Jacksonville beach restaurants succumb to multi family housing boom

Just over a month after the First Street Grill’s final New Years Eve bash, another popular eatery on the Intracoastal Waterway closes its doors for the last time. The Lighthouse Grill, located at the San Pablo River bridge on Beach Blvd. has been sold to Chase Properties, Inc., whose plan is to offer multifamily housing with Intracoastal access on the 2.4 acre waterfront site.

The new development, called Lighthouse Point, will consist of 37 townhouses designed in a West Indies tradition, and will sell from $650,000 to 1.5 million. Residents will also have the opportunity to own a boat slip on the property.

After denying a proposal to construct an 80’ high, 94 unit condominium on the property two years ago, the city of Jacksonville Beach approved this project as the buildings fall under the cities 35 foot height limit, a restriction passed overwhelmingly by voters in the 2004 election that has until now been seldom enforced.

The trend in Jacksonville Beach has been for developers to buy up large parcels of land, tear down the existing structures, and put up 7 to 10 story condominiums. As a result, many of the popular restaurants and night spots that helped define the character of Jacksonville Beach have disappeared.

The most recent casualty was the First Street Grille, an oceanfront eatery and gathering place at 7th Ave. North. First Street Grille closed on January 1st after hosting a huge new year’s party attended by many local patrons of the establishment. First Street Grille will be fondly remembered for its excellent Florida cuisine, it’s popular happy hours, and for the dancing behind the dunes to the tunes of live oldies bands.

A circuit judge ruled in October that the developer who owned the property, Lee Underwood, had vested rights in the parcel because his decision to purchase the land was based on the government’s position about the properties present and future status. A similar case was decided on January 9th, allowing developer Scott Gay the go ahead for a 10 story condominium at 10th Ave and 1st Street. Several other property rights cases are currently pending in the courts.

Arising from the dust of the First Street Grille will be the Acquilus III, a seven story oceanfront condominium. Underwood also owns the property across the street on which the Dolphin Depot is located. An old two story beach house that was transformed into a restaurant, the Dolphin Depot is a popular upscale dining establishment with a very creative menu. According to the same judge that ruled on the First Street Grille property, the rights for this parcel are not vested. Nevertheless, one could safely assume that the Dolphin Depots days are also numbered.

In early 2004, a proposal to develop Beach Marine, the public marina across the street from the Lighthouse Grill, into a 550 unit condominium resort and private yacht club was soundly defeated by city council. As a result spawned the group Beaches Watch, a collection of Jacksonville Beach citizens that began the citizen’s initiative, a referendum requiring a city wide height limit of 35 feet on all new construction. The city council proposed a similar amendment, but would allow high rise construction on the oceanfront only. In November, the citizens initiative won by an overwhelming majority of over 70%.

High rise construction and development in general has by no means slowed in Jacksonville Beach since the vote. Seven to ten story condominiums are presently being erected from 3rd to 1st Streets as investors continue to win their vested property rights in the courts.

While Jacksonville Beach is quickly becoming a world class destination, many of the locals will have to find alternative places to meet and hang out, perhaps going north out of the city to Atlantic and Neptune Beach where the casual ambience and beaches lifestyle does not seem to be threatened.

Must know tips on executive job search

It is normal for every person to strive for career advancement and growth. It makes them feel that all of their hard work has paid off and that a promotion is, indeed, the best reward they can get.

However, for some whose luck seems to be so illusive, they have to find their own growth somewhere else. That is why most of them opted for executive job searches, where they hope that someday they would be lucky enough to find the executive job that they have long been dreaming for.

But is it really just luck? Or are there some factors that need to be considered when searching for that executive job of their dreams?

Landing a good executive job is not dependent on luck. For people who wish to learn some tips regarding executive job searches, here are some pointers on how to get that dream job:

1. Killer looks

The saying, “Looks could kill” is not an understatement. Though the word kill is only used literally and the word look is sometimes associated with stares. But what is being pointed out here is that looks can definitely kill a person’s chances on landing his or her executive job if the applicant had missed one great factor: appearance.

As the saying goes, first impressions last, so it would be better to make that first impression by looking just right for the job. After all, if a person wants to have an executive job, then, he should dress appropriately for the position. In this way, the executive job he had been searching for might just become a reality.

2. Show some mastery

For an executive position, most employers would want to hire those who are already an expert in their own field. This means that the applicants should be adept in the areas concerning their chosen careers. This will show that the applicant has already started a coherent career track and is already knowledgeable in the field.

It will do no good to an applicant who claims to be a “jack of all trades but a master of none.” Six out of 10 applicants are hired because of their expertise on a certain field. This only means that employers are more concerned with people who have already mastered their career and have established continuous career growth.

Finding an available executive job could be one thing but actually getting that dream executive job is another thing. Looking and acting the part is a must to landing that dream job!

Real estate overcoming your first big hurdle

As one journey's through the rough terrain of real estate. You will find yourself amongst the company of those who share similar emotions: self-doubt, fear, concerns of risk, and an endless stream of questions. So why would one subject him or herself to such things if it causes so much of a headache in the short term?

The answer to that is simple: Real Estate is where the bling bling is! Seriously folks, no industry on earth has made millionaires of more people than those two words.

OK so now you've decided it's worth the risk, but you've heard so many different perspectives on results, methods, and a million different courses all claiming to be the cure to launch your own career in real estate.

You may look into creating new homes and then selling the properties when the timing is right, or even rent them out. Many people follow this method and rehash the process over and over till they reach their financial goals.

Others go about it a different way - such as finding a run down home (or constructing a new one) and then learn the tricks and trades of fixing up a home and finding out where the "pressure points" are that can drive the value of the property up like like firewords on the Fourth of July. Then they'd flip or sell it once it is done.

Each method has it's highlights and lowlights. Perhaps you should look into the one that "feels right" to you, and look into it a bit more. It's not possible to become a master of everything in the beginning so just find something, learn how to make money from it, and make it happen as many times as it takes till you get your desired results.

Eventually, you will develop a sixth sense for "where the money is". This is something that can only be learned through hard work, and experience, period!

Minimizing the pain of tattoos

Minimizing The Pain Of Tattoos

No matter what you may hear, there really is no way to predict the amount of pain that you’ll experience when getting a tattoo. If you arrive with determination and the right frame of mind, it may not hurt you as much as you thought. On the other hand, if you arrive at the studio scared half to death – it will more than likely hurt you more than you thought possible.

Tattoos involve piercing into skin, which almost always involves pain. No matter how big or how small the tattoo may be or where it is located, you can expect to feel some pain. The overall amount of pain you experience though, all depends on your tolerance. If you have a high pain tolerance, you may feel next to nothing during the entire process.

When you get a tattoo, the needles will puncture your skin at very fast rates and variable depths. The outline of the tattoo is easily the most painful, as the needles will be used to create a black line that will stand out on the tattoo. This part need to be inserted fairly deeply and carefully to ensure that it’s done correctly. The shading of the tattoo normally isn’t painful, although it depends on the penetration depth and effect that you desire.

Normally, the pain you feel is a slight burn or scratching feeling. If the tattoo is going to be on an area where there is less bone and tissue such as the wrist or chest, the pain will be a bit more intense. Areas like the arms and legs however, normally aren’t that painful. Areas such as these have more tissue and muscle, which will lessen the amount of pain you feel.

Even though some pain is to be expected, there are ways that you can minimize the pain. Below are some tips that will help you deal with the pain.

1. Never show up to a get a tattoo on drugs or drunk. This will thin out your blood, causing you to bleed more.

2. Always choose a tattoo artist that you are comfortable around. If you have confidence in your artist you can minimize the pain a great deal.

3. Show up at the studio with sheer determination. You should accept the fact that the tattoo will take time. Quality work is an art – and should never be rushed.

4. If the pain becomes too much to bear, you should let your tattoo artist know immediately. He will allow you to take a break, or stop and come back later. You can always break up your sessions, as tattoos don’t need to be finished immediately.

5. To ease your mind, listen to music. This way, you can take your mind to a different place and focus on something other than the tattoo.

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Business computer rentals guide

In any endeavor, businesses must watch the bottom line. The acquisition of new technology is no exception. Computer rentals are an ideal solution for businesses wanting to use current technology while staying on budget.

When can you make use of computer rentals? Anytime and anywhere. Consider:

• Conferences and tradeshows. In a busy exhibition hall, you need to stand out, but it hardly makes sense to purchase an LCD projector or plasma screen and a brand new, super-fast laptop. With computer rentals, and rentals of other equipment, you can get new equipment to create a dazzling audio-visual display without putting a huge dent in your hardware budget.

• Travel – Whether you are headed to the aforementioned tradeshow or going to a client meeting, computer rentals can save you the hassles of traveling with equipment. National vendors will deliver anywhere you need to go, so you can travel light. Or, if you have only a desktop in your office, take advantage of computer rentals to get a laptop for your next business trip. You can stay in touch and be productive while you travel.

• Training – If your company provides training to customers or is planning some internal training, computer rentals can give you all the hardware you need to set up a complete classroom. With the right vendor, you can even rent servers and printers to set up a mini-network dedicated to training.

When planning your computer rentals, be sure to consider the following points:

• If your project ends early, will you be penalized for returning equipment early? What about project overruns? Can you keep your equipment beyond the original end date of your rental agreement? Flexibility is incredibly important in computer rentals. Research vendors to find one with flexible rental options.

• What kind of inventory does the vendor have? Will you be getting new equipment from top manufacturers? Does the vendor have sufficient inventory to meet your needs?

• Can you change your equipment when new models come on the market? This option pertains mainly to long-term rentals, but you should ask your vendor before signing your rental agreement. After all, one of the benefits of computer rentals is access to the newest technology.

• The data on your rented computers also needs to be dealt with. Does the vendor wipe the machines clean after you return them? Also consider whether you need to rent a CD or DVD burner or hard drive to copy your data from your rented machine.

• Technical support is critical. Find out what’s involved in tech support for your computer rentals - phone, e-mail, on-site? What is the vendor’s response time? Does the vendor offer testimonials or references about their service?

Computer rentals from a reputable vendor are a cost-effective solution for any size of business. Do your research and you’re sure to find the equipment you need at a price you can afford. Take a quick run through with your computer rental expert to make sure you get the most out of the time you are spending with your audience.

An unbelievable opportunity that is what a home improvement loan is

If there is one place that can provide comfort in its true sense then it is the home. A comfort is something that we can relate to as something that can relive tension, stressor mental pain. Or in the other sense can placate us when we feel bad. Those are the comforts that a home should be capable of providing apart from the services that it is suppose to provide such as a good living environment.

Home improvement loan as the name suggests are offered to people for the purpose of improving or making the home a better place to live in. the purpose of making changes to the house are many. And the changes which are made can be minor or major. It depends on different people why they want to make changes to their house. Few changes that an owner may want to make to his house are:

· Adding of new rooms

· Landscaping the garden

· Adding new features to the house

· Renovation

· Doing safety repairs

· Roofing plumbing or the sewer work

The changes could be either of these ones or any other depending on the requirement of the borrower of the home improvement loan.

People who want home improvement loan can get these loans now days very easily all the borrowers need to do is estimate their requirement and then go online to find a lender who will provide the loan, just fill up their loan forms and the decision will be made in a day or two.

You can take a home improvement loan in 2 different ways i. e. in a secured form or an unsecured form. Secured home improvement loan needs a security to be provided to the creditor by the borrower. A security could be a car or any other asset of the borrower. Other method by which you may want to take loans is one of unsecured home improvement loan. This method of loans does not require any sort of security to be provided to the creditors. Hence these loans can be used by everybody not only asset holders but by tenants and people employed in services as well.

Though both the type of loans are equally good in serving their purpose. Secured home improvement loans are relatively cheaper and a little easier to repay. Because of the presence of a security factor you can choose an amount of up to 250000 and a repayment period as long as 25 years and at a lower interest rate. However people who take secured loans must be careful that if they falter in their repayments they will be putting their security in jeopardy.

With the presence of so many lending organizations loans are made available to every body even to people who have had a history of bad credit. People like CCJ’s and IVA’s who have defaulted while repayments of their loans previously. All they need to know about is their credit score.

Home improvement loans are not only useful in making home improvements but also help in other ways as well. They are:

· They add value to the house as with home improvement the equity value of house will increase. This will help the owner negotiate a better deal if he wants to sell the house.

· People proud themselves on their house a good house will enhance that belief.

· It also makes the home a better place to live in.

· For people with poor credit history it is a way by which they can improve on their credit score and have a normal credit history.

Home is the place where we spend most of our time. So it is obvious that we should keep it to its absolute best. For people who do not have enough money at the present moment home improvement loans is the best way to go for their home improvement.

Using internet market research to understand your target market

As an entrepreneur, you need to understand your market before starting your business or before proposing a new product or service. Internet Market Research is an appropriate tool for such a task. Using this tool can help you carry out your market research at a very reasonable cost.

If you want to sell to your market, you need to get inside their heads. Sometimes it’s easy enough, if you happen to be the target market. What do I mean by that? If you are targeting senior citizens and you are one, you would have a commonality with the target group. You would know what they want, what their fears are and which buttons to push to get your point across.

The definition of a business’ marketing policy is essential for its development and success. The quality of such a definition depends on the quality of the target market research. In addition to providing a better understanding of the market, such research will also facilitate the development of a quality business plan and help you reach your business goals.

Until recently, most small businesses were unable to carry out market research, often because of the high cost. However, the emergence of new research techniques has made market research much more accessible and affordable.

Internet Market Research is such a technique. It has become much more reliable, in contrast to previous years. In fact, thanks to the large growth of the number of Internet surfers and advanced data collection techniques, market research companies now have more opportunities than ever to obtain representative samples for their target market. Research quality depends considerably on such samples. As of 2007, according to the “European Association of Marketing Study and Research” (ESOMAR), two-thirds of the quantitative research was carried out on the Internet.

The use of the Internet as a means of data collection simplifies the market researchers’ work. It allows for a considerable reduction in delays and costs, and makes such research financially affordable to small business and home business.

Example - Someone interesting in writing about business travel would need to study the market before starting to work. The writer would need to evaluate the market and discover exactly what audience and topics each magazine, e-zine, newspaper, etc. targets. The writer could then order a poll on the Internet - at a very reasonable price - that researches the needs and interests of business travelers, such as the destinations they visit and services they require. Having such market knowledge can greatly increase the writer’s chance of getting published.

Some of the key advantages of Internet Market Research are as follows:

- attract rare, high-demand markets with precision and accuracy

- transfer all types of documents (photos, pictures, sounds, etc.)

- tap into remote target markets (essential for an export business)

- tap into a wealth of private and business research panel information

The final evaluation of the information collected by your Internet Market Research should provide the following benefits:

- identify the needs and expectations of your current and potential customers

- understand the evolution of the customer’s purchasing habits

- discover your competition’s strong and weak points

The improved understanding of your market will enable you to refine your range of products and services, and improve the distribution and communication policies of your business. You will soon be attracting new customers, maintaining current customers, and reaching your business goals.