Christmas lights in Jacksonville Beach, FL

Jacksonville Beach has about 6,300 detached homes in the Census count, a median build year of 1983, 68 percent owner-occupied and a median value near $524,000, on small lots a few blocks from the ocean. The houses are a mix that makes every design different: 1950s and 1960s cottages, raised homes with exterior stairs, and new three-story builds that replaced them. On a beach house, the stairs, the deck railings and the porch are often a better canvas than the roofline, and sabal palms in the front yard are nearly universal. Two things are specific to the beaches. Salt air and wind are hard on lights, so we use commercial-grade sealed LED, secure every run against the ocean breeze and check the display on service calls. And many homes are rentals or second homes, so owners who are away can book the install, the service and the takedown without being there. Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach, just north, are on the same route.