When my son was younger (and more impressionable) we took him to this fire station to speak with…read morethe men who reside at this location. It was my hope that these friendly firemen would scare the living tar out of my son who had recently discovered a new fascination with lighting books of matches on fire while in his room. I watched these men's eyes widen in amusement as I shared this story with the firemen, presumably mortified for my 8 year olds public berratement. After letting me vent for a few minutes, these men took my son inside the station to look around and to discuss the dangers of playing with matches in such a way. They let my son ask questions about the truck and about what the firemen did for their jobs and got to put on a fire helmet. This was such a wonderful act of kindness by these men! I believe they told my son that if he stayed away from the matches and got good grades that they would take him for a ride in the truck at some point. How cool is that?! Big Kudos to the St John's Fire Department for being so civilian conscious and truly generous of heart!!

Dated but clean and well maintained, the Charles E Federal Building in downtown Jacksonville is…read morehome to lots of government agencies and contractors. There is public parking available along the street (metered by the COJ) as well as in the rear parking lot (more expensive private parking here.) Security is tight at the main entrance so be prepared to lose the belt and all of your accessories so they can scan you through. It reminds me of an airport, as you have to put all your bags and belongings into a bin for X Ray. The guards and homeland security are very nice but they take their job seriously and I appreciate that. Currently, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the building is mostly closed to the public unless you have a special appointment. They generally aren't letting anyone in right now unless you work in the building and have a badge. Snack machines and a mail drop/ATM are located on the ground floor. Restrooms are available there as well. I'm glad to work in a clean and secure building like this and the best part is that it's located right in the heart of downtown Jacksonville.

This definitely a secure place to work. The Guards at the front entrance have a very strict and…read morehigh standard to enforce. You must have ID to enter the bldg. you also need to be prepared to remove ear rings, everything in your pockets, to take your shoes off to be scanned as well as your purse. You must now have to have an appointment with IRS to enter the building now. IRS is not the only dept. in the building. There are multiple Gov't Agencies in the Federal Building. They have a restaurant on the first floor to get a bite to eat, breakfast or lunch. They also have the Federal Credit Union in the ground floor as well. The building is well maintained. The service people do a great job and the cleaning staff do a wonderful job as well. The only tip I might have is: I think they should update the handicapped ramp. If you are facing the building, it's on the right side. No visitor can enter the building before 8am.

JIFD has moved to a new state-of-the-art facility on Shell Rd, closer to major hotels but still…read moreless than a minute from the Historic District. We have visited the new FD a few times now and they are all moved in and up and running. They are housed with State Police who I understand were given more private sleep and showering quarters, and a better view despite few of them needing to stay there, however more funding came from their grants so that's how it goes. We see more rescue vehicles each time we visit (last time saw the mule, this time the jet ski) and we love hearing firefighter stories of how all of these tools are implemented to save people and protect the island. The old FD building is being repurposed by Jekyll Island Arts Association, who has raised funds to make it into more studio space, including a nice pottery studio so they can move their prior one out of Goodyear's basement.