3/2/18 @ 2:15 p. m. - The Wednesday, February 28, 2018 edition of the News-Leader featured a story written by Cindy Jackson regarding Nassau County Animal Care & Control which included information about the department's roles and responsibilities including sheltering, adoption programs, and responding to a variety of citizen calls regarding strays and animal welfare. Please click here to read the story in its entirety.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

Note: Photos by Cindy Jackson - Fernandina Beach News-Leader

2/27/18 @ 1:00 p.m. - The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners and staff attended the Senate Appropriation Committee Meeting today, February 27, 2018, in Tallahassee to support Senator Bean’s amendment to remove language added to Senate Bill 324 by Raydient (through Associated Industries of Florida). We are pleased to announce that Senator Bean’s amendment, submitted in conjunction with Nassau County, passed favorably.

We would like to thank all the State Senators that took the time to meet with us and hear our concerns. A special thank you Senator Bean and his staff for the countless hours put in to ensure that the best interest of Nassau County residents is protected. 

House companion Bill 697, will be heard on the House Floor tomorrow. Representative Byrd has filed the exact same amendment as Senator Bean and the County is hopeful and optimistic that the outcome of the House amendment will be the same as the Senate amendment.

The Board and staff will continue to monitor these bills, and any other potential bills that may place a burden on Nassau County residents.
 
Justin Stankiewicz
Assistant County Manager & OMB Director

2/27/18 @ 9:50 a.m. - The County Manager's contract states that she will provide an annual report to the Board of County Commissioners which shall include accomplishments for the previous year. Attached is the County Manager's Annual Report for 2017. Please note that this report highlights some of the major achievements completed by each department, however it does not contain a complete listing due to space constraints. For a full list of accomplishments, please go to our website and visit each individual department page.

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

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/23/18 @ 5:00 p.m. -

Official Statement from the Board of County Commissioners

For almost a decade, the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners has worked with Raydient Places + Properties (the current name for Rayonier Inc.’s development subsidiary) in a public-private partnership to create an approximate 24,000 acre sector plan (commonly known as the ENCPA) centrally located in Nassau County. This support has included, but not limited to, adopting a master land use plan, obtaining state approval of the sector plan, working on solutions for public roads, such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and mobility fees, and supporting the creation of the East Nassau Stewardship District through local legislation (HB 1075 approved last year). Unfortunately, the county was recently alerted that Raydient (through a large business agency named Associated Industries of Florida headquartered in Tallahassee), unilaterally filed an amendment to Senate Bill 324 and House Bill 697 on January 26th, 2018 that provides Raydient a way out of their commitments to fund public facilities as was agreed upon in HB 1075.


During many public meetings to establish the East Nassau Stewardship District, Raydient provided documents and ensured the Board (as well as the public) that the growth would not burden taxpayers outside of the development because the Stewardship District would be the funding mechanism to deliver public infrastructure and facilities inside the ENCPA as jointly determined between both members of the public-private partnership, Nassau County and Raydient. The Board of County Commissioners as well as Senator Aaron Bean and Representative Cord Byrd supported the local bill (HB 1075) and it was approved as agreed upon by the County and Raydient.


House Bill 1075 (152 pages) that created the East Nassau Stewardship District states (in part):


“The existence and use of such a special and limited special purpose local government for the East Nassau Stewardship District lands…provide for the adequate mitigation of impacts and development of infrastructure in an orderly and timely manner; prevent the overburdening of the local general purpose government and the taxpayers…”

[the special powers of the District include…] “To provide public parks and public facilities for indoor and outdoor recreational, cultural, and educational uses.”


Now, a year later, the general bill amendment introduced by Raydient directly contradicts the local bill and states:

“…a local government may not include or impose as a development order condition a requirement that a developer contribute or pay for land acquisition or construction or expansion of public facilities, or portions thereof, unless the local government has enacted a local ordinance that requires developers of other developments not within a sector planning area to contribute a proportionate share of the funds, land, or public facilities necessary to accommodate any impacts having a rational nexus to the proposed development.”


As noted above, Raydient’s ENCPA development is a Sector Plan (the only one in Nassau County), and as such, has inherent benefits greater than normal developments. This includes the establishment of a public-private partnership whereby parties work together and develop long-term plans to address regional issues. The amendment language above attempts to negate this notion and calls for uniformity among developments. However, there are stark differences in the needs and planning of a 24,000 acre development as compared to a typical subdivision. Raydient is willing to accept the benefits to the private side of the partnership (such as the establishment of the 12% tax increment and mobility fees mentioned in the first paragraph) but no longer wants to work with the board to provide the benefits to the public as previously agreed.
 
The Board has attempted to work through the differences but have been unsuccessful in getting all parties to the table. An email was sent to Raydient and Stewardship Officials on December 21, 2017, asking for dates and times a public workshop could be held. February 12, 2018 at 4:00pm was mutually agreed upon and the meeting was set. Not a single representative from Raydient or the East Nassau Stewardship District attended. A few days later, the County was made aware of Raydient’s amendment to the State bills which were filed on January 26th, 2018. The Board set a second meeting for February 16th and extended an invitation to Raydient and the East Nassau Stewardship to discuss the amendment and the issues at hand. Once again, neither Raydient nor Stewardship representatives attended the meeting.
 

Raydient’s amendment is a back-door attempt to renege on the commitments promised by Raydient to the Board and citizens as outlined in the approved Stewardship District bill. This dispute does not belong in Tallahassee or in a statewide general bill and should be settled here in Nassau County, by both parties coming to the table and working towards a solution. All County Commissioners, management and key staff have fought this week to prevent Raydient’s amendment from being adopted in the finalized bills. Senator Bean has filed an amendment to the Senate bill that strikes the language added by Raydient and restores the bill back to the original contents and intent. The Senate will be voting on this amendment on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. The Board of County Commissioners will continue its effort next week to support Senator Bean’s amendment. A special thank you to Senator Bean and Representative Byrd for their tremendous help and joint effort to protect the approximate 81,000 taxpayers of Nassau County.  

-Nassau County Board of County Commissioners

2/23/18 @ 4:40 p.m. - Below is lane closure information for the week of February 24-March 2, 2018. NOTE: THIS INCLUDES A DAYTIME LANE CLOSURE FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH FROM 7AM-5PM BETWEEN LOFTON SQUARE COURT TO OLD NASSAUVILLE ROAD.

SUBJECT: LANE CLOSURE INFORMATION 
Job Description:  SR-200 Reconstruction (W of Rubin Rd. to E of CR 107 Scott Rd.)
Financial Project Number:  210712-4-52-01 & 210712-4-56-01
Federal Aid Project Number:  4881064P
Contract Number:  T2579
County - Section Number:  Nassau - 74060

 
SPECIFIC LOCATION OF THE CLOSURE:
 
Daytime: 

• SR 200 EB/WB LT Lane from Lofton Square Court to Old Nassauville Rd; Saturday, 02/24/18, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  

 
Nighttime:

• SB Right Lane Blackrock Rd at SR 200; Sunday, 02/25/18 - Tuesday, 02/27/18; 9:00 PM – 6:00 AM 
• NB Right Lane Blackrock Rd at SR 200; Wednesday, 02/28/18 – Friday, 03/02/18; 9:00 PM – 6:00 AM

 
REASON FOR THE CLOSURE (Type of Construction Maintenance Activity):
Barrier Wall Patching and Clean-up
Drainage Crossing Installations
 
PROJECT ENGINEER OR CONTACT PERSON AND TELEPHONE NUMBER:
ETM                                        
Carrie Smithheart, PA              
Office: (904) 265-3170          
Cell:  (904) 509-9007

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office           
 

2/22/18 @ 8:10 p.m. - The Senate Appropriations Committee has temporarily postponed their vote on proposed SB 324. The matter has been continued to Tuesday, February 27th. County staff urges you to continue emailing the members of the Appropriations Committee and urge them not to approve this Bill unless changes are made that will protect Nassau County and require Raydient to uphold their agreement to provide recreational facilities to accommodate growth that will occur from their development, the East Nassau Community Planning Area (ENCPA). Below is contact info for the members:

• Senator Bradley: Bradley.rob@flsenate.gov
• Senator Flores: flores.anitere@flsenate.gov
• Senator Baxley: baxley.dennis@flsenate.gov
• Senator Bean: bean.aaron@flsenate.gov
• Senator Benacquisto: benacquisto.lizbeth@flsenate.gov
• Senator Book: book.lauren@flsenate.gov
• Senator Bracy: bracy.randolph@flsenate.gov
• Senator Brandes: brandes.jeff@flsenate.gov
• Senator Braynon: braynon.oscar@flsenate.gov
• Senator Gainer: gainer.george@flsenate.gov
• Senator Galvano: galvano.bill@flsenate.gov
• Senator Gibson: Gibson.audrey@flsenate.gov
• Senator Grimsley: grimsley@denise@flsenate.gov
• Senator Montford: montford.bill@flsenate.gov
• Senator Passidomo: passidomo.kathleen@flsenate.gov
• Senator Powell: powell.bobby@flsenate.gov
• Senator Simmons: simmons.david@flsenate.gov
• Senator Simpson: simpson.wilton@flsenate.gov
• Senator Stargel: stargel.kelli@flsenate.gov
• Senator Stewart; stewart.linda@flsenate.gov

The Board of County Commissioners is holding a special meeting tomorrow, Friday, February 23rd, at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL, 32097. The public is welcome to attend. The meeting may also be viewed live by visiting our website and clicking the link for "live board meetings".

We will continue to share information as it is received.


-Sabrina Robertson
​ County Manager's Office

2/22/18 @ 8:45 a.m.- Senator Aaron Bean has proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 324, which if approved, would require Raydient to comply with the local bill in which they, the State and the County previously agreed to last year.

The Commissioners urge everyone to email the Senate Appropriations Committee Members and ask them to support Senator Bean's Amendment to proposed Bill 324 BEFORE 2:00 P.M. TODAY, February 22, 2018! All contact information is included in the attached flyer and listed below:

• Senator Bradley: Bradley.rob@flsenate.gov
• Senator Flores: flores.anitere@flsenate.gov
• Senator Baxley: baxley.dennis@flsenate.gov
• Senator Bean: bean.aaron@flsenate.gov
• Senator Benacquisto: benacquisto.lizbeth@flsenate.gov
• Senator Book: book.lauren@flsenate.gov
• Senator Bracy: bracy.randolph@flsenate.gov
• Senator Brandes: brandes.jeff@flsenate.gov
• Senator Braynon: braynon.oscar@flsenate.gov
• Senator Gainer: gainer.george@flsenate.gov
• Senator Galvano: galvano.bill@flsenate.gov
• Senator Gibson: Gibson.audrey@flsenate.gov
• Senator Grimsley: grimsley@denise@flsenate.gov
• Senator Montford: montford.bill@flsenate.gov
• Senator Passidomo: passidomo.kathleen@flsenate.gov 
• Senator Powell: powell.bobby@flsenate.gov
• Senator Simmons: simmons.david@flsenate.gov
• Senator Simpson: simpson.wilton@flsenate.gov
• Senator Stargel: stargel.kelli@flsenate.gov
• Senator Stewart; stewart.linda@flsenate.gov  

For information on how proposed Bill 324 would affect Nassau County, please see the story we shared yesterday.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/21/18 @ 9:00 a.m. - This week, all five County Commissioners and various County staff are in Tallahassee meeting with Legislators in an effort to ensure that the cost of growth does not fall on the backs of taxpayers. There is proposed legislation which if passed, could cost the County millions of dollars... dollars which developers should have to pay in order to mitigate impacts on local government and provide public facilities needed to support their developments. The County is urging all citizens to contact their senators immediately to OPPOSE SENATE BILL 324 unless amendments are made to protect Nassau County!

Below are some key points you should know: 

• Raydient (Rayonier) is developing a 24,000 acre master-planned development known as the East Nassau Community Planning Area (ENCPA). 
• The State, with support of the Board of County Commissioners, approved a Stewardship District for the ENCPA which would be the funding mechanism to build public facilities such as roads, parks, recreation, etc.
• Raydient no longer wants to honor its promises to the County and has stopped communicating, including refusal to attend two (2) public Board of County Commissioner meetings held for the purpose of discussing the public private partnership and funding concerns
• Instead, Raydient has been lobbying the State to approve Senate Bill 324 and companion bill, House Bill 697. If approved, funding for tens of millions of dollars to build public facilities could fall on the County tax payers rather than the agreement that growth would pay for growth inside the development and not burden citizens ouside of the ENCPA
• The County Commissioners were made aware of the bill last week and all 5 Commissioners are in Tallahassee lobbying the amendments to protect the taxpayers
• Senate Bill (SB 324) is being heard tomorrow in Senate Appropriations. Oppose Senate Bill 324 unless amendments are made to protect Nassau County!

Who to Contact:
Rob Bradley, Senate Appropriation Chair, at (850) 487-5005 or via email at Bradley.Rob@flsenate.gov AND
Dana Young, Senator and Bill Sponsor, at (850) 487-5018 or via email at Young.Dana@flsenate.gov

PLEASE CONTACT THEM IMMEDIATELY AND DEMAND THAT SENATE BILL 324 NOT BE APPROVED UNLESS AMENDMENTS ARE MADE TO PROTECT NASSAU COUNTY!!

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/20/18 @ 1:25 p.m. - Information regarding meetings for Feb. 20th-Feb. 23rd.

Planning & Zoning Board
Tuesday, Feb. 20th at 6:00 p.m., James S. Page Governmental Complex, Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097
 
Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
Wednesday, Feb. 21st at 4:00 p.m., James S. Page Governmental Complex, Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097
 
Cancellation Notice(s):
The Regular and Special Meetings of the Board of County Commissioners scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21st at 9:00 a.m. HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.
 
The Western Nassau Heritage Preservation meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 20th at 4:00 p.m. HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

2/16/18 @ 9:05 a.m. - County Offices will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2018, in observance of President's Day. We will return to regular business hours on Tuesday, February 20th. We hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them" - John F. Kennedy

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office