3/6/20 @ 11:30 a.m. - The Fernandina Beach Library Branch will host a Spring Festival on Saturday, March 28th from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

The event will feature music, dancing, games, balloon art, face painting, petting zoo and more. There will be special appearances by Smokey Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and other fun characters your children are sure to recognize and love. Be sure to catch the butterfly release hosted by your County Extension Director, Rebecca Jordi, for a unique and exciting experience to kick-off the spring season.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Fernandina Beach Library and is free for Nassau County residents.

If you have any questions, please contact Youth Librarian, Michelle Forde, at (904) 530-6506 or via e-mail at mforde@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

3/5/20 @ 1:20 p.m. - Read Across America Day is celebrated annually on March 2nd. Across the Country, schools and libraries hold special events to encourage the love of reading in children. To celebrate, employees from Nassau County Fire Rescue visited the Bryceville Elementary School to spread the message that reading is fun and that it is important in every career.

The personnel that attended were: Firefighter, Luke Davis; Engineer Brad Pierson; Engineer Tony Griffin; Engineer Sean Babbick; Lt. Pat Cauley; and Battalion Chief Kelly Gunnell.

Thank you to Bryceville Elementary for letting Nassau County Fire/Rescue be a part of this day!

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

3/21/2020 PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS EVENT IS BEING POSTPONED DUE TO THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS


2/22/20 @ 11:30 a.m. - It's that time of year again! Begin your spring cleaning and bring all unwanted hazardous items to the Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2020
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.or until the truck is full (whichever comes first)
Location: Nassau County Convenience and Recycling Center, 46026 Landfill Road, Callahan, FL 32011

This is a FREE service for all Nassau County residents. Types of items that will be collected include:

• Pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers
• Paints and paint thinners
• Oil filters, used oil, and lubricants
• Pool chemicals
• Fluorescent lamps
• Electronics
• Batteries
• Household cleaners
• Corrosives
• Propane tanks
• Aerosol cans
• Used cooking oil

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

No items from commercial businesses will be accepted without prior approval. Please call (352) 334-0440 in advance for pricing.

A food drive for Barnabas will also be held in conjunction with this event. Please consider bringing non-perishable canned food items for donation.

If you have any questions, please contact Nassau County Solid Waste at (904) 530-6700 or Keep Nassau Beautiful at (904) 261-0165.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/20/20 @ 3:45 p.m. - In celebration of National Puzzle Month, the Nassau County Library System will be holding a Lego Building Fun Event on Tuesday, February 25th from 3:00-4:00 p.m. at the Fernandina Library Branch.

For additional information, please contact Youth Librarian, Michelle Forde, at (904) 530-6506 or via email at mforde@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/20/20 @ 9:45 a.m. - At yesterday's meeting, the Board of County Commissioners presented Resolution No. 2020-17 to Henry Green, commending him for this service to the community.

Mr. Green is a life-long resident of Fernandina Beach who faced adversity and challenges throughout his childhood and later turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. After finding himself jobless and homeless on many occasions, Mr. Green finally hit rock bottom in July 1988 and made the decision to get sober. Since that time, he has used his experiences to help others who struggle with addiction. He took a job as an Addiction Specialist at Charter by the Sea and became a regular speaker at universities and conferences throughout the southeast, sharing his story of addiction and recovery. He started the first Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Fernandina Beach and hosted the first Narcotics Anonymous Luau which remains a popular community event to this day.

In 2014, Mr. Green founded and incorporated the New Found Freedom House and opened three homes to help recovering addicts get back on their feet. He provides them with food, clothing and shelter and uses his knowledge to help them overcome their own addictions. Several current and past participants of Mr. Green's program were in attendance at the meeting and spoke about the love and compassion shown to them by Mr. Green. It was a very touching moment to see the impact he has made on residents right here in Nassau County.

The Board of County Commissioners commends Mr. Henry Green for overcoming adversity and using his personal experiences to help others. We extend our best wishes to Mr. Green and his mission to help addicts "find freedom, restore dignity, and live life".

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/18/20 @ 4:25 p.m. - Keep Nassau Beautiful is seeking volunteers for a road side clean up event taking place on Saturday, February 29th, along Amelia Island Parkway between 8th Street and Amelia Road. Interested volunteers should meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot located at 9900 Amelia Island Parkway.

Gloves, totes, safety vests, and trash grabbers will be provided. Volunteers are asked to dress appropriately with closed toe shoes and should bring bug spray, sunscreen and water.

You can register in advance here. If you have any questions, please contact Keep Nassau Beautiful at (904) 261-0165 or email knb@keepnassaubeautiful.org.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/13/20 @ 9:30 a.m. - The Fire Watch Council held their first community meeting in Nassau County yesterday. Approximately one dozen individuals were in attendance to hear information on how the Council plans to address the Veterans Suicide Epidemic. Council Members in attendance today included Mike Fleming, Chairman; Vice-Chair, Lynn Schultz; Director Nick Howland; and Nassau County's Liaison, Commissioner Justin Taylor.

Presentations were made regarding the Council's mission and strategies, as well as the Council's plan to implement community outreach programs. The group heard shocking statistics indicating that there were more than 6,000 Veteran suicides between 2008 and 2016. That's a rate 2x higher than the suicide rate for an average citizen! Several local Veterans participated in the meeting and expressed their excitement about the Council's initiative and shared ideas on how to reach more Veterans.

If you are interested in finding out what you can do to impact the life of a Veteran or current military member, please contact Lynn Schultz (904) 206-7861 or via email at lynn.b.schultz.ctr@mail.mil.

Note: Fire Watch Council is a non-profit organization established in September 2019 and consists of representatives from Northeast Florida Counties including Nassau, Duval, Baker, Clay and St. Johns Counties. For information about organization, please visit their website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/12/20 @ 11:30 a.m. - The Flood Outreach Event originally scheduled for Thursday, February 6 was cancelled due to inclement weather. That event has been rescheduled to Wednesday, February 19th at 6:00 p.m. Please see the Press Release below for additional information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Adrienne Burke
Director, PEO Department
(904) 530-6300
aburke@nassaucountyfl.com
 
COUNTY HOSTS FLOOD OUTREACH EVENTS IN FEBRUARY
 
Nassau County, Florida, February 12, 2020 - Rescheduled Flood Outreach Event on February 19, 2020 in Hilliard.
 
Please join the County to learn more about: 

• Results from the County's Vulnerability Assessment looking at flood and sea level rise risk on Amelia Island and West of I-95 (north of SR200/301)
• Floodplain management
• Protection strategies for flooding
• Flood zones and flood insurance

 
And we want to hear from you! Tell us about areas that you know flood or changes you have seen over time in Nassau County regarding flooding.

February 19, 2020 | 6-7:30PM
Hilliard Library
15821 County Road 108
Hilliard

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection awarded Nassau County a second Resilience Planning Grant to conduct a Vulnerability Assessment for the remainder of Nassau County. The first grant, awarded in 2018, looked at the Yulee and Callahan areas. The County selected the Balmoral Group to assist with the assessment, and they will be on hand at the outreach events to talk about their findings.
 
The two areas studied in this second phase are: 1) Amelia Island and 2) west of I-95 and north of A1A/SR 200/301. After completion of this phase, assessment of the entire County’s vulnerabilities will be complete. This assessment will help Nassau County be better prepared in planning for flood risk and changes in sea level, which is especially important as the community is expected to grow.
 
More information is available at: www.nassaucountyfl.com/vulnerabilityassessment and www.nassaucountyfl.com/floods
 
The Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department is charged with leading long-range and current planning for the community, with a focus on technical planning, implementation and management of the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, development and site plan review, and assistance to citizens, the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager and other staff, advisory boards, government agencies, and the private sector regarding growth and development in Nassau County. For more information on our Plan, Code, or current initiatives, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/planning, call (904) 530-6300 or email planninginfo@nassaucountyfl.com.

2/11/ @ 11:00 a.m. - The Nassau County Extension Office is seeking volunteers to assist with two upcoming events.


Living Shoreline Citizen Science Monitoring
Tuesday, February 18th from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. OR
Sunday, February 23rd from 2:30-5:00 p.m.
Goffinsville Park, Nassauvville

Event Description
In April, Florida Master Naturalist students and community volunteers deployed CORE (Community Oyster Reef Enhancement) modules at Goffinsville Park. These CORE modules help oysters recruit and provide habitat for crabs and fish. Overtime they help stabilize the shoreline and protect our coastlines.
Now that they've had a few months to grow, we're going to take a look at the progress. Join us for a short session about the Goffinsville Demonstration Living Shoreline being built and learn more about the science behind monitoring the health of this living shoreline.
Please wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy or wet. Bring water, hat, sunscreen and a positive attitude!

Register Here


Oyster Reef Ball Deployment
Friday, March 6, 2020 from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Goffinsville Park, Nassauville


Event Description:
Join UF and Nassau Extension Staff in deploying the second oyster reef material for the Goffinsville Demonstration Living Shoreline. These oyster reef balls will provide a habitat for oysters, crabs, fish and other marine animals to utilize. They will also reduce erosion and provide stability for the shoreline. We're looking for strong volunteers because these oyster reef balls are 50 pounds each! We'll be placing 20 out along the shoreline of Goffinsville Park.
Sign up to learn more about this local project, some ecology of our estuaries and how you can get involved with the citizen science monitoring.
Thank you to the University of North Florida Environmental Center for sponsoring this project.

Register Here

If you have any questions, please contact Justina Dacey at (904) 530-6350 or via email at jdacey@ufl.edu.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/5/20 @ 3:10 p.m. - Please join us for a Ground Breaking Ceremony in celebration of the upcoming construction of Tributary Regional Park (formerly known as Three Rivers). This park is the result of a public-private partnership between the Board of County Commissioners and the Developer, GreenPointe Communities, LLC.

The park will be located west of I-95 and will feature many amenities for people of all ages including:

• Baseball fields
  
• Multi-use fields
• Multi-use trails
• Playground with pavilion
• Boardwalk with Kayak Launch

WHAT: Ground Breaking Ceremony
WHEN: Friday, February 7, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Edwards Road, between Police Lodge Road and Easy Street

If you have any questions, please contact the County Manager's Office at (904) 530-6010.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office