Category: Services

Jackson County Master Gardener Volunteer Sale

Debbie Roney Smith on

The annual Jackson County Master Gardener Plant Sale is coming up quick. Come fill all your spring plant needs on March 22nd at the Jackson County Extension Office (located at 2741 Penn Ave, Marianna, FL 32448). Beginning at 7am, come out to get fruit trees, vegetable starts, small fruit plants, flowers, and more! There will also be various craft vendors set up AND the Jackson County 4-H Program will be selling concessions for any hungry shoppers.

For any questions or concerns, please call 850-482-9620 or email payne.abigial@ufl.edu. Follow the Facebook event page to stay up-to-date with announcements. 

Operation Spay Bay’s New Location

Debbie Roney Smith on

Operation Spay Bay began in 2011 when the county was experiencing a need for free and inexpensive spaying and neutering. The clinic is part of a large collection of shelters and rescues within about a 50-mile radius. They are focused on working together to reduce pet/stray overpopulation and make animal care affordable for owners despite income levels. These local rescues have come together to help reduce the needless deaths taking place in the numerous kill shelters in northern Florida.

After seeing a steady increase in services provided after Hurricane Michael (2018), the clinic has decided to move to a new facility. Located at 3610 E 14th Street in Panama City, the new location was possible thanks to nearly a million dollars in donations and grants. What used to be a degrading, empty church has been renovated into a rescue, wellness, and surgery center. There will be additional housing areas for animals and even a kitchen for the tireless employees who keep the public service up-and-running. 

Stan Lee, one of the clinic cats.

According to the Spay Bay Facebook, they provided:

  • 13,539 Spay/Neuters
  • 5,657 Ear Tips
  • 8,714 Clinic Exams
  • 511 Dentals
  • 28,885 Vaccines
  • and 2,673 Microchips! 

Interested in helping them continue providing these crucial community services? They have an Amazon wishlist with items that would help make them continue to operate. You can also visit their How to Help webpage. 

Hurricane Helene Relief

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Hurricane Helene hit landfall as a Category 4 Thursday evening. Shortly after making landfall, it weakened to a tropical storm but the damage was still widespread. Today, relief efforts and first responders are already making headway in the affected areas. If you’re in need of help, try contacting the following services:

  • 911; for medical emergencies or in case of dangerous situations such as downed but active power lines.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) (TTY: 1-800-462-7585); this is a toll-free line that helps individuals and businesses needing to apply for assistance.
  • Reach out to your local law enforcement department. 

If you’re interested in assisting others during this time, here are some resources to help you get started:

  • The Florida Disaster Fund; Florida’s official private fundraiser for disaster relief. It provides financial assistance to communities as they respond to and recover from emergencies or disasters like Hurricane Helene. Visit The Florida Disaster Fund website for more information or to contribute.

  • The United Way; assists in disaster-related evacuations, shelters, food/clothing distributions, volunteer opportunities and other resources. Monetary contributions can be made to the United Way of Florida Disaster Fund.

  • The American Red Cross; has deployed hundreds of trained disaster workers and will continue assisting through cleanup and recovery. Learn more or donate by visiting redcross.org or calling 800-RED-CROSS. You can also become a Red Cross volunteer or sign up to give blood.

USPS Holiday Shipping

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The holiday season is well underway! If you have gifts or cards to send via the United States Post Office, be sure to get them sent out by the cutoff dates if you want them to get there by December 25th. For First-Class Mail, the cutoff date is December 16th. For Priority Mail, the cutoff date is December 18th. The latest date you can send gifts by USPS is December 20th; you’ll have to send them by Priority Mail Express. 

Covenant Care Presentation on Dementia & Alzheimer’s

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Covenant Care is hosting an educational discussion on the Presentation, Progression, and Planning for someone with Dementia and/or Alzheimer’s Disease. The event is free to anyone in the community; they ask that you reserve your seat so they can properly prepare. The event will start with a Meet and Greet at 5:30pm and be followed by a Buffet Style Dinner starting at 5:45pm.

The Presentaiton will begin promptly at 6pm. It will be led by Dr. Steven Spence, a member of the Internal Medicine Associates of Jackson Hospital and Medical Director of Covenant Care. The event will be held at the Rivertown Community Church in Marianna. For more information or to reserve your seat, please contact either:

Jennifer Griffin; (850) 209-8008; jennifer.griffin@choosecovenant.org

Chelsea Dickinson; (850) 209-7799; chelsea.dickson@choosecovenant.org

Tallahassee Beer Festival 2023

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The 5th annual Tallahassee Beer Festival is next Saturday, August 26th. Held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, the festival will run from 2-6pm. There will be over 100 homebrewers and breweries taking part in the Festival; they will feature over 300 different fermentations to sample. For those guests who don’t care for beer, there will be ciders, meads, sparking sodas, and wines available.

All guests will receive a souvenir-tasting glass. There will also be a Beer Mile; ambitious guests can register to take part in a one-mile race where participants drink a 12-ounce beer after each quarter-mile loop. All proceeds will benefit the United Partners for Human Services. Learn more by visiting the Festival website HERE. 

 

Cumberland Island Boat Tours

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Amelia River Cruises are doing boat tours of Cumberland Island daily throughout August. You’ll get to see coastal Georgia and Cumberland Island along the coast of Amelia Island. This tour delves into the unique history of both islands as it cruises along the coast. It leaves from historic Fernandina at 2:30pm and gives an oceanfront view of Fort Clinch followed by the ruins of the Carnegie family’s Dungeoness Mansion. Guests might also spot wildlife such as dolphins, osprey, roseate spoonbills, and more. Guests will not be getting off the boat, so come fully prepared; bring your camera, binoculars, shade protection, sunscreen, snacks, and drinks (non-alcoholic). Learn more or book by visiting the Amelia River Cruises website. 

To Sell or Not to Sell?

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A new report from real estate experts at Los Feliz, Realtor.com, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Florida has the highest rate of new home listings in the country; there are 248 active listings per 10,000 homes.(1) Florida has gained an estimated 2.7 million new residents since 2010, making the state the 3rd most populous after California and Texas. “Florida’s economy and lifestyle continue to attract people who want to live and work in the Sunshine State,” says 2023 Florida Realtors® President G. Mike McGraw, a broker-associate with RE/MAX Central Realty in Orlando.(2) 

The Florida Panhandle is experiencing a boom in listings, an increase in the average price of those listed homes, and a significant amount of commercial construction creating a strong demand for available homes by buyers. 

Grand Opening: Late Bloomer

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Panama City welcomes a new small business – Late Bloomer is having its grand opening today! Open from 9am-3pm, you can visit this fresh flower shop at 556 Harrison Avenue. Late Bloomer Flower Shoppe has a bouquet bar, everlasting flower bar, gift shop, elopement corner, and more. They are offering 20% off the first 20 customers, a subscription giveaway, and a surprise contest.