5/11/17 @ 1:30 p.m. - In April 2017, the Board of County Commissioners awarded a bid for painting of the interior and exterior of the restrooms at Peters Point and Burney Park. Above are pictures of Facilities Maintenance employees Josh Powell and David Mellecker removing the rusty hurricane straps at Peters Point in preparation of the painting project. It is anticipated that both projects will be completed in late August.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Parks & Recreation Department at (904) 530-6120.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

3/16/17 @ 4:05 p.m. - As many of you are aware, the County and the City of Fernandina Beach have adopted Leave No Trace Ordinances which prohibit and regulate personal property left unattended on our beaches. Any personal item left between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. are removed and destroyed. Examples of items include but are not limited to: tents (including tent frames), chairs, umbrellas, volleyball nets, floats, toys, surfboards, grills, coolers, and other general items used for beach recreation. Information about the Leave No Trace Ordinance has been provided to all the hotels and resorts, signs have been posted at beach accesses and information has been placed on both the County and City websites. 

In an effort to further spread awareness, the Tourist Development Council has created a new educational video. This video also includes information on leash laws, turtle nests, and important safety tips designed to help beach users have the best experience possible.

We know that many of our residents are very passionate about the beaches and support our goal to keep them in pristine condition and to protect our precious wildlife. We encourage each of you to share this video with friends and any out of town guest so that we can continue to get this message out. Together we can ensure that everyone is able to enjoy our beautiful beaches while doing their part to keep them clean and safe.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kailey Porter
Nassau County BOCC
(904)530-6300

Amelia River-to-Sea Trail (Simmons Road Multi-use Trail) Open House

Event:
Nassau County, the City of Fernandina Beach and Element Engineering Group will be hosting an Open House on March 2, 2017 from 5pm to 7pm at the American Beach Community Center to discuss the Amelia River-to-Sea Trail (Simmons Road Multi-use Trail) project. Element Engineering Group has completed the 30% plan design and needs additional public input to complete their work. Anyone interested in the project is encouraged to attend the Open House to review the plans, provide comments and ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
 
Who: Nassau County Staff, City of Fernandina Beach Staff, Element Engineering Group Representatives, & the Citizens of Nassau County
What: Amelia River-to-Sea Trail Open House
When: March 2, 2017 from 5pm – 7pm
Why: To solicit public feedback on the 30% design plans for the Amelia River-to-Sea Trail project
Where: American Beach Community Center
       1600 Julia Street
       Amelia Island, FL 32034 

Project Description:
The River-to-Sea Trail is a 2.1 mile long separated asphalt trail with a varying width of 8’ to 10’ running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Inter-Costal Waterway (Amelia River) via the Crane Island Trail at the Ybor Alvarez Sports Complex. The trail will be located within the rights-of-way of Simmons Road and Bailey Road. The Amelia River-to-Sea Trail (Simmons Road Multi-use Trail) is centrally located and ideally situated on Amelia Island to provide a highly desired and much needed east/west corridor for non-vehicular travel. The proposed trail will serve both commuter and leisure users and ultimately reduce vehicular miles traveled on Amelia Island by providing connectivity with existing intersecting non-vehicular facilities located on the Amelia Island Parkway, 14th Street, Will Hardee Road, and Fletcher Avenue (all north/south corridors). This project will connect numerous residential developments to a wide variety of retail, service, and recreational opportunities. Notably, the pristine beaches of Amelia Island, the resort and dining amenities of south Amelia Island, the retail and service opportunities of central Amelia Island, the Ybor Alvarez Sports Complex, and the entrance to Crane Island.
 
Contact:
For more information contact Kailey Porter with Nassau County @ (904)530-6300 or kporter@nassaucountyfl.com.
 
Public participation is encouraged and sought without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Kailey Porter or Taco Pope at (904)530-6300 at least 7 days before the meeting.

In early October during Hurricane Matthew, the gangways to the Dee Dee Bartel/North End Boat Ramp were significantly damaged, causing the boat ramp to be deemed unsafe for accessing. We are pleased to report that all the damage has been repaired and the boat ramp has been reopened. We appreciate everyone's patience while we worked to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact our Interim Facilities Maintenance Director, Billy Stonebreaker, at (904) 530-6120.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 4:50 p.m. - In a Special Meeting held on Tuesday, November 1st, the Board of County Commissioners approved an expanded contract with AshBritt Environmental to immediately begin cleanup of Amelia Island beaches. Beach operations   are expected to begin early next week and will last approximately ten days. The contract covers the entire expanse of Amelia Island, excluding the two state parks.
 
The Commission, with the support of the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council (AITDC), voted to use up to $1 million in Tourist Development Reserves for removal of demolition and marsh grass debris from the beaches. In the proposal submitted, AshBritt estimates over 30,000 cubic yards of natural and manmade debris remain as the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. After considering the health, safety, and economic issues involved, the Commission decided to act without waiting for assistance from state and federal agencies.
 
Chairman Walter Boatright stated, “We have been in constant contact with officials from Florida DEP and FEMA to gauge what assistance might be available, however we decided to move forward using the beach reserve funds built up over the years by the AITDC. This is exactly why we have reserve funds - to get us back to full speed as soon as possible after a major event like Matthew.”
 
AITDC Commission member and Chair of the AITDC Danny Leeper noted that moving forward is essential to the recovery of the tourism economy. ‘The tourism industry is critical to  Nassau County. It generates 38% of the taxable sales and provides jobs for 25% of our workforce. Although we have rebounded somewhat, we lost over $6.5 million in business at hotels, restaurants, and attractions during the storm. Without addressing the beach debris, it makes it difficult to move forward.”
 
Leeper added that no local tax dollars will be spent on the project. Tourist Development Funds are generated from bed taxes charged to overnight guests at Amelia Island lodging facilities. The funds generated are also used to promote tourism.
 
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If you have any questions, please contact Public Works at (904) 530-6225.

10/19/16 at 5:05 p.m. - At today's meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved a temporary ban on motor vehicle driving on County beaches until further notice due to the amount of debris from Hurricane Matthew. This ban includes cars, ATV's, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and dirt bikes. The public will be notified when this ban is lifted.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

10/18/16 at 9:25 a.m. - The Dee Dee Bartel/North End Boat Ramp located at 97177 Pogey Place in Fernandina Beach is closed until further notice. During Hurricane Matthew, the gangways received significant damage and are unsafe to access. The County is in the process of obtaining quotes to have the gangways repaired and/or replaced and reinstalled. It is estimated that this process will take approximately 4-6 weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact our Interim Facilities Maintenance Director, Billy Stonebreaker, at (904) 548-6120 or via e-mail at Williams@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

A Ribbon Cutting was held on Monday, September 26th in celebration of the new football field at the Yulee Sports Complex. The ceremony began at 4:00 p.m. with the pledge and invocation. District Three County Commissioner, Pat Edwards, gave opening remarks which included history of the ballpark from his days as a little league coach. Peter Racine with the Jaguars Foundation spoke about the Foundation's partnerships with different communities and construction of new football fields for the youth to play and practice on. The field was constructed by the Dunmar Group and their President, Loribeth Dunman, attended to express her excitement to have been a part of this project. Following all comments, those in attendance participated in the ceremonial "cutting of the ribbon".  

A big thank you to the Jaguar Foundation for their sponsorship and providing $100,000 to assist the County with building the new field!

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

On Saturday, July 23, 2016, USA Football hosted a free, one day football camp at the Yulee Sports Complex. This program was one of many USA Football Protection Tours offered throughout the country. While many of the clinics are hosted at NFL footballs stadiums, this event was hosted at the Yulee Sports Complex in celebration of the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation's partnership with the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners for construction of a new football field.

Master Trainers from the USA Football Head's Up Program led player safety clinics with local coaches and footballs players. In this program,coaches were trained on the 4 pillars of safe football: Equipment Fitting; Concussion Awareness; Heat & Hydration; and Head's Up Tackling. The event also featured appearances by former Jacksonville Jaguar players who now serve as Head's Up Ambassadors, members of Roar, the Jacksonville Jaguars Cheerleaders, and Jaxson de Ville, the Jaguars beloved Mascot.

Statistics have shown that players who learn the Head's Up Tackling technique have less injuries because they know how to safely block and tackle. Following the clinics, Master Trainers will continue to work with league coaches throughout the season to insure they are practicing the four pillars and applying the techniques they learned to each game. This joint effort serves as reassurance to parents that their children are being coached by individuals who can teach them the safety techniques they need to play the game safely.

To learn more about the Head's Up Program, please visit USA Football's website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

As many of you already know, sea turtle nesting season is from May 1st through October 31st each year. During this time period, residents and visitors are asked to be mindful of turtle nests and to avoid any activities which may prevent a female from laying eggs. Below are some things to keep in mind to insure the turtles have a successful nesting season.

Lights affect nesting females and hatchlings

• Beach fires are prohibited because they distract nesting turtles, attract hatchlings and kill nearby nests.
• Flash photography can be disturbing and are harmful to see turtles.
• Replace white porch lights with a 25 watt yellow bug light or amber/red LED bulb.
• Eliminate, turn off, redirect or shield lights that can be seen from the beach surface.
• Install timers and/or motion detectors and set the timer to 5 minutes or less for areas where light is needed.
• Remove all beach gear items each day prior to nightfall.

Respect the mothers as they produce their hatchlings and fulfill their need to lay as many eggs as possible

• While walking, be aware of turtle nests and avoid getting too close
• Walking on moist sand will prevent surprising a female and emerging hatchlings. If you encounter an adult emerging from the sea, be still and allow her to travel up to the beach. Speak softly and slowly while in their presence.
• Do not approach a female while she is laying her eggs. 

Watch out for hatchlings

• While walking on the beach, look out for baby turtles on their way to see and avoid stepping on them.
• Hatchlings do not need help walking on the beach, however they do need a clear path to the ocean.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Conference