NewsBreak Original

Clay County officials are working with the sheriff’s office to install more signs, messaging boards and barricades intended to direct traffic through the construction on Sandridge Road in Lake Asbury.

Clay County’s Emergency Management Director John Ward announced his retirement Tuesday, just six days into the start of hurricane season. Ward’s retirement comes after 25 years serving the Clay County community, including 18 years in the emergency management department. According to Clay County Public Information Officer Jessica Barreto, Ward’s retirement will go into effect July 1, 2023.

A Clay County Sheriff’s Office NET town hall meeting is scheduled for June 8 and all community members are welcome. The Thursday meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Eagle Landing Golf Club (3989 Eagle Landing Pkwy.) in Orange Park. There is no cost to attend.

A Fleming Island man was arrested Saturday and faces charges of a felony domestic battery (due to a prior conviction) and grand theft, deputies say. Clay Woodall, 20, of Fleming Island, was previously arrested on March 2, 2022, for striking his girlfriend of two years in the face and arm, deputies said. During this incident, Woodall threw the victim’s phone and attempted to fight a witness who intervened to stop the fight, the arrest report said.

A Fleming Island woman is in Clay County Jail for domestic abuse; her second offense this year, deputies say. Jordan Van Wingerden, 20, was arrested at approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday after deputies received a call in regards to a domestic dispute against an elderly woman.

Clay County motorists should prepare for six ongoing road work projects and lane closures the week of June 5. Additionally, eight are scheduled to begin soon throughout the county.

The Clay County school board passed a policy Thursday requiring students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their assigned sex at birth; banning students from using facilities that align with their gender identity unless they seek out administrative permission.

The Florida Department of Health in Clay County has issued a Health Alert for the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins in Doctors Lake. This is in response to a water sample taken on May 24, 2023. The public should exercise caution in and around Doctors Lake.

Friday, June 2 is Boater Skip Day and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office created a video with tips for boaters to enjoy the unofficial holiday as safely as possible. Boater Skip Day is the largest boating event in Northeast Florida. Each year, hundreds of boaters take a once-a-year opportunity to trade a day of work for a day making memories on the waters, according to the North Florida Marine Association.

A Middleburg man was arrested Thursday and faces murder charges after shooting a male victim in the arm and abdomen, deputies say. Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 2400 block of Zagato Court at approximately 12:29 a.m. Thursday, June 1, in reference to a person shot. Upon arrival, deputies located the victim in the front yard of the residence, according to the arrest report.

A new Hobby Lobby is opening in Oakleaf Plantation on Friday. The over 44,000-square-foot craft store occupies what was previously AC Moore, OfficeMax and Lifeway. The new store’s creation was projected to cost $18.9 million, the Florida-Times Union reported. The store sits beside a Super Target in the Oakleaf Town Center.

The Clay County school district is accepting applications for controlled open enrollment for the 2023-24 school year beginning Wednesday (May 31) through June 14. Florida law requires that school boards adopt a policy that gives parents and students the ability to seek enrollment in a school other than their zoned school of attendance. The controlled open enrollment process allows parents to view schools that are not yet at capacity and complete an application to enroll their child or children.

A Clay Hill homeowner was arrested Friday for arson after investigators discovered he set fire to two homes for which he was behind on payments, deputies say. George Carneiro, 44, of Flach Drive in St. Johns scrawled a swastika and anti-Latino messages on a sign left at the crime scenes in an attempt to mislead investigators about who set the fires, a Clay County sheriff’s office spokesman said.

A Middleburg man was arrested Thursday for human trafficking, promoting a sexual performance by a child using a minor in production of computer pornography, seduction of a child using the internet and transmission of child sexual abuse material.

Clay County motorists should expect a road closure on Sandridge Road from Henley Road to Eagle Haven Drive from 4 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30 through August 1 for road reconstruction. The closure is part of a Bonded Transportation Program project.

As the 2022-23 school year officially comes to a close on Friday, Clay County had one of its most exciting athletic years in recent history. Many athletes will play their sport at the next level across all divisions of athletics. Some will graduate and never play sports again and many athletes will return for their sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

The Clay County Supervisor of Elections Office is searching for election workers to help with the upcoming election year. A Facebook post in search of interested individuals collected more than 400 comments—a large majority labeled “heated arguments,” by a spokesperson from the Supervisor of Elections office.

Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook announced the names of five people wanted within the county on drug-related charges during a Wednesday press conference about an upcoming “Hammer and Hope” initiative.

Orange Park Mall will welcome three new stores later this year. This latest announcement brings the total to eight new stores that have joined the 950,000 square-foot shopping center this year.

Orange Park Waffle House employees called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Monday night which led to the arrest of a 19-year-old and 20-year-old who were carrying unlicensed firearms, deputies say.