7/30/21 @ 9:45 a.m. - The Florida Department of Revenue's Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 31st and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 9th. During this time, Florida law directs that sales tax or local option tax shall NOT be collected on:

• Purchase of clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item; 
• Purchase of certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item; and
• the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and certain computer-related accessories, when purchased for non-commercial home or personal use.
  

The sales tax holiday does not apply to:

• Any item of clothing selling for more than $60;
• Any school supply item selling for more than $15;
• Books that are not otherwise exempt;
• Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial uses;
• Rental or leases of any eligible items;
• Repairs or alterations of any eligible item;
• Sales of any eligible items in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishments, or airport

For a complete list of exempt clothing and accessories, please click here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/29/21 @ 5:10 p.m. - On July 12th, we announced that the Florida Association of Counties' 9th Annual Calendar Photo Contest had opened. During this event, FAC will collect photos that showcase individual community's exclusive beauty and attractions to be featured in their 2022 calendar. This year's theme is "Let's Get Active".

"One of the best things about living in Florida is the ability to enjoy the outdoors all year long. Florida is an international treasure when it comes to outdoor activities and after a year of quarantine, we're ready to see how people get active in your county. Is it fishing? Football? Kayaking? Tennis? Cycling? Hiking or Running? The sky is the limit, so let's get active, Florida". -Florida Association of Counties.

FAC announced today that 14 out of 67 counties have submitted photos already, including Nassau County. If you haven't submitted photos yet, it's not too late! Entries will be accepted until Friday, September 3rd.

The contest is open to photographers of all levels and there are no limits on the number of photos you can submit. Photos must be at least 3,000 pixels/300 DPI and in JPEG Format. Submit photos directly to FAC by clicking here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/30/21 @ 11:30 a.m. - Week in photos for July 26 through July 30, 2021.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/29/21 @ 8:30 a.m. - Attached are two videos of the final striping operations taking place on Phase One of the Crawford Rd. project. Phase One consists of the portion of Crawford Rd. from County Road 121 to Old Alabama Trail. This segment is now complete. Phase Two of the project is from Old Alabama Trail to existing paved portion of Crawford Rd. The project is still on track to be completed in September 2021.

Videos courtesy of Carrie Smithheart, Project Engineer for England, Thims & Miller (ETM), the construction engineering inspection firm overseeing the project.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/29/21 @ 10:00 a.m.- At the Board of County Commissioner's meeting held on Monday, July 27th, the Board approved a Resolution expressing support for the Northeast Florida Fair Association's  Agriculture Education and Promotion Facility funding request to the State of Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Paulette Kirkland was in attendance to accept the Resolution on behalf of the NEFL Fair Association. She stated, "We've been working on this fairground project since 2016. We've had a few setbacks but we are back on track. We are now working on an arena for the community's use. We appreciate the County's support".

The NEFL Fair Association is a non-profit organization that promotes agriculture in Nassau County, Florida. They host the annual fair and works closely with the local 4-H program and Future Farmers of America to encourage enthusiasm in our youth and celebrate Florida's agriculture heritage. To learn more, visit their website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/29/21 @ 9:00 a.m. - The Board of County Commissioners has a new job opportunity available: Procurement Specialist. To view the job description and salary range or to apply online, click here.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at (904) 530-6075.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/27/21 @ 6:30 p.m. - At the Board of County Commissioners meeting held on Monday, July 26th, Emergency Management Director, Greg Foster, presented the 2021 Citizen's Disaster Guide. This document includes information on various hazards such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, shelter locations, tips on preparing an emergency supply kit, and what to expect if a widespread evacuation order is given.

The presentation also included information about the new Evacuation Zones that were established following a study conducted by Emergency Management, along with the Northeast Florida Regional Council and Florida Department of Emergency Management. The old map had all of Amelia Island and most of the Yulee area under Zone A. As a result, many people off the island who were in Zone A were electing to not evacuate because they felt like their threat wasn't as great as others in that Zone residing along the intercoastal and on Amelia Island. Emergency Management indicated that they’ve also seen a decline in residents on Amelia Island who are willing to evacuate.

The new map now has 3 evacuation zones on Amelia Island which identify areas most likely to be affected by a coastal storm, as well as additional zones throughout the rest of the County clearly outlining where that area falls on the Zone Map. It's important to note that anyone previously shown in a surge zone will still be in a surge zone. Only the letters of the evacuation zone have changed.

Please click here to watch Director Foster's presentation. The discussion of the 2021 Citizens Disaster Guide and new Evacuation Zone Map begins at approximately 48:45.

If you have any questions about the new Evacuation Zones, please contact Emergency Management at (904) 548-0900.

-Sabrina Robertson
Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Sabrina Robertson
Public Information Officer
(904) 530-6010
srobertson@nassaucountyfl.com

Nassau County Implements New Software to Streamline Procurement Process

Nassau County, Florida, July 27, 2021 – We are excited to announce that the Board of County Commissioners has implemented PlanetBids to streamline our procurement process and improve transparency.

PlanetBids is a web-based procurement company that assists organizations with securing qualified vendors quickly and efficiently while reducing processing time and paperwork. Prior to partnering with PlanetBids, the Board’s Procurement Department maintained a spreadsheet of vendors and would notify them via email and/or SharePoint of bidding opportunities. PlanetBids’ vendor management tool allows the County to quickly identify and notify vendors that a product or service is needed and can even help the County to better identify local vendors, as well as minority, woman and veteran-owned businesses. The County is encouraging all vendors to visit the new site and register their businesses for notifications and bidding opportunities.

The PlanetBids system also allows all documents related to the bid to be accessible by the public so anyone can see the original bid and all documents associated with the bid, including submitted bid packets, bid opening minutes, and similar documents to help the user see why a particular vendor was selected. This not only improves transparency, it also makes procurement operations more efficient having these documents easily available to the public in lieu of collecting documents and responding to individual requests for information.

The new PlanetBids program makes doing business with Nassau County easier than ever by improving user experience and adding expanded features to register as a vendor and review opportunities as they become available. To view current bid opportunities for the Board of County Commissioners, please visit https://pbsystem.planetbids.com/portal/49083/portal-home. If you have any questions, please contact Procurement Manager, Brian Simmons, at (904) 530-6040 or via e-mail at bsimmons@nassaucountyfl.com.

7/26/21 @ 3:50 p.m. - The Florida Department of Health in Nassau County has issued a Press Release notifying residents of an increase in mosquito-borne disease activity areas of Nassau County. Residents are encouraged to take basic precautions to limit exposure such as draining standing water on personal property, covering skin with clothing, and utilizing bug repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, 2-undecanone or IR3535 for extra protection.

To view the Press Release, please click here. Anyone with questions should contact the DOH-Nassau at (904) 875-6100 or email Amber Lee at amber.lee2@flhealth.gov.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/26/21 @ 11:35 a.m. - Attached is the June 2021 edition of the Board of County Commissioner's Newsletter. This monthly publication features a variety of information related to projects and activities for departments under the Board of County Commissioners. It also includes information about road projects, adopted policies and procedures, community outreach programs/events, budget discussions, and more!

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

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer