JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville Beach is asking for input from the community on the topic of a potential name change.
During a meeting Monday night, the Jacksonville Beach City Council and Mayor Chris Hoffman floated the idea while reviewing their city charter.
“It has come up, the reasons becoming Jacksonville Beach in 1925 to be associated with a larger city to tell people where we were geographically,” explained Hoffman.
Prior to 1925, the beach town was known as Pablo Beach. Before that it was Ruby Beach.
“One idea is to go by Jax beach, which is something locals, if you lived here long enough, you call it any way,” Hoffman said.
The city has not taken any formal steps, but the mayor wants to see what the residents think.
Mitchell Livingston, who was visiting the beach, said it didn’t make a difference if the name changed.
Tom, who was visiting from out of town, hopes the name stays the same.
“I know Jacksonville, the good people of Jacksonville, so don’t change the name. It’s all our beach,” he said. “I know Jacksonville Beach, and for that reason, keep it Jacksonville Beach.”
Hoffman said that if a decision was made to change the name, the process would take awhile.
“It would take years and just for the work that we are doing on our charter review is scheduled through the end of this year,” Hoffman said.
To make the name change, City Council would approve it for a ballot vote, the residents would vote and then a decision would be made. The overall process would take up to five years.