8/30/24 @ 12:00 p.m.

As part of our year-long Bicentennial Celebration, we are hosting a Scavenger Hunt featuring photo challenges, quizzes and information about Nassau County's history. The Scavenger Hunt is designed to take you all over the County, many places you may have never seen or even heard about.

The Scavenger Hunt will take place from October 1 - November 1, 2024 so participants have a whole month to complete the challenge at your own pace. Each participant completing the challenge will earn a special Bicentennial Challenge Coin and be entered into a drawing for a hotel stay on Amelia Island.
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There will be no cost to participate. Stay tuned for details in the next few days!

8/30/24 @ 11:30 a.m. - Below are pictures from the week of August 23 -August 30, 2024. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/30/24 @ 10:15 a.m.

​Community members and interested individuals attended a meeting to discuss the Crossroads area of American Beach (around Gregg and Lewis Streets) on Saturday, August 24th. The Planning Department hosted the event with facilitation provided by the Community Planning Collaborative at the American Beach Community Center on Amelia Island. Discussion during the community meeting focused on the following:

• Planning efforts to date;
• Update on Evans’ Rendezvous grant;
• Summary of neighborhood vision for Evans’ Rendezvous, and;
• Next steps for neighborhood planning efforts.

For more information related to the American Beach planning effort, view the following: https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/990/American-Beach-Neighborhood-Planning.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/30/24 @ 9:30 a.m. - The First Public Hearing for consideration of the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 budget will take place during the BOCC's regular meeting scheduled for Monday, September 9, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. The second hearing will take place during the regular meeting scheduled for Monday, September 23, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. 

Please note that the budget being considered for FY 24/25 budget includes a millage (tax) rate reduction for the 4th consecutive year. This was achieved while continuing to fund the critical capital improvement plan, pavement management plan, chip seal program, and improving public safety through investments into the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the Nassau County Fire Department. Additionally, the budget provides funding for the staffing and operations of the new Fire Station No. 10, currently under construction. 

Understanding the demands of the County residents and the future economic pressures, the tentative budget continues to focus on improving the quality of life while working within the restricted revenues of the County. The budget is structured to continue funding for investment into land conservation and management programs, in line with the request from the community and pursuant to the voter approved referendum in November 2022.  

Agendas can be located on our website on the Thursday prior to the meetings. Should you have any questions, please contact the County Manager's Office at (904) 530-6010.

-Sabrina Robertson 
​ Public Information Officer

8/29/24 @ 2:45 p.m. - Please see the below Press Release from MOCA Jax regarding an open call for contemporary works of art from the Jacksonville area. 

Open Call for Contemporary Works by Local Jacksonville Artists
Jax Contemporary exhibition accepting applications in September
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — MOCA Jacksonville, a cultural institute of the University of North Florida, is excited to launch Jax Contemporary, a triennial juried art exhibition bringing to the fore the artistic talent in the Greater Jacksonville and Northeast Florida region, including Flagler, Putnam, Baker, Clay, St. Johns, Duval, and Nassau Counties. Submissions open Sep. 9, 2024, and close Oct. 11, 2024. More information can be found online at https://mocajacksonville.unf.edu/exhibitions/featured/jax-contemporary-call-to-artists.html

This initiative is intended to deepen the museum’s relationship with the local arts community and to foster the growth of the arts ecosystem of the area.

To this end, an important professional development component will be included for the artist finalists, including professional guidance, studio visits, and critique from MOCA’s Senior Curator Ylva Rouse, together with Adeze Wilford, Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, who will also help select the work to be on display in the exhibition. These studio visits facilitate meaningful discourse between the artist and the curators and are an essential step to connecting Jacksonville-based artists to a broader network of curators and institutions.

In addition, the participating artists will have an opportunity to talk more broadly about their work during Artist Talks. These will take place in the MOCA Theater throughout the exhibition during Museum Nights and VyStar Free Saturdays, which are high traffic days with free entrance to the public. In this way, Jax Contemporary seeks to support and promote the contemporary art practices of our area, sharing the broad vitality of artistic voices representing this moment in history in Jacksonville with the general public.

Jax Contemporary fulfills MOCA’s mission by activating and engaging our local communities in contemporary art, offering patrons an opportunity to connect with local artists and cultural producers that explore national contemporary aesthetic discourses and ideas from a Florida First Coast perspective.
Artist Prizes to be announced.

Jax Contemporary is presented by Dolf and Anna James, with additional support from the City of Jacksonville, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Florida Blue, the MOCA Board Alumni Council, MOCA Inaugural Director’s Circle Members, MOCA Board of Trustees, and the University of North Florida, Visit Jacksonville, and VyStar Credit Union.

For more information including hours of operation, admission prices and upcoming exhibitions and programs, call 904.366.6911 or visit mocajacksonville.unf.edu.
 
For questions regarding the open call applications, contact [email protected]
 

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them. 

This week, Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch President Mary Duffy has provided a mid-season update on sea turtle activities on Amelia Island. 

"It has been an exciting year for sea turtles on Amelia Island.  AISTW documented a total of 156 nests, one of which was a very rare Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempii) sea turtle.  This is the first time a Kemp’s Ridley has nested on the island. Another rare species documented this season was a leatherback.  Records indicate the last Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacia) nested here in 2018. 

The Kemp’s Ridley nest was laid on May 20.  No emergence of hatchlings was observed. AISTW waited the required number of days, as determined by FWC, before excavating the nest at 70 days of incubation.  106 unhatched eggs were discovered. There was one other Kemp’s nest in NE Florida this season that was also infertile.  Was it the same turtle?  We won’t know for sure until genetics results are determined.  FWC asks that all beaches that document rare species collect genetic samples at the time of excavation. 

The Leatherback nest was a successful nest. It emerged without issues on August 13 after 69 days of incubation. FWC requires a wait of 4 days after emergence to excavate and inventory all leatherback nests. It is one day longer than the other species due to the fact that leatherback nests are extremely deep. The additional day will give the hatchlings a little longer to crawl up the nest for a natural emergence.  At the time of inventory, there were 2 dead hatchlings in the nest, 4 live hatchlings. 1 dead pipped (hatchling dead in an open egg), 9 whole unhatched eggs, and 69 shards (empty eggs shells).  That means there were 79 total eggs in the nest and 63 emerged on their own and crawled to the water. It was a very successful nest. 

Loggerhead nesting is slowing down now and if 2 weeks pass without another nest, we will officially call the nesting season over. We are still hopeful for a green turtle nest. They nest later in the season, but if there hasn’t been a green turtle nest yet, there probably won’t be one.

We will continue to monitor all the nests that are currently incubating and will excavate at the appropriate time.  If an excavation is in a location with adequate parking, it will be advertised on the website, www.ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com, Excavation Schedule page. The public is invited to these excavations.

As it stands right now, 8,098 hatchlings have emerged on their own.  There are just under 50 nests remaining to emerge.  The island might make it to just under 10,000 hatchlings in 2024.  It was a pretty good season!"
 
 

8/26/24 @ 8:20 a.m. - Below are public meetings for this week: 

Board of County Commissioners
Monday, August 26, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. 
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Development Review Committee
Tuesday, August 267, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 
Commission Chambers, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097

Agendas can be located on our website. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/23/24 @ 1:30 p.m. - At the Wednesday, August 21, 2024 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners recognized Dale Green on 30 years of employment with Nassau County Fire Rescue. 

County Manager Taco Pope stated, "We are celebrating 30 years with Nassau County. 30 years dedicated to the citizens, protecting our family and friends. It's a great honor to recognize Mr. Green and it's also a great testament to our organization that someone would be willing to dedicate their entire career to us."

Nassau County Fire Chief Brady added, "Dale Green is one of our Engineers. He drives ladder 20 at Station 20 (south Amelia Island). He's been married to his life Leoni for 29 years, has two children, and he enjoys coaching basketball. We appreciate his years of service and wish him the best."

Congratulations Dale on 30 years of service! We appreciate your hard work, dedication and everything you do for Nassau County and its residents.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

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8/23/24 @ 2:00 p.m. -Below are pictures from the week of August 15 - August 23, 2024. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer