6/16/22 @ 8:15 a.m. - Join expert guides Kim Bednarek and Michael Lusk as they share stories about the exciting adventures that can be had at Okefenokee Swamp, as well as facts about the swamp's important ecosystem. 

WHAT: The Wonders of Okefenokee Swamp
WHEN: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 11:00 am.
WHERE: Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N. 4th St. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Library at (904) 530-6500 or visit www.nassaureads.com. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

6/15/22 @ 1:30 p.m. - At the Monday, June 13, 2022, the Board approved Resolution No. 2022-112 proclaiming June 19, 2022, as Juneteenth Independence Day in Nassau County, Florida. 

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 and on May 20, 1865, General Edward Cook rode into Tallahassee to execute enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and announced that enslaved Africans in Florida were freed. Then, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. African Americans in Texas began celebrating this date to commemorate their release from chattel enslavement. 

In 1991, the Florida Legislature designated June 19th of each year as "Juneteenth Day" in recognition of the traditional observance that began in Texas. And in 2021, the United States Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making Juneteenth a Federal Holiday. 

The Board encourages residents to celebrate during programs, events and observances that will be hosted throughout the area, including events in Fernandina Beach and Historic American Beach. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

6/14/22 @ 4:50 p.m. - At the Monday, June 13, 2022 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2022-113 recognizing the efforts of Glenda Simmons-Jenkins and commending her on her Florida Archaeological Council 2022 Stewards of Heritage Award. 

Ms. Simmons-Jenkins is a resident of Nassau County who has dedicated countless hours locating and documenting African-American heritage in northeast Florida. Her efforts include identification and updates to numerous sites to the Florida Master Site File, including but not limited to, the Harper Chapel Cemetery; Hughes/Friendship archaeological site; Gross Cemetery; Jones Jacob Wilder Cemetery, Martin Cemetery; Friendship Baptist Church; Third Mt. Zion Baptist Church; Silver Square Masonic Lodge; and the Amos White Community Center. 

Ms. Simmons-Jenkins also serves as a Florida Representative for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, and as a co-founder of the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Committee of Northeast Florida, a group that works to elevate the voices of Gullah/Geechee descendants and to protect their cultural practices, resources, and landscapes. The Gullah/Geechee people have an extensive history in Nassau County that includes Evergreen, Sandhill, White Oak, Kings Ferry, Lessie, Hero, Piney, O'Neil and Nassauville.

It was announced on May 6, 2022 that Ms. Simmons-Jenkins is the proud recipient of the Florida Archaeological Council's Stewards of Heritage Award which recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contributions to aid archaeological preservation and promote public awareness of Florida's heritage. 

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Simmons-Jenkins on her achievement and thanking her for all she has done to advance research and education for African-American sites in Nassau County.

-Sabrina Robertson 
 Public Information Officer

6/14/22 @ 10:05 a.m. 

Happy Flag Day!

Flag day is celebrated annually on June 14 and commemorates the date that the Second Continental Congress passed a Resolution stating, "The flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white" and "that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation". 

Over 100 years later, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson marked the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Flag by officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day. 

The U.S Flag stands for our nation and shared history, pride, principles, and commitment of the American people. When we properly display this powerful symbol, we signal our respect for everything it represents. For information on how to property display the American flag, visit www.usa.gov/flag. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/13/22 @ 3:00 - On Friday, June 10, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners hosted a Ribbon Cutting in celebration of the new Rebecca L. Jordi Cooperative Extension Office. This site will serve as the primary office for the County Extension, with the existing Callahan office functioning as an annex. 

The Board broke ground on the facility on May 15, 2019 and since that time, nearly 6,500 manhours have been spent bringing this project to fruition. This includes over 3,400 manhours from our Road Department staff that consisted of clearing land, preparing the site, and pouring concrete for driveways, parking lots and sidewalks, as well as 3,000 + manhours from our Facilities staff that consisted of digging trenches for utilities, laying carpet, installing air conditioning, drywalling, painting, and much, much more.  Building the facility in-house resulted in significant savings to the County.

At the beginning of the event, Commissioner Thomas Ford stated, "While there are still some small items that need to be completed before it (the site) is fully opened, we are excited about the progress that has been made and are happy to be here celebrating with you today. We appreciate each and every one of the employees who worked diligently to get us to this point, as well as to the late Rebecca Jordi who recognized the need for the facility and pushed to make it a reality. It has truly been a group effort and while it has not been easy, we can feel proud of what we have accomplished. We trust this new site will serve the residents well for many years to come". 

​Commissioner Jeff Gray spoke about Mr. Jordi's outstanding work effort and achievements. "While in her position as Director, Becky initiated many projects and programs including, but not limited to, demonstration gardens at County facilities; landscape matters classes; plant clinics; and crash courses in gardening. She had a standing guest column in the News-Leader and also appeared several times on WTLV 12's First Coast Living. She spoke with excitement and passion and was often called upon to speak at events around the State, including speaking engagements at Epcot's annual home and garden show. Becky was a one-of-a-kind employee who dedicated countless hours serving the County and its residents. We are happy to honor her legacy through the naming of this facility which will serve as a reminder of all her great contributions to our community". 

Other speakers during the event included Dr. Taylor Clem, Becky's husband Doug Jordi, and a close relative who all shared stories about Becky's love of agriculture and horticulture, her passion for teaching others, and her vision for the new facility. 

The also event included a tree dedication in Becky's honor by Keep Nassau Beautiful, the ceremonial ribbon cutting, and a brief tour of the facility. 

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us on Friday. We look forward to seeing you at future County Extension events! 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

6/13/22 @ 10:40 a.m. 

In January 2017, the Board of County Commissioners dedicated 40 acres of County-owned property for a Public Safety Training Center to be used by public safety personnel. Long term plans for the center include gun ranges, training rooms, a mock jail, K-9 training area with kennels, an SRT training obstacle course, shoot house, dive-team training pond, Fire/Rescue training area (with classroom, training tower, railcar prop, semi/fuel prop) and other possibilities as future needs develop.

A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on March 21, 2021, to celebrate the commencement of construction. The first phase of the Public Safety Training Center consisting of gun ranges and temporary parking is now complete. To celebrate, the Board will host a Ribbon Cutting for Phase One and Firing of the First Shot Ceremony on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the site’s location at 153322 County Road 108, Yulee, FL. The public is invited to attend.

Phase Two of the project will commence in the very near future and will include construction of the classroom building with airnaseum, a storage building, and resurfacing of the parking lot.

If you have any questions, please contact the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 225-0331.
 

6/13/22 @ 8:30 a.m. - Below are public meetings scheduled for this week: 

Board of County Commissioners: Special Meeting regarding Capital Improvement Program and Fleet Replacement Program
June 13, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Board of County Commissioners: Regular Meeting(s)
Monday, June 13, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. AND
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 

Development Review Committee
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 

Code Enforcement Board
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 

Agendas can be located on our website. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/10/22 @ 3:30 p.m. - Below are pictures from the week of June 3- June 10, 2022. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/9/22 @ 4:15 p.m. - Please join us in congratulating the graduates of Leadership Nassau Class 20, including Nassau County's very own Assistant Facilities Director, Jeff Little! (pictured back row, far left)

Leadership Nassau is a 10 month program sponsored by the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce designed to develop the skills of community leaders by providing an understanding of problems, opportunities and issues facing our community. Class 20 was put on hold in 2020 due to the onset of COVID. Fortunately, the participants were given an opportunity to complete the course and graduated in May of this year. We commend them all for their dedication and look forward to seeing their future achievements!

The Chamber is currently accepting applications for Class 22. The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 30th. If you are interested, please fill out the attached application and return it to the Chamber. If you have any questions, please contact Lynne Starling at (904) 261-3248 or via email at [email protected].

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/7/22 @ 9:40 a.m.

The Florida Association of Counties' Annual Calendar Contest has opened! This year's them is "Keep Calm and Love Water" which will highlight Florida's beautiful bodies of water including lakes, rivers, oceans and springs. If you have photos you would like to enter, you can do so by visiting the Florida Association of Counties website here. 

Please note that there is no limit on the number of photos you can submit however to be considered for publication, your photo must be at least 3000 pixels / 300 DPI. Photos with logos, names, titles, date stamps, or watermarks will not be considered. Photographers will receive photo credit if their photo is chosen for the publication. 

The deadline to submit photos is Tuesday, August 19th. The winners will be announced in November during FAC's Legislative Conference. If a photo from Nassau County is selected, we will share that information here as well.

Good luck!

Photo credit: Deremer Studios

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

6/6/22 @ 8:30 a.m. - Below are public meetings and special events scheduled for this week: 

Community Meeting re: Chester Road Area Drainage Study
Monday, June 6, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Development Review Committee
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Planning & Zoning Board: Workshop to discuss ENCPA Comp Plan Amendment CPA21-010
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Planning & Zoning Board: Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

American Beach Water & Sewer District Advisory Board
Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Ribbon Cutting: Rebecca L. Jordi Cooperative Extension Office
Friday, June 10, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
85831 Miner Road, Yulee, FL 32097

Agendas can be located on our website. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/3/22 @ 2:50 p.m. - Below are pictures from the Week of May 27 - June 3, 2022. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer