Baptist Health System will pay $1.5 million to settle allegations involving discounts offered to some Medicare beneficiaries. The health system, based in Jacksonville, led its subsidiaries to offer discounts to patients to induce them to buy services reimbursed by federal health care programs or for referrals to those services, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors alleged that Baptist Health subsidiaries provided discounts of up to 50% or more on patient cost-sharing obligations for certain categories of Medicare beneficiaries from Jan. 1, 2016, through Aug. 15, 2022.  Th ..read more

Amelia Island is the best island in the U.S. — that’s according to a recent poll by Global Traveler Magazine.  The accolade was decided by an eight-month-long survey reaching 850,000 Global Traveler readers.  Gil Langley, president and CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, says that’s because the Nassau County destination can attract everyone from locals to people from other countries.  Many visitors to the island are from Florida and Georgia, but the island also draws thousands of visitors from elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad,he said.  “We get about 3 ..read more

With exceptionally high mental health problems, Jacksonville is launching a new initiative called “Mental Health Matters Jax.” The effort comes as state figures show that Jacksonville’s mental health hospitalization rate is 13% higher than Florida’s average, according to Mayor Donna Deegan. Deegan on Monday announced three new programs during Mental Health Awareness Month: PUBLIC EDUCATION: A Mental Health First Aid education program will help people identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use, Deegan said. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing will manage ..read more

Two of the three Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi restaurants in the area in have closed: the Riverside location at 50 Riverside Ave. and the Jacksonville Beach location at 1198 Beach Blvd. Both locations opened in 2021. The Markets at St. Johns Town Center store at 4860 Big Island Drive No. 1 remains open,  according to a manager. Read the rest of this story at the Jacksonville Daily Record, a Jacksonville Today news partner. The post Bento restaurants close in Riverside and Jax Beach appeared first on Jacksonville Today ..read more

A painted green line runs on wide, new sidewalks from the Park Street bridge over McCoys Creek next to the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Designated the LaVilla Link, the 1.3-mile-long path is the first part of the planned 30-mile Emerald Trail, which eventually will connect 14 historic urban neighborhoods to Downtown, the St. Johns River, McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek. The new route — with green-striped crosswalks, safety walls and landscaping separating traffic from bicyclists, joggers and walkers — runs from LaVilla to the existing S-line Rail Trail at State Street. Officials opened the li ..read more

The Boathouse restaurant in Ponte Vedra Beach was scheduled to open Monday. The restaurant is at 240 State Road A1A, in the former Zoes Kitchen in the Merchants Plaza shopping center.  Owners Nathan Stuart and Margo Klar own the Fish House & Oyster Co. restaurants in New Berlin, Julington Creek, St. Augustine and Orange Park. Read the rest of this story at the Jacksonville Daily Record, a Jacksonville Today news partner. The post Boathouse restaurant opens in Ponte Vedra Beach appeared first on Jacksonville Today ..read more

After falling victim to rising construction costs and interest rates, The Related Group’s proposed high-rise project at the former River City Brewery site is back in play.  The Miami-based developer’s new plans call for a 25-story tower with no fewer than 390 luxury units, a river-facing restaurant and a ship store that would sell beverages, ice and other items to patrons of the adjacent boat ramp.  Under terms negotiated by Related and the Downtown Investment Authority, the developer would invest a minimum of $202.75 million. The DIA proposes providing $58.79 million in city incenti ..read more

Sunday was the first day of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admistration National Hurricane Preparedness Week. The start of the 2024 hurricane season is less than a month away, and there are early indicators of an active year in the tropics. Seasonal outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center forecast a transition to more hurricane-favorable La Nina conditions by the start of summer. Plus, the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical Atlantic Ocean waters are unusually warm for this time of year. While NOAA has not yet made an official forecast for this year’s hurricane season, tropical meteorolo ..read more

It’s a rough time to be a partisan in favor of public schools in Duval County. Where do we begin? For starters, the district is about to shed 700 employees, as indicated by reporting you saw previously in Jacksonville Today. The staff cuts are coming, in part, because so many students are leaving district-run schools. As Action News Jax notes, traditional school enrollment is down nearly 10% year over year.  And as we’ve discussed many times, some of your favorite neighborhood schools may close soon. But don’t worry — they can be replaced with luxury apartment complexes or cemeteries ..read more

A house in St. Augustine that was firebombed and shot at during a key time in the Civil Rights Movement is now moving to a new location, News4Jax reports. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was scheduled to stay at the Canright House during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in May 1964. That is, until it was vandalized by segregationists. King was famously photographed inside the house, pointing to where a bullet came through a glass door into the home. The house is now on its way to a new location to preserve its history. The historic house sits on a trailer awaiting its move ..read more