Connect with us

Florida

Two Publix stores sit just 500 feet apart in this Northeast Florida city — but why?

Published

on

Two Publix stores sit just 500 feet apart in this Northeast Florida city — but why?


NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – It’s pretty much a Florida tradition for any beach day: You load up the car and on the way to the ocean, you make the obligatory Publix run to grab all the beach essentials like Pub Subs, sweet tea and fried chicken.

Just check social media. There are a ton of creators who describe their Publix pit stops as a mandatory step before any fun-in-the-sun activity.

But any beachgoers heading down Atlantic Boulevard toward Neptune Beach will have a choice to make. That’s because two Publix stores sit just over 500 feet apart.

Yes, you read that right.

Advertisement

There are over 20 Publix stores in Jacksonville alone. Sometimes it feels like there’s one on every corner. And on Atlantic Boulevard just before 3rd Street, it’s like you’re seeing double.

Publix grocery stores sit nearly next to each other in Neptune Beach (Google Maps)

Publix Super Market at Seminole Shoppes at 630 Atlantic Blvd. opened in 2010. It’s probably the most familiar Publix in the area if you don’t visit Neptune Beach often.

So, it might be a bit confusing to see a more modern-looking Publix sitting at the Neptune Beach Plaza on 580 Atlantic Blvd., just to the left of the original 54,130 square-foot store.

2 Publix (WJXT)

The updated store opened in 2023 after the company acquired the 29,810 square foot space that formerly housed Lucky’s Market for $2.3 million, according to News4JAX news partner the Jax Daily Record.

As convenient as it may sound, it’s also confusing. Why did the Florida-born company feel the need to build another Publix close to…well, another Publix?

Advertisement

A spokesperson for the company told News4JAX it is not “unusual to have Publix locations close in proximity.”

There are similar situations in St. Johns County, though not quite to the extreme happening at the Beaches.

In Nocatee, the Super Market at Nocatee Town Center at 120 Marketside Avenue sits less than a half mile from a Publix GreenWise Market across the street at 250 Pine Lake Drive.

GreenWise is Publix’s organic brand that was expanded to stand-alone stores with four locations in Florida, according to an online locator map.

St. Augustine’s Publix at Market at Shoppes at Murabella has a newly opened Publix Super Market at Parkey Village of St. Johns that sits right across State Road 16.

Advertisement

While both Neptune Beach stores are fully open and have been successfully operating next to each other, residents admitted the concept was rather strange.

McKenzie Fletcher moved to Atlantic Beach from Ponte Vedra Beach and shops at the newer Publix in Neptune Beach.

She said she questioned the employees about the store’s purpose.

“This is now the closest Publix to me and I was asking if they were shutting down the old one. Hence, why this one is brand new,” Fletcher said.

Nope, that’s not the case here. Both stores are open with no intention of shutting down.

Advertisement

When News4JAX reached out to Publix to learn the differences between the stores, the spokesperson confirmed while both stores operate as a “traditional Publix” with most grocery departments and a full-service bakery and deli, the newer store includes features from the GreenWise brand.

“The Neptune Beach Plaza location also has a Pours section where customers can purchase items like acai bowls, smoothies, beer, wine, coffee or tea and sip while they shop,” the spokesperson said.

POURS venue at the Neptune Beach Plaza location (WJXT)

Fletcher found the additional store to be convenient despite her confusion.

“It’s slightly closer to my house and it is kind of like stop-and-go. I do feel like they do have special things like the little bar and stuff. It’s cute.” Fletcher said.

Other people News4JAX spoke to also seemed to question the dueling Publixes.

Advertisement

One woman commutes around four miles from the Golden Glades neighborhood to shop at the newer Publix store because the store at Atlantic and Hodges Boulevards is temporarily closed for construction.

“I thought it was little a odd. I thought maybe because the one at Hodges is closed, maybe they thought they were going to have a bit of a spillover. I’m not quite sure why they did that. It is interesting,” one woman told News4JAX.

We asked Publix for a construction update and have not heard back.

But even with double the opportunity to buy groceries “where shopping is a pleasure,” some found minor inconveniences.

Another Atlantic Beach resident pointed out that the newer Publix does not have a pharmacy, which makes him have to take a trip to the older store. Although the two stores are side-by-side, unless you’re walking, you can’t simply drive from one store parking lot to another because there is a barrier blocking access.

Advertisement

News4JAX asked the spokesperson about the barrier but they did not immediately respond.

Barrier restricts traffic from driving between Neptune Beach Publix stores without getting on the main road. (WJXT)

“As a whole, we look for opportunities to best serve our customers and, in some cases, alleviate congestion in stores, in addition to allowing for the best traffic patterns in a particular area,” the spokesperson said responding to a separate email asking about the benefit both stores serve.

Most people we spoke with said they preferred the newer location because it didn’t seem as busy.

“I prefer the smaller one. There’s a different atmosphere, a little bit more positive. It’s a little easier to find stuff, less walking. It’s the same thing. It’s just newer,” one man said.

The two locations have coexisted for at least a year. One thing is for sure, Floridians love Publix, so double the opportunity is a double bonus for shoppers.

Advertisement

The ever-growing grocery store recently opened a new Jacksonville location at 11341 Normandy Boulevard in the Plaza at Normandy. The closest store to that location is 5.3 miles away.

Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.





Source link

Florida

FBI says suspects tried to rob Offset outside a Florida casino when he was shot in the leg

Published

on

FBI says suspects tried to rob Offset outside a Florida casino when he was shot in the leg


The rapper Offset was ambushed by a “large group” of people who tried to rob him outside a Florida casino last week when he was shot in the leg, the FBI said Tuesday.

Federal investigators said that they are still searching for the suspects who assaulted Offset last Monday night outside of Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami. Throughout the assault, a single shot was fired into Offset’s leg before an unsuccessful attempt to remove the rapper’s watch, the statement said. Offset, who rose to fame as part of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, was hospitalized for a couple of days, but swiftly returned to the stage at a performance at a music festival at the University of Arkansas on Saturday.

The suspects fled the scene in two Chevrolet SUVs that went in separate directions: A black Suburban that fled towards Hollywood, Florida, and a Tahoe that fled southbound towards Miami.

Following the shooting, officers detained two people, but law enforcement hasn’t shared evidence to directly tying either one to the shooting.

Advertisement

One of the people detained was rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt. He was arrested in connection with an altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, told The Associated Press last week that Lil Tjay did not have a gun and was not charged with any weapons or gun-related crimes. He was swiftly released after posting bond.

Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, launched his career with Migos, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The Atlanta trio is celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often-imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.

The group had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos.” Migos released four full-length albums across their career.

More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Florida

Florida teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship

Published

on

Florida teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship


A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the 6 November death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship, the US justice department said Monday.

Timothy Hudson was initially charged in February and subsequently indicted on 10 March. But the breadth of the case was not known until a seal was lifted Friday, weeks after US district judge Beth Bloom in Miami said he would be prosecuted as an adult at the request of the government.

Anna Kepner, Hudson’s stepsister, had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.

The cause of Kepner’s death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

Advertisement

Email and voicemail messages seeking comment from Hudson’s attorneys about the charges were not immediately returned Monday. Hudson, whose name was disclosed through his signature on documents filed in federal court, has remained free in the care of an uncle since his arrest in February.

Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, released a statement, saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity”.

“At the same time, we are deeply troubled that, despite the seriousness of the charges, he has not been taken into custody,” Kepner said. “The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family.”

In a written statement, US attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said, “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss. A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.”

Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian school in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul”.

Advertisement

Teens are rarely prosecuted in federal court. Hudson pleaded not guilty when he was initially charged in February, though the proceedings were not public because of his age – and neither were court documents. He was seen at the courthouse wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face.

A judge on 6 February said Hudson must wear an electronic tether while living with an uncle. The order was changed to allow him to join his father for a few days recently at a landscaping business, newly unsealed court records show.

Prosecutors objected to Hudson’s release, citing dangerousness, and asked a judge Monday to revisit that order now that he has been charged as an adult. Defense lawyers were given a week to respond.

“He committed these crimes against a victim with whom he had no apparent relational strife, and whom he was being raised to view as a sibling,” assistant US attorney Alejandra López said in a court filing.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Florida

16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting, killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise ship

Published

on

16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting, killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise ship


MIAMI – A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.

The teen, identified by the government as T.H., was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2, but the case was sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered that he would be prosecuted as an adult, the department said.

An email and voicemail seeking comment from T.H.’s lawyer about the indictment were not immediately returned.

Anna Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.

Advertisement

The cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”

Teens prosecuted in federal court are extremely rare. T.H. was seen at the Miami courthouse on Feb. 6, wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face. But his status at that time was not fully known because his age barred public disclosures by his lawyer, the government or the court.

Experts believe the case is in federal court, and not a state court where teens are commonly prosecuted, because Kepner died in international waters.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending