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The County Insider

Registration for 4-H Summer Camps Now Open

3/17/2025

3/18/25 @ 6:00 a.m.

Nassau County 4-H has released their Summer Camp schedule! These local day camps are affordable and feature something for all age groups and interests. To sign up for any camp, please click here. Camps fill up quickly so don't delay!

Questions? Please contact the County Extension Office at (904) 530-6353.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Public Works Employees Excel During Equipment Rodeo

3/17/2025

Last week, the American Public Works Association sponsored their annual Equipment Rodeo. This event consists of individual challenges designed to test the operator's skills in a variety of areas including speed, accuracy, and precision. The operators competed on a variety of heavy equipment including small excavators, wheeled excavators, backhoe loaders, and small wheel loaders.

Nassau County Public Works sent 8 individuals to participate this year, all of which are currently participating in the Nassau County Equipment Operator Apprenticeship Program.

Congratulations to our winners!

Event #1: Basketball Vac Truck Challenge
Contestants used the Vacuum truck to pick up 2 maketballs and place them in goals of different heights.
Winner: Nassau County. Employee Kenneth Thornton with a total time of 53 seconds.

Event #2: Spider Excavator Sleeve Challenge
Contestants used an Excavator Bucket to pick up a steel triangle with a steel sleeve, rotate it 180 degrees, place sleeve inside another sleeve, and then rotate 180 degrees back to its original position.
Winner: Nassau County. Employee DJ Blake with a total time of 45 seconds.

Event #3: Excavator Cornhole Challenge
Contestants used an excavator bucket to pick up 3 square sleeves, rotate them 180 degrees, and then place the square sleeves into properly numbered space.
Winner: St. Johns County

Event #4: Excavator Basketball Challenge
Contestants picked up 3 elevated basketballs and placed them into a barrell.
Winner: Clay County

Event #5: Excavator High Rail Challenge
Contestants picked up a trapeze bar. While rotating it 180 degrees, they had to remove a tennis ball from a street cone with the trapeze bar and hange the trapeze bar in the alternate holder.
Winner: Clay County

Event #6: Vermeer Mario Cart Challenge
Contests had to operate a mini loader through an obstacle road coure and remove 2 tennis balls from street cones.
Winner: St Johns County

Extra Event:
During the safety meeting prior to the competition, contestants were given specific instructions on how to compete, monitor time and return score cards to the judges for completion. This event only had one winner. The winner was the first contestant to complete all 6 scoring events and return scorecard to the judges.
Winner: Nassau County. Employee Travis Ray completed all events in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Each year the APWA sponsors the top 5 finishers to compete at the state level. DJ Blake finished 4th overall out of 61 competitors. This year makes the second time DJ Blake will represent Nassau County at the state level competition. DJ Blake is a 3rd Year Apprentice.

Congratulations to all the Apprentices for representing Nassau County and showcasing their skills and knowledge of operating equipment.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

2024 Annual Report

3/17/2025

3/17/25 @ 6:00 a.m.

As part of the Winter Strategic Planning Sessions held on March 13 - March 14, 2025, County Manager Taco Pope presented the 2024 Annual Report. This document highlights achievements, projects, and initiatives of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), county staff and management for the period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. It also provides great insight into the County's operations, progress in executing directives of the elected body, and the priorities of the BOCC.

Highlights include:

Budgeting 101
Capital Improvement Projects including new roads, facilities, and parks
Public Safety upgrades/improvements
Nassau Prosperity Alliance
American Beach Water & Sewer Project
Conservation Land Acquisition and Management (CLAM) Program
Imagine Nassau
Tourism
Legislative Priorities of the BOCC
Demographics
Strategic Priorities
Awards & Recognition, and more!

Chairman Hupp Huppmann stated, "This valuable resource not only provides an accounting of the diligent efforts of our workforce, it also allows continued public transparency of our priorities and budgeting. On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, we are grateful for your trust and confidence in our public service to our citizens. As you read the details of the last year, I think you will agree that 2025 is shaping up to be even better for the citizens of Nassau County".

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Below are a handful of photos showing projects, events and activities

Government Finance Professionals Week

3/16/2025

Commissioner John Martin with representatives of the Office of Management & Budget and Clerk of Courts Finance Division

3/16/25 @ 9:00 a.m.

The Florida Government Finance Officers Association is a professional association founded in 1937 and serves more than 3,300 professionals from state, county and city governments, school districts, colleges and universities, special districts and private firms. The FGFOA established Government Finance Professionals Week to recognize government finance professionals and the vital services that they provide to our state, local and federal government, as well as to our communities.

The County’s professionals serving in the Office of Management & Budget and the Clerk of Courts Finance Division work hard everyday to ensure that financial policies are being followed and that the processes in place are sufficient. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) recognized both at the Monday, March 10, 2025 meeting and approved a Proclamation declaring the week of March 17 - March 21, 2025, as Government Finance Officers Week in Nassau County, Florida.

The BOCC hereby expresses their appreciation and commends the finance professionals from the Office of Management & Budget and the Clerk of Courts Finance Division for all their hard work and dedication.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Annual Winter Strategic Planning Sessions

3/14/2025

3/14/25 @ 3:30 p.m.

On Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14, 2025, County Manager Taco Pope hosted the 2025 Winter Strategic Planning Session (WSPS-25) of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The WSPS is an annual event where the County Manager leads the BOCC in discussions to obtain feedback that defines the strategic direction of the organization, defines organizational priorities, allocates resources, and serves to ‘kick-off’ the County’s annual budget development process.

The event was a Workshop and as such, no action was taken. Discussions included the budget, land conservation, park projects, road projects, Vision 2050, legislative matters, and more. The Board's collective input will be used to the guide the County Manager and staff to ensure that identified priorities are being addressed and achieved. Any items needing consideration will be brought back at future public meetings.

A copy of the agenda can be found here. Audio from the meeting will be uploaded to the Clerk's website at www.nassauclerk.com/watch-meetings.

Great job to County Manager Pope, the County Commissioners and other County staff for an informative and successful planning event.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Notice of Road Closure

3/14/2025

3/14/24 @ 6:00 a.m. -

The Nassau County Capital Improvement Projects Department is reconstructing the Chester Road and Pages Dairy Road intersection including the Water Forced Main on Chester Road immediately crossing the David Hallman Parkway intersection. This will require a temporary road closure from Chester Road to the Entrance of Home Depot. Work is expected to start on April 1st and is anticipated to be complete on Friday, April 4th, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting.

Traffic will be maintained in accordance with FDOT design standards throughout the project. During the reconstruction there will be a detour via Courtney Isles Way to Chester Road and Home Depot Parking Lot to SR 200 / A1A.

The public’s patience and understanding while we bring your community these needed improvements are appreciated. Questions or concerns may be directed to Project Administrator James Cuneo of CSI Geo at [email protected] or by calling (386) 983-2810.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Open House: Timber to Tides Design Overlay

3/14/2025

3/14/25 @ 12:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the County will host an Open House to provide an update on the latest draft changes related to the Timber to Tides Design Overlay. The event will take place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee.

The Timber to Tides Overlay (T2TDO) is a proposed regulatory document that enforces the principles and priority actions established in the SR200/A1A Corridor Master Plan adopted by Resolution in December 2021.

The T2TDO consists of Transect Based Zoning (TBZ) standards, first established in the William Burgess District, and expands upon this foundation by employing Community-Based Design Standards (CBDS) and priority programs specific to the SR 200/A1A Corridor. Transect zones depict the transition of development form from rural to urban, ranging from natural preserved areas to urban core, and allows for special districts that fall outside these typical transect designations.

The County has held extensive community outreach related to this initiative including surveys, Open Houses, and workshops of the Planning and Zoning Board and Board of County Commissioners. The Open House on March 19th is for informational purposes only. This is not a public hearing. Public hearings will be scheduled at a later date. No decisions are to be made at this meeting.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Week in Pictures

3/14/2025

3/14/25 @ 2:00 p.m. - Below are pictures from the week of March 7 - March 14, 2024.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Florida Department of Health-Nassau Quarterly Update

3/14/2025

At the Monday, March 10, 2025 Board of County Commissioner's meeting, Health Administrator Cara Gluck, provided a quarterly update on the Nassau County Department of Health. Topics covered included capital projects, community health, programs and services and community outreach. To view the presentation, please click here. The presentation is listed under "Tab C".

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer

Moving Plant Clinics

3/13/2025

3/13/25 @ 9:00 a.m. - In an effort to better serve residents, the Nassau County Extension will offer moving plant clinics this spring and summer. During these events, Master Gardeners will be there to answer questions and provide information on caring for your Florida landscape.

Questions? Please call the County Extension at (904) 530-6353.

-Sabrina Robertson
Communications Officer