Fleet Landing

This is the one! We visited VL (old & new), CV, and FL-N. FL-AB is to the beach, has tons of group activities, and a wide choice on types of homes / floor plans, making it my clear winner. For retired military, the Mayport exchange, commissary, and base with golf course, bowling, and lots of other facilities is 5-minute drive away. The only unique thing about CV is that everything is in one building; it is very isolated, only close to Mayo. VL may appeal to someone who really wants to be in PVB, but it’s not close to anything except Sawgrass Village. I reserve judgement on FL-N, as it is only now just breaking ground. Nocatee is a unique place, but you have to like traffic and golf carts.

Fleet Landing is a CCRC that gets it right, non-profit and accredited, with a full range of senior services: independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, post-surgery respite rooms, physical therapy, and an on-site medical clinic operated by Baptist Hospital. The campus boasts 125 acres, housing over 800 residents cared for by over 400 staff members. About 700 independent living residents call Fleet Landing home, living in modern low-rise apartments and single family dwellings. The campus is gated with a 24 hour security staff. Landscaping is a well-maintained and beautiful mixture featuring lots of trees, native plants, and flowers, evolved over the 35 year history of the campus. Campus amenities are like a cruise ship on land, with cafeteria, pub, coffee shop, tapas lounge, upscale dining, and fine dining with several chefs. In addition assisted living units have their own dining facilities and chefs. The campus is an easy walk to the beach. On campus facilities include both an indoor and an outdoor pool, pickleball courts, tennis court, putting green, croquet and bocce-ball court, wood-worker studio, irrigated gardening boxes, library, fully equipped gym, art studio, hair and nail salon, studios for engaging active seniors in classes ranging from balance to ballroom dancing, all with an eye towards senior health maintenance, with resident clubs overseeing many of the more specialized facilities as well as providing more specific activities like monthly wine tastings, book clubs, golf, cards, sailing, knitting, and the like. There's even a dog park and soon to come boardwalk through the wetlands area of the campus. Management is well-versed in effective planning, steadily adding improvements that both add to, enhance, and refurbish campus facilities and residences. Residents are polled annually regarding their campus experience, results used by management and the Board of Directors when setting up the budget each year. A resident's monthly fee covers rent, utilities, internet and cable, property taxes, weekly house-keeping, interior and exterior maintenance, extra person if applicable, and one of the two available meal plans. The Board of Directors includes two residents and regularly engages with the elected Residents Council, whose monthly meetings on the campus climate include management reports. Financial records are summarized monthly via the campus internet portal and fully published and made available in the library. Management also actively engages with the residents with quarterly meetings that address things like planning, financial status, and project progress. A large ballroom style auditorium is regularly used to offer classical and popular music programs, lectures, and events like the annual resident-produced "Fleet Follies", talent shows, military ball, farmer's market, and holiday parties with dining and dancing. The staff regularly puts together excursions to visit interesting sites around Northeast Florida using campus bus services, including things like bus service for downtown monthly concerts offered by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, whose small group ensembles also perform regularly on campus. As a non-profit 501c3 organization, Fleet Landing has established endowments that have accumulated over the campus history to support things like staff scholarships and special campus projects. If you think this is hype, as a now 5-year resident I can attest that it really reflects Fleet Landing campus life, where residents can choose from among any number of activities to socialize and engage in, the kinds of things that history has shown improve both health and life-expectancy. In an area long considered to be a golf mecca, other nearby facilities include the world-famous Mayo Clinic and Jacksonville's massive system of parks, one of which is literally a Fleet Landing neighbor. We are very lucky to have a CCRC of this caliber here in Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville, certainly one of the best to be found nation-wide. I count myself lucky to live here.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Fleet Landing campus in Atlantic Beach on and off for the past 10 years. Over that time, I’ve seen many friends — and now even family members — make Fleet Landing their home. I can honestly say I’ve never heard a single complaint from anyone I know who lives there. In fact, I truly believe Fleet Landing is one of the reasons my loved ones have stayed so vibrant and youthful. The community is constantly evolving, and the amenities are outstanding: multiple restaurants, a state-of-the-art fitness center, sailing and paddle boarding on the stunning Lake Constellation, beautiful pickleball courts, an active croquet club, a newly dedicated putting green, a gorgeous indoor pool, and even a dog park. But what truly sets Fleet Landing apart is the people. The residents form a warm and engaged community, and the staff is simply exceptional. Every team member I’ve interacted with has been kind, attentive, and genuinely compassionate. Fleet Landing isn’t just a place to live — it’s a place to thrive. I look forward to becoming a resident myself one day.