The area straddling HWY 9A between JTB and I-95 has lots of apartments, lots of upscale shopping areas and it's a relatively short drive across the bridge to NAS JAX. Depending on where you live in mandarin, it is probably the same drive time. Plus, it's only about 15 minutes to the beaches and 25 minutes to the airport. 9A is being expanded and improved so the commute may speed up even more.
I live at the beach and it was a great afternoon here today.
Is this the Deerwood Club / Deercreek Country Club area?
Right now I'm thinking Mandarin sounds awesome, with the area Intruder Driver mentioned, Avondale and Riverside as backups if it's way too expensive for a couple of O-2s.
A total side note: what's the area like for pets? I've got two cats and my future roommate has two small dogs--is that going to be a problem?