7/10/20 @ 2:10 p.m. - Today, we have 36 new cases in Nassau County. The Health Department has advised that 3 cases previously reported as Nassau County cases have been reclassified to other counties. The total case is now 438 (419 residents and 19 non-residents).

The Health Department would like to remind vulnerable populations to limit personal interactions outside their home and to take all measures possible to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Click here to view the FDOH dashboard to review information by county.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/10/20 @ 10:30 a.m.- Anderson Columbia, Inc., has provided the attached Road Closure and Detour Notice beginning Monday, July 13th through Friday, July 31st for installation of a new 84" concrete pipe culvert and associated headwalls. The work will require a detour down Dyal Road to South Kings Rd. Through traffic will be permitted for residents and emergency personnel.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Manager, Joshua McDougal, at (386) 752-7585.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/10/20 @ 8:30 a.m. - The Budget Director has written the attached editorial in response to some recent articles containing misleading information about the the County. We urge all residents to be informed and to contact the Office of Management & Budget if you have questions about the County's financial position. They can be reached at (904) 530-6010, option 2.

7/9/20 @ 7:00 p.m. 

On July 16, 2020, the Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider an Ordinance banning the retail sale of dogs and cats. This is being done in response to the increase in the commercial sale of dogs and cats which have been bred under conditions which are cruel and endanger the health of the animal. 
 
Commercial “puppy mills” and “kitten factories” are of particular concern because the animals are used solely for commercial gain and bred at substandard breeding facilities, resulting in health, social and/or temperament problems. In addition to congenital and hereditary conditions resulting from substandard breeding facilities, dogs and cats bred at these facilities may arrive in pet stores or new homes with giardia, parvovirus, and distemper. These illnesses can be transferred to healthy family animals. 
 
The Ordinance under consideration was drafted with input from local and national animal welfare groups including the Humane Society and Nassau County Animal Services. The Ordinance will encourage pet consumers to adopt dogs or cats from shelters or home-based breeders, thereby promoting consumer protection, saving animals’ lives, and reducing the cost to the public of sheltering and euthanizing animals.  
 
The prohibitions of the Ordinance would not apply to animal shelters, local breeders, animal welfare organizations, adoption of animals, or bona fide agricultural activities protected under the Florida Right to Farm Act. 
 
A copy of the Ordinance can be located on the July 16th agenda found here. You may also request a copy by contacting the Nassau County Attorney’s Office at (904) 530-6100.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office
 

The Planning & Zoning Board has a meeting scheduled for 6:00 p.m. tonight. A copy of the agenda can be located here.

Accommodations have been made to allow individuals to appear in person while maintaining social distancing. This includes additional seating, monitors, and speakers outside of the Board Room, distribution of masks and hand sanitizer, and a podium outside where speakers can address the Board without entering the room.

For individuals not wishing to attend in person but wanting to participate remotely, you can do so by utilizing the ZOOM link below. Once you have logged into the ZOOM meeting and the item you wish to speak on is being heard, use the "Raise Hand" feature to notify the Chairman that you would like to speak. You will be called on when it's your turn to speak. Please do not use the ZOOM meeting if you don't want to speak. Instead, just follow along by viewing the meeting live on the Clerk's website.

ZOOM Meeting:
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83734465872?pwd=RWt1dUNzekZveEJQUmxQVXkrQmlrUT09
Password: 987321
 
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +12532158782,,83734465872#,,,,0#,,987321#  or +13017158592,,83734465872#,,,,0#,,987321#

Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 253 215 8782  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 646 558 8656  or +1 669 900 9128
    
Webinar ID: 837 3446 5872
Password: 987321

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/9/20 @ 1:50 p.m. - The Nassau County Department of Health has provided this list of testing sites for COVID-19. They have also provided a list of upcoming mobile testing sites between July 14 and July 23, 2020.

For more information, please contact the Nassau County Department of Health directly at (904) 875-6100.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/9/20 @ 1:30 p.m.

Pictured are today's COVID-19 cases provided by the Nassau County Department of Health.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/9/20 @ 10:40 a.m. - At the Board of County Commissioner's meeting held on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, Health Director, Dr. Eugenia Seidel, made a presentation containing important information related to COVID-19. Her presentation included a demonstration on how to utilize the Health Department's dashboard to locate a variety of things including cases by State, County and Zip Code, cases by age, cases in care facilities, hospitalizations, results of COVID testing, deaths, etc. The information is updated on this site daily at 11am and can be accessed by anyone, anytime.

Dr. Seidel also covered frequently asked questions and misinformation related to contact tracing, increase in cases by percentages, monitoring of active cases, effectiveness of face coverings, and rapid result testing. She also discussed different types of anti-body cases, their accuracy and which antibody tests are counted as a case when positive (not all antibody tests are counted because some are not as accurate for various reasons in which she explains).

We encourage all residents to watch this informative presentation to gain ACCURATE information. The video can be accessed here.

Anyone with specific questions can email the Health Department at DLCHD45PIOStaff@flhealth.gov

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/8/20 @ 1:55 p.m.

At the May 21, 2020 meeting, County Engineer, Robert Companion, did a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners, regarding dirt roads proposed for the County’s Double Chip Seal Program.
 
Double Chip Seal is a surface treatment that consists of an application of heated asphalt liquid, followed by a layer of crushed rock applied with a roller to create a smooth surface. Chip seal is a great alternative to paving dirt roads because it’s about 50% cheaper and it reduces the County’s cost related to frequent road grading. Additionally, chip seal applications enhance road safety by providing good skid resistance, an anti-glare surface during wet weather, and an increased reflective surface for night driving. Chip Seal is a great solution for paving low volume, low speed dirt roads.
 
This method is quickly becoming the go-to method for other counties looking to improve dirt roads within their own jurisdictions. In fact, the County received State-wide recognition from the Florida Association of County Engineers (FACERS) in July 2018 after applying Double Chip Seal to roads within Swallowfork Subdivision.
 
During adoption of the Fiscal Year 2019/2020, $340,000 was designated for the Double Chip Seal Program. In January 2020, the County approved a new policy containing specifications for preparing a road for chip seal. These specifications were used when determining which roads to consider for Double Chip Seal for this Fiscal Year, and were approved by the Board on May 20th as follows:

• Pine Drive: District One
• Donnie Lane: District One
• Palm Drive: District One
• Chem Cell Road: District Two
• Gregg Street: District Two
• Mobley Heights Road: District Two
• Merlin Drive: District Two
• Live Oak Drive: District Two
• Palm Circle: District Two
• Crews Creek Avenue: District Three
• Lang Road: District Three
• Mill Creek Road: District Four
• Maria Avenue: District Five
• Shirley Drive: District Five

 
If you have any questions, please fee free to contact the County’s Road Department at (904) 530-6175 and/or Engineering at (904) 530-6225.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office