another area on Florida’s First Coast is that it gives you a chance to enjoy the NFL without those cold, blustery days of watching games in a snowstorm or, worse, a covered stadium.

After the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to make their way to the playoffs last year, the first couple of weeks of the season were a big disappointment to football fans on the First Coast. Now, however, there’s something to cheer about again:

On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to reach the win column for the first time this season much like the way they did 11 times a year ago. . .

Taylor and Jones- Drew were held in check by Tennessee and Buffalo before the duo came out in full force in Sunday’s 23-21 victory over Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.

An 0-3 start could have certainly hampered Jacksonville’s playoff status down the road, and it would have been the team’s worst beginning since the 2003 Jaguars opened up with four consecutive defeats. Now the Jaguars can focus on putting together their first winning streak of the season.

So, the good news for those who enjoy getting together with friends on Florida’s First Coast to watch the game at a favorite bar or on their home entertainment setups is that the Jaguars are starting to turn things around; sure does make getting together to celebrate a bit more, well, celebratory.