Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Jacksonville, FL

M Shack is scheduled to close March 17 at end of business at St. Johns Town Center as its lease expires and Shake Shack prepares to convert the space.

“We are closing after business Sunday night and plan on being out of the building (at the) end of (the) month, as our lease will expire,” said chef Matthew Medure, founder and CEO of Jacksonville-based Medure Brothers Culinary Concepts, which includes M Shack.

That leaves one remaining M Shack at 641 Crosswater Parkway in Nocatee.

The Town Center location has 25 employees. Medure said March 13 that employees are being offered positions at other Medure Brothers restaurants.

M Shack, led by chefs Matthew and David Medure, opened in the Town Center space in late 2013 at 10281 Midtown Parkway.

It offers beef burgers, beef hot dogs, hand-cut fries, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, sides and shakes, including spiked shakes, beer and wine.

The Town Center M Shack opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Burgers range from $6.95 to $15.95.

“The chef-driven, scratch concept is a collaboration between brothers, Matthew and David Medure, standing as their third culinary concept. Their mission is to create an environment that bolsters community, hospitality, and good food,” the MShackBurgers.com site says.

Lease ending

Matthew Medure said Oct. 9 that M Shack’s 10-year lease would expire March 1, 2024, and all furniture, fixtures and equipment would be removed and M Shack would vacate the building.

“We would have liked to sign another lease for 5 years, however, that was denied as they stated they only sign 10-year leases,” he said of landlord Simon Property Group.

“We had a wonderful run at the mall and really enjoyed being a part of that community. The M Shack saw great success over the years, and we are left with many terrific memories,” Medure said.

He said the remaining M Shack at Nocatee “has a long life ahead” and the company will add new concepts to it, “including an expanded ice cream/shake program and reinventing approximately 50% of the full menu.”

He anticipates launching those updates by the end of April.

The original M Shack restaurant in the Beaches Town Center closed in October 2021 after 10 years in business.

Medure said staffing and parking had been challenges for the restaurant at 299 Atlantic Blvd.

The Medures closed an M Shack near Five Points in December 2019 to make a deal with a franchisee for Another Broken Egg Cafe and turn over the lease.

The Medures’ other concepts are Matthew’s Restaurant, Restaurant Medure, Rue Saint-Marc, Midtown Table, and, in Mayo Clinic, M Brothers and Zest.

Shake Shack

New York City-based Shake Shack, which calls itself a “modern day ‘roadside’ burger stand,” intends to open in the M Shack space.

Shack, a public company, says it serves “elevated versions” of made-to-order Angus beef burgers, crispy chicken, hand-spun milkshakes, housemade lemonades, beer, wine and more.

“Currently, I can confirm that the Jacksonville Shake Shack location will open in 2024,” said Shake Shack Brand Communications Specialist Kate DeMarco on Oct. 9.

DeMarco said more details would be shared when they are confirmed.

The city received an intake application for plan review for Shake Shack to renovate the M Shack space at 10281 Midtown Parkway, No. 101, at an estimated cost of $1.3 million.

BAI Architecture Inc. of Boston is the architect for the 3,136-square-foot project.

Shake Shack serves burgers, hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries, shakes, frozen custard, beer and wine.

“With its fresh and simple, high-quality food at a great value, Shake Shack is a fun and lively community-gathering place with widespread appeal,” the company says on its website.

Shake Shack Inc.’s 2023 annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission says that since the original Shack opened in 2004 in NYC’s Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to 518 Shacks in operation, with 295 domestic company-operated, 39 domestic licensed and 184 international licensed across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and more.

There are 21 in Florida, the closest in Orlando.

FOXBORO -- That's a wrap on the Mac Jones era in New England. The Patriots officially announced that they have traded the quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.

The release said that the Patriots are receiving a 2024 NFL Draft pick for Jones, but did not specify which pick the team will receive from Jacksonville. The deal was initially reported on Sunday with the Pats and Jags discussing a sixth-round pick in exchange for Jones, whom New England drafted with the 15th overall selection in 2021

Jones will now head home to Jacksonville, and he said Thursday it's always been a dream of his to play for the Jags. He'll now back up 2021 top overall pick Trevor Lawrence.

His once-promising career in New England ends after three seasons, concluding with a disastrous 2023 season for Jones and the Patriots.

"I have all the respect in the world for those guys up there," Jones said of the Patriots when talking with reporters in Jacksonville. "I can't thank them enough. We kind of just decided the mutual parting of ways was the best decision for both of us. For me it was just about moving on and getting back home, and I couldn't be more excited. For them, it's about moving forward and turning the page. So really, that's what we decided, and I think it's a great decision."

Jones said he had "a lot of great learning experiences" in New England, which included learning under Bill Belichick, whom Jones called "one of the greatest of all time."

"Every experience is a good experience if you learn from it," Jones added. "I don't have regrets. I feel like I put everything out there and gave a lot to that organization, and they gave a lot to me. I'm going to do the same thing here."

Jones was once seen as New England's quarterback of the future after he beat out Cam Newton in training camp and went into his rookie season as the team's starter. He had training wheels on for much of the campaign but completed 67.6 of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a 92.5 passer rating. He helped guide the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth, finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, and even made the Pro Bowl that year as an injury replacement.

New England was 9-4 and in first place in the AFC when the team hit its bye week that season. That was as good as it got for Jones and the Patriots.

The wheels started to really fall off in 2022 after Josh McDaniels left for Las Vegas and Bill Belichick put Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the team's offense. Jones struggled in the new system behind a shoddy offensive line, throwing five interceptions over the first three weeks, and clashed with his coaches. He suffered an ankle injury at the end of the team's Week 3 loss to the Ravens that forced him to miss the next three games, and Bailey Zappe led the Patriots to a 2-1 record in Jones' absence.

Jones struggled in his return in Week 7 and was benched for Zappe in the second quarter of an embarrassing Monday Night Football loss to the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium. He went on to win his next three starts, but Jones had several on-field tantrums as the offense's struggles continued to get worse, and the Patriots finished the season at 8-9.

Things were supposed to be better with Bill O'Brien taking over at offensive coordinator in 2023, but Jones struggled with his consistently and the offense struggled to put points on the board. The quarterback was clearly in his own head, and Jones racked up a handful of backbreaking interceptions that led to four in-game benchings by Belichick. Jones was benched for good in early December after throwing two interceptions in the first half of a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants, which sent the Patriots to 2-9 on the year.

Jones did not appear in New England's final six games of the season and was inactive for the team's Week 17 loss to the New York Jets. He finished his disappointing 2023 season with 10 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, and a 77.0 passer rating. Over his 42 games with New England, Jones completed 66 percent of his passes and threw 46 touchdowns to 36 interceptions to go with an 18-24 record as the team's starter.

Now the Patriots are back to the drawing board at quarterback. The team will likely use the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on a quarterback and select whoever is left over from the trio of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. New England is also reportedly signing Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal (the move has not been announced by the Patriots) to serve as either a bridge to whomever they draft or a solid veteran backup in 2024.

Matt Geagan

Matthew Geagan is a sports writer and producer for CBS Boston and wbz.com. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A former Jacksonville Jaguars financial manager who pled guilty to stealing more than $22 million from the NFL franchise through its virtual credit card program was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison Tuesday.

Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr. sentenced Amit Patel, 31, in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville. Patel, wearing a charcoal suit and a burgundy tie, showed no emotion inside the packed courthouse as the punishment was handed down.

Prosecutors said Patel has returned $1.89 million, leaving his restitution tab at $21,132,454.40 — a figure the judge acknowledged he will never be able to pay back following a felony conviction. Patel pled guilty in December to one count of wire fraud and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction.

The judge sentenced Patel to 78 months on each count, to run concurrently. It was the lowest number under sentencing guidelines. He also got three years of supervised release.

Patel’s lawyer argued for a lighter sentence Tuesday, asking for no more than 60 months. Prosecutors countered and detailed how Patel used “insider information” to go unnoticed for 40 months (between 2019 and 2023) while making hundreds of fraudulent transactions.

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“If he can steal $22 million and get probation, he’s going to do it again,” assistant U.S. attorney Michael J. Coolican argued. “He’s a smart guy and will find a way. ... If it’s reported on SportsCenter tonight you can steal $22 million and get a low-ball sentence, a slap on the wrist, you better watch out.”

Patel had roughly two dozen friends and family members in the courthouse. Four of them spoke on his behalf: his older brother, an uncle, a former high school teacher and his girlfriend.

Patel wiped away tears as his brother detailed his younger sibling’s alcohol abuse and gambling addiction, as his uncle told the court what a prison sentence would do to Patel’s widowed mother, as his former teacher called him a model student and as his girlfriend talked about standing by him through weekly alcohol and gambling addiction meetings and having to take a job as an Uber driver.

Patel closed the hearing and said he started gambled 14 years ago.

“I stand before you embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed for my actions,” he said. “It began small and then snowballed so big that my only thought was to gamble my way out of it. In the end, I always thought that big win was right around the corner and would fix all my problems.”

Patel said he is nearing one year of sobriety.

“Part of my recovery process is making amends,” Patel said. “However, that seems impossible given how many people I’ve let down.”

Megha Parekh, the Jaguars’ chief legal officer, read a victim-impact statement to the court.

“Speaking on behalf of the Jaguars, do know that we want to move on and forgive, not just Amit, but ourselves for trusting him only to watch him shame us, individually and collectively,” Parekh said. “We are proud of our employees for how they weathered through the mess he made. But make no mistake, Amit broke our hearts.”

Patel’s lawyers said he gambled away “approximately 99%” of the misappropriated money and said his gambling losses totaled $32 million.

Patel gambled on prominent websites at the Jaguars’ facility, which triggered an NFL investigation. The NFL met with Patel in February and then turned the case over to the FBI. The Jaguars subsequently suspended and eventually fired Patel, who began working for the team in 2018.

Patel oversaw the company’s monthly financial statements and department budgets and served as the club’s administrator of its virtual credit card program, which allowed authorized employees to “request VCC’s for business-related purchases or expenses.”

Patel used his control to make fraudulent transactions, according to the court filing. He duplicated and inflated transactions for items such as catering, airfare and hotel charges and filed fake transactions that seemed legitimate.

The Jaguars insist Patel was a rogue employee who took advantage of a lack of oversight after a co-worker with similar authority was moved to another department. No one else in the finance department has been fired, and the Jags have since instituted more checks and balances to prevent something similar from happening again.

Patel went to great lengths to hide his actions, even paying off some of the credit card debt from his personal account. He used the money to buy two vehicles, a condominium in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, a designer watch and cryptocurrency, according to court documents.

He spent more than $278,000 on hotels, rental properties and travel. He spent more than $200,000 on golf memorabilia, including $47,113.92 to purchase a putter used by Tiger Woods during the 1996 U.S. Amateur. He spent more than $77,000 at the Ponte Vedra Beach Inn & Club. He spent $140,412.97 on eBay and $69,025.26 with Ticketmaster.

He also used $275,000 of the stolen funds to hire his attorney, according to court documents.

___

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After some delays, the Jacksonville Armada plans to break ground on a new soccer stadium by the summer on Jacksonville’s eastside.

RELATED: Jacksonville Armada stadium won’t be ready until March 2026

The stadium will be located off A. Phillip Randolph between Grant and Albert Streets and it will be the new home of the Armada Stadium.

Nathan Walter is the President and General Manager of the Armada and he’s been with the soccer club for 10 years. He was director of soccer operations and then technical director before his current role.

But he’s just not a businessman, soccer is a labor of love.

Watch the full interview with Walter below.

“It’s in the blood. I’ve been playing [soccer] since I was four, five years old,” Walter said.

The Armada started out playing at the bank, then the baseball grounds and the University of North Florida’s campus. Now the focus is building the Armada brand on Jacksonville’s eastside.

It will be a state-of-the-art downtown stadium, with space for team operations and a co-working space anchored by LPT Realty.

In 2017, Robert Palmer became the owner of the team. In 2022, the team joined Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro, a professional men’s soccer league. Now fans will have a place to call home beside other teams and the historic eastside community.

“We want to be a fabric of the community as well and see a thousand, two thousand people walk out of the eastside and really take this team as their team and that’s something that’s common in Europe,” Walter said.

It’s surreal for Walter to be standing in the space where Armanda will soon play but he’s excited about the future. He drives by this land often with his daughter.

“We have been driving down this road into downtown for the past five years looking at this site and I keep telling her it’s going to be home one day,” Walter said.

While the Armada have been outside the pro league they have had their under-23 teams and they play in the summer from May to August and a women’s program is starting this year. The men have won two championships in the last two years and averaging 1,500 to 2,000 fans a game.

Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.

Century Complete Opens Two New Home Sales Studios in North Florida

New Sales Studios offer extra in-person resources and support from the national leader in online homebuying

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. , March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS)—a top 10 national homebuilder, industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023—has announced the grand opening of two new Florida Sales Studios representing the Century Complete brand: one in Jacksonville and one in Panama City . With a focus on best-in-class customer service, these new Sales Studios will provide strategic support to the brand's rapidly growing North Florida communities.

Through a first-of-its-kind industry innovation, buyers are able to fully purchase any Century Complete home online. However, regional Sales Studios are available to provide additional in-person support and resources for homebuyers and real estate agents that need it.

"These two new Sales Studios will greatly benefit our North Florida homebuyers," said National President Greg Huff . "Our dedicated Sales Studio teams are on hand to provide in-person guidance as needed to make the homebuying process an easy one, and to ensure that buyers experience everything that makes Century Complete so exceptional."

SALES STUDIO DETAILS

THE FREEDOM OF ONLINE HOMEBUYING

Century Complete is proud to feature its industry-first online homebuying experience on all available homes in Florida , allowing homebuyers to easily find their best fit and purchase when they're ready—all while continuing to work with their local real estate agent of choice. Homebuyers can further streamline the homebuying process by financing online with Century Complete's affiliate lender, Inspire Home Loans®.

How it works:

Learn more about the Buy Online experience at www.CenturyCommunities.com/online-homebuying .

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, an industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023. Through its Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century's mission is to build attractive, high-quality homes at affordable prices to provide its valued customers with A HOME FOR EVERY DREAM®. Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding — including the acquisition, entitlement, and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Company operates in 18 states and over 45 markets across the U.S., and also offers title, insurance, and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loans subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com .

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SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.