11/29/17 @ 3:10 p.m. - Attached are the November status updates from FDOT regarding the two current projects taking place on State Road 200. The first update pertains to the widening of 4.9 miles of State Road 200 from west of Rubin Davis Lane to east of County Road 107/O'Neil Scott Road. The second update contains information for the section of State Road 200 from west of Interstate 95 to west of Still Quarters Road which includes construction of the diverging diamond, widening from four lanes to six lanes, and installation of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

Both updates also contain information on activities that have taken place since the project began, estimated completion dates, and contact information for the contractor responsible for these sections of road.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/28/17 @ 5:00 p.m. - The County's contractor has reported that there are still numerous businesses and apartment complexes around Nassau County with debris from Hurricane Irma. Please note that as initially reported on September 15, 2017, the contractor is not authorized to remove debris from these types of properties due to FEMA restrictions. Additionally, it was reported on September 20, 2017, that removing debris from private property and placing in the County right-of-way is prohibited. Therefore if the contractor determines debris in the right-of-way was placed there by a commercial business or apartment community, it will NOT pick it up.

Property owners in this situation can drop off their vegetative debris free of charge to one of the established debris collection centers listed below with proof of residency. CONTRACTORS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE THESE SITES.

The following sites were established for collection of vegetative debris only and are open seven days per week from 7am-7pm until further notice:

• Bailey Road Maintenance Yard in Fernandina Beach located at 3163 Bailey Road
• Hilliard Maintenance Yard in Hilliard located at 37356 Pea Farm Road

Property owners can haul vegetative and construction debris to Sandhill Recycle Center located at 153326 County Road 108, Yulee, FL. This is a private entity and fees will apply. To inquire about associated fees or hours of operation, please call Sandhill Recycle Center directly at (904) 225-2801.

All other calls regarding pickup of debris from County right-of-ways, please call the debris hotline at (904) 451-7609.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/27/17 @ 7:10 p.m. - please see the below notice from the Sheriff's Office regarding a scammer targeting Nassau County residents:

***SCAM ALERT***
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office received a report on November 27, 2017 that a telephone scammer was posing as a fictional Nassau County Detective and calling himself Deputy Lance Berry. The scammer also gave a fake badge number and local telephone number that was not associated with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer told the victim that he was calling because they had missed jury duty and owed a $1000 dollar fine as a result. He stated that there was a warrant for their arrest. He then instructed the victim to go to the CVS or Dollar General Store and purchase a money pack for $1000 or be subject to arrest. This scammer was very aggressive on the phone. The victim hung up on the scammer and notified the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office of the call.

THIS IS A SCAM. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office does not notify citizens via telephone about missing jury duty and ask them to pay a fine via money grams.

If you receive a phone call and are unsure if it’s a scam or not, or if the caller actually law enforcement or not, call the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office non–emergency line at 904-225-5174 for verification. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office will NEVER ask anyone to send money via money gram.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ County Manager's Office

11/27/17 @ 5:15 p.m. - We were notified late this afternoon that there is a broken water line and that the Peters Point restrooms will be closed overnight. We hope to have the repairs done before the close of business tomorrow.

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Recreation at (904) 530-6120.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/22/17 @ 1:00 p.m. - Press Release From Nassau County Sheriff's Office:

MEMORIAL MONUMENT PLACED TO HONOR DEPUTY ERIC OLIVER
ON 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

Yulee, Fla. – On Wednesday, November 22, 2017, at 7:00 AM, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office held a Historic Memorial Reveal Celebration in honor of NCSO Deputy Eric Oliver.
The celebration took place at the GATE Convenience Store #1214, located at 463779 SR-200 in Yulee, Florida where a monument was unveiled in honor of Deputy Oliver on the one year anniversary of his death.

Law enforcement officers and fire/rescue personnel from several agencies, as well as community leaders and local residents gathered for the dedication ceremony to honor Eric and his family.
The memorial was unveiled by NCSO’s “C” Team, which Deputy Oliver was assigned to when he died.

Deputy Oliver was assisting a U.S. Border Patrol Agent at the time he was struck and killed by a vehicle while pursuing a criminal suspect on foot across State Road 200 in Yulee on November 22, 2016.
GATE graciously allowed the memorial monument to be placed on their property, which is where the initial foot chase began and is directly in front of where Deputy Oliver was killed.

“Deputy Oliver died doing what he loved to do serving and protecting our community,” said Sheriff Bill Leeper. “He will never be forgotten by our agency, by those who worked with him, by his family, by his friends and now, all those who pass this way will remember him as well.”

After the ceremony, Chick-fil-A restaurant located at 464004 SR-200 in Yulee, donated a portion of their sales from 8 AM – 11 AM to the Concerns of police Survivors (COPS) organization to assist families of those law enforcement officers who are killed in-the-line-of-duty.

11/20/17 - Debris removal on County maintained roads located within the unincorporated areas of Nassau County began on Monday, September 18, 2017. As of November 17th, a total of 187,668 cubic yards of vegetative debris has been removed. 

The first pass for vegetative debris in Zone 10 was reported as complete on November 9th and the second pass began on November 15th and is still underway. The first pass of vegetative debris in Zone 8 and Zone 9 are now being reported as complete as well and a second pass will begin on Wednesday, November 22, 2017. 

The first sweep of vegetative debris for all remaining zones is still underway. Attached is a list showing which roads have had some debris removed. Again, the only zones reported complete for first pass are Zones 10, 9 and 8.

Note: after the contractor does a second pass of vegetative debris in each zone, pictures will be taken to confirm that the debris pickup is complete. This is being done to prevent continuous call backs for debris on roads that have been determined as clear. Any vegetative debris placed after the second pass will not be picked up.

The hauler also placed two haul trucks into operation last week to begin picking up construction debris. Examples of construction debris include fencing, carpet, drywall, bricks, concrete, stone, plumbing fixtures, electrical wiring, insulation and similar items used for constructing a home or structure. As reported on Friday, November 17th, piles of construction debris containing any improper items such as garbage, clothing, appliances, household items, etc. WILL NOT BE PICKED UP. If the contractor arrives at your location and finds that other items are mixed in with the construction debris, he will take a picture of the pile and document the address. The contractor will not be coming back to the site again and the debris will become your responsibility.

If you have any questions, please contact the debris hotline at (904) 451-7609 or via e-mail at Nassau@wittobriens.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/17/17 @ 3:00 p.m. - The contractor has two haul trucks that have begun picking up construction and demolition debris. It has been noted that many of the piles contain improper items such as household garbage, clothing, appliances, etc. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF ANY ITEMS OTHER THAN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR PILES OF CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS, DEBRIS WILL NOT BE PICKED UP AT YOUR LOCATION AND IT WILL BECOME YOUR RESPONSILBITY TO REMOVE. Construction debris includes fencing, carpet, drywall, bricks, concrete, stone, plumbing fixtures, electrical wiring, insulation, and other similar items for constructing a home or structure. 

If the contractor arrives to a location and finds that other items are mixed in with the construction and demolition debris, he will take a picture of the pile and document the address in case any questions arise. Again, once your property has been documented, it will be your responsibility to clean it up. The contractor WILL NOT be coming back to the site. Every news article and press release has stated that only vegetative and construction debris would be removed, therefore there should not be any confusion about this.

If you have any questions, please contact the Debris Hotline at (904) 451-7609.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/16/17 @ 10:30 a.m. - On Wednesday, November 8th, Nassau County hosted a Town Hall Meeting to exchange ideas with residents about the future of western Nassau. In attendance were approximately 50 residents, as well as members of the Urban Land Institute of North Florida who have been contracted by the County to form a Technical Advisory Panel to study western Nassau County and plan for development without threatening the rural character and lifestyle the citizens value.

Prior to the Town Hall meeting, panel members interviewed local leaders including the County Commissioners, various County staff, Mayors of both the Town of Callahan and Hilliard, and other individuals who have an understanding of the diversity of the county and its needs. Many expressed concerns about growth, failing roads, lack of adequate recreation, and traffic.

Residents in attendance at the Town Hall meeting expressed similar concerns. While they want to see more paved roads and sidewalks, they do not want an increase in traffic, commercial strip malls, and partially vacant subdivisions. Residents agreed that some commercial development would benefit the County financially and would provide quality jobs the citizens seek, however they don't want to see booming growth like Yulee has experienced over the last 10-20 years. Western Nassau is also expected to grow exponentially over the next 10-30 years. Planning Director, Taco Pope stated, "Whether you're pro-development or anti-development, it's coming. We need to be proactive". He indicated that the County is planning for sophisticated development and will follow the industry's best practices to achieve that.

The Technical Advisory Panel will consider all these concerns while preparing their final report to the Board of County Commissioners. The report is expected to be complete within the next 3 months and will include generalized recommendations on where growth should be directed and ideas on how to guide growth in a manner that reinforces quality of life in western Nassau.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

11/15/17 @ 4:45 p.m. - The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization and the Florida Department of Transportation are sponsoring the North Florida Travel Survey to better understand residents' transportation needs in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns Counties. Information collected in this survey will help improve the regional transportation system and prioritize future transportation improvements.

Following completion of the survey, each participating household will be entered into a drawing for a GRAND PRIZE- iPhone X or one of twenty-five $100 Walmart or Amazon gift cards.

To access the survey click here. Password is Survey.

Residents can email help@NorthFloridaTravelSurvey.com or call toll-free at 1-800-895-2690 for more information.

-Sabrina Robertson
County Manager's Office