​10/31/22 @ 6:30 p.m.

In January 2022, County Manager Taco Pope, instituted new Customer Care Standards to govern both internal and external interactions and to create a more positive work environment. Part of this initiative includes an Employee Recognition Program in which employees can nominate co-workers who have demonstrated Nassau County's Customer Care Standards and/or has provided exceptional performance beyond established duties and responsibilities. 

We are pleased to announce that our new Employee of the Quarter is Road & Bridge Supervisor, Darren Marsh. 

Mr. Marsh was selected for leading the way to accomplish what needed to be done during a period of record low manning levels in the Road Department. Mr. Marsh, on two separate occasions, went beyond the expectations of his position when he donned chest high waters and entered outfall ditches with areas of up to 4 feet of swamp water to remove beaver dams and other debris in an effort to improve waterflow.  Mr. Marsh walked several miles of outfall ditches and removed multiple beaver dams, some as big as 7 feet high by 20 feet wide.  While cleaning one pipe, Mr. Marsh was faced with an alligator and was not only able to safety remove himself, but also made sure the alligator was safely removed and relocated without incident as well. 

This is just one small example of Darren's service and dedication to the County and its residents. If you see Darren, be sure to congratulate him on being our Employee of the Quarter!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/31/22 @ 2:00 p.m. - Friday night's Halloween Festival was amazing! First, we would like to thank everyone who went above and beyond to make this a successful event for the kids in our community. Your dedication of time and resources is greatly appreciated.

We also appreciate the residents who came out and celebrated with us. We hope that everyone had a great time! 

With that said, we would now like to announce the winners of our best decorated booths and jeeps, as well as the best costumes. We have included photos of some of the winners and will be reaching out to the other winners to get their photos (for the ones we don't already have). 

Best Business/Organization Booth: 
1st Place: Blue Ocean Title
2nd Place: Envoy Mortgage/Brightway Insurance
3rd Place: Nassau Open MRI

Best Jeep:
Entry #3: Alice In Wonderland Theme
Entry #6: Day of the Dead Theme
Entry #12: Spider

Best Child's Costume: 
Entry #39: Farmer Corpse
Entry #42: Pumpkin Head
Entry #85: Raggedy Ann

Best Adult Costume: 
Entry #40: Pumpkin Lord
Entry #75: Avatar
Entry #87: Werewolf

Best Group/Family Costume: 
Entry #54: Alice in Wonderland
Entry #87: Inside Out 
Entry #35: Pumpkin Family

Best Pet Costume: 
Entry #20: Dixie
Entry #78: Headless Dog
Entry # 52 - Elvis Ninja Dog

Last but not least, all of the County booths were judged to determine which department would get to keep the coveted "Golden Pumpkin". Below are the winners for the best County booths: 

#1 - Nassau County Attorney's Office
#2 - Nassau County Public Library
#3 - Nassau County Public Works

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/28/22 @ 3:00 p.m. - Below are pictures from the week of October 21-October 28, 2022. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/28/22 @ 11:50 a.m. 

At the American Planning Association’s Florida Chapter Conference held in Orlando this past August, Nassau County received a State-wide ‘Award of Excellence’ in the Best Practices category for the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan (PROSMP).
 
The Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan (PROSMP) represents a fundamental shift in how public and private recreation demands are addressed from a county-wide perspective. The PROSMP couples traditional planning and design principles with progressive regulatory standards that treat parks as essential infrastructure similar to electricity, water, and streets. This shift in local public policy has charted a course for developing and maintaining a fiscally sustainable parks system that is representative of all citizens.
 
County Manager, Taco Pope, AICP, stated, “It is a great honor for the County to receive an Award of Excellence from the American Planning Association. It’s an even greater honor to play a small part in facilitating public policy that will improve the quality-of-life for residents of Nassau County for generations to come”.  
 
The annual award for Best Practices from the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association is given to a project or program that represents “…a significant advancement to specific elements of planning. This category emphasizes results and demonstrates how innovative and state-of-the-art planning methods and practices helped to implement a plan”. 
 
While Nassau County has received several regional and state-wide community planning awards over the past few years, this particular award is Nassau County’s first state-wide ‘Award of Excellence’. The distinction as an ‘Award of Excellence’ indicates that the review panel for the American Planning Association found Nassau County’s PROSMP to be innovative, of superior quality, and transferable to other communities.  
 
Information on the Nassau County PROSMP and implementing legislation can be found at https://bit.ly/NassauCountyPROSMP.
 
A special thanks to the late Dr. David Barth for all his hard work and efforts. He was instrumental in creating a plan that will serve the residents and future generations for years to come. We encourage residents to view a 2-minute project spotlight/video that highlights the project and recognizes Dr. Barth posthumously on this outstanding achievement. The video can be found on our YouTube Channel at https://bit.ly/VideoPROSMP.
 
-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/28/22 @ 8:40 a.m. - It's finally time for the Halloween Festival and we are so excited to see everyone tonight! We wanted to take a moment to share details about the event again to make sure everyone knows exactly where to go and what we have in store for you. 

The Festival will take place place from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Yulee Sports Complex located at 86142 Goodbread Road, Yulee. Please note that early election is taking place in the gym so the small parking lot directly in front of the gym can only be used for individuals coming to vote. All attendee parking will take place along Goodbread Road. The Nassau County Sheriff's Office will be there to provide traffic control. 

We have a total of 78 booths from local businesses, organizations, and community groups who will distribute candy in our Trick or Treat Alley (while supplies last). 

Above, we have a detailed site map to help you find your way around.

Here's a quick reminder of the scheduled of events as well. 

Gates Open:
5:00 p.m.

Costume Contest (open to children, adults, families and pets): 
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.. No entries will be judged after 6:30 p.m. so please don't be late!

Zombie Scavenger Hunt (ages 10 - 17) 
To participate, visit Big B's Yard Cards Booth (first booth on Trick or Treat Alley) to get a scorecard and instructions on the game. The first hunt begins at 5:30 p.m. so you must be in line by 5:20 p.m. The second hunt begins at 6:00 pm. so please be in line by 5:50 p.m. 

Trick or Treat Alley:
Open from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. 

Bounce houses, face painting, games, hayrides, and concessions 
​Open from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 

This event is FREE to Nassau County residents. However you are encouraged to bring some cash for the face painting booth and for concessions (food/drink) which will be sold to benefit the Yulee Basketball Association.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/27/22 @ 1:25 p.m. - The Board of County Commissioners would like to invite you to attend a Grand Opening Event for the Nassau Crossing Park located at 77480 William Burgess Blvd. 

The park currently includes 2.5 miles of multi-use trails, children's play equipment, restrooms, picnic area with gazebos, outdoor fitness stations, open green space and a community plaza with a train caboose. Coming next year are two multi-use fields, nature outlooks, a water feature, and a dog park. 

This park is the result of a public-private partnership between the Board and developer, Matovina & Company. Matovina & Company donated the land and funded construction of the 15 acre park. We are grateful for these partnerships as they allow amenities to be built quickly and at a more affordable rate. 

At the Groundbreaking Ceremony held on September 27, 2019, Greg Matovina stated, "We are proud to partner with Nassau County to meet the recreational needs of current and future residents of the County."

The Board of County Commissioners looks forward to celebrating with the community on Saturday, November 5,2022 at 10:00 a.m. 

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, at (904) 530-6120 or via email at [email protected]. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/27/22 @ 9:15 a.m. -

This morning, we would like to extend a special thanks to Airey Pest Control for providing pest control services at Yulee Ballpark ahead of Friday's Halloween Festival. This family owned and operated business has been providing pest management services in Northeast Florida since 1997 and is centered around community improvement. We appreciate them reaching out and offering to donate their services so that we can all enjoy a pest free experience Friday evening. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/27/22 @ 8:00 a.m. - Last week, the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2022-193 proclaiming the week of October 23 through October 29 as Breast Cancer Awareness Week and Wednesday, October 26th as "Pink Day". Nassau county employees wore their pink yesterday in remembrance of the many men and women who have lost their lives to breast cancer and in support of those who have fought this disease. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/26/22 @ 10:45 a.m. - You asked and we delivered! This year, we have added a fun and exciting activity for teens and pre-teens, ages 10-17. The Amelia Island Escape Room and Big B's Yard Cards are bringing a Zombie Scavenger Hunt to the event.

We will have two hunts where participants have to locate the 8 zombies (pictured below) hidden throughout the event, in a race to see who can find all of them first! Score cards will be handed out at the Big B's Yard Cards booth at 5:20 p.m. for the 5:30 p.m. scavenger hunt and again at 5:50 for the 6:00 p.m. scavenger hunt. 

Winners of each round will receive a 4 person pass to the Amelia Island Escape Room. We are so grateful to the Amelia Island Escape Room for donating the passes and to Big B's Yard Cards for making the zombie cards. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/25/22 @ 3:30 p.m. -Please see the below Press Release from the Department of Health Nassau. 

Contact: Jennifer Bothast
[email protected]
(904) 832-2644

[NASSAU, FL] — In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the Florida Department of Health, Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in Nassau encourages all women to receive regular breast exams and mammogram screenings to promote early detection and treatment of breast cancer. According to Dr. Danso-Odei, Nassau County Department of Health Administrator and Health Officer, “This program helps us better meet the needs of uninsured women who would otherwise not be able to afford to receive these life-saving cancer screenings.” He further explained, “physician referrals are not needed, and women aged 50-64 interested in participation should call the Health Department at 904-875-6110, option 1 to receive information and make an appointment for these services. If a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, this program will follow through with immediate entry into care. Our department promotes awareness through a variety of outreach efforts and collaborations with area churches and other community- based organizations through participation in local events and developing cooperative partnerships with community health care providers.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States.2 The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 21,000 new cases will be diagnosed in Florida this year alone. In 2022, it is estimated that 3,150 women in Florida will die from breast cancer.1 According to FL CHARTS, the rate of breast cancer incidence was 150.9 per 100,000 females in Nassau County in 2019, which was the most recent data year available, and is much higher than the Florida state rate which was 128.0 during this same year.

Over the past ten years, breast cancer mortality rates in Florida have decreased by 14.8%. Early detection of any cancer is critical to supporting a long and healthy life. Breast cancer is no exception and getting routine screenings is vital to your health. Women are urged to talk to their health care provider about possible individual risk factors and the frequency of mammograms, as well as complete any recommended mammogram screenings.

The Florida Department of Health provides access to free or low-cost breast cancer screenings statewide to women who are uninsured or underinsured, have a low income, and meet the program eligibility requirements. For more information about the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program please visit MakeTimeForScreenTime.com.

Additionally, visit Florida Cancer Connect, a centralized resource hub for cancer patients, caregivers, and loved ones. Florida Cancer Connect provides tools to access a centralized resource of trusted information to help you and your family make informed decisions when it matters most.

About the Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts. To learn about resources in your area, contact your county health department.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.