7/5/18 @ 10:00 a.m. - There has been a lot of misconception about the beach access curfew currently under consideration by the Board of County Commissioners. Please be advised there are no plans to limit access to the beach or eliminate camping. There is currently a curfew in place for parking in beach front parks (beach accesses) and the Board is holding a hearing next week to change the hours of the curfew. Below is some history on this subject for your information.

In the summer of 2016, at the request of many members of the public, the Board held several public meetings to address all of the beach ordinances. These meetings were well attended by the public and comments and recommendations by the public were considered before the final Ordinance was adopted. Many individuals at these meetings expressed concerns related to activities taking place on the beach and in the beach front parks during the evening hours. Many residents requested that the beaches be closed after dark. The Board felt most of the nuisances were coming from the parking lot areas and decided that they would limit parking after 8:00 p.m., however the public would still be allowed to access the beach to fish, walk, camp, etc. As a result, Ordinance No. 2016-09 was adopted which mandated that cars could not be parked in beach front parks between the hours of 8:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.

The Board recently received requests from the public to change the curfew to be consistent with the curfew the City of Fernandina Beach has in place for their beach front parks which is midnight to 5:00 a.m. A public hearing has been scheduled for Monday, July 9, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. to consider this change. A copy of the proposed Ordinance is attached for your information.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting and address the Board with any questions or concerns. Meetings are held in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 (James S. Page Governmental Complex).

As you all know, many people are very passionate about the beach. The Board has no desire to limit citizen access to the beach, however they also struggle to find a solution that works for everyone. We trust that this information will eliminate the public's concerns in knowing that the Board has no intent on restricting public access to the beach. If you have any questions, please contact the County Manager's Office at (904) 530-6010.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/2/18 @ 3:15 p.m. - Keep Nassau Beautiful, Kayak Amelia, the Amelia Island Beach & Marine Life Task Force, and Live SeaWorthy have partnered to provide a beach clean-up event this Thursday, July 5th, to remove fireworks and left over debris from the beaches. The event will take place from 6:30-9:30 a.m. and you can choose the portion of the beach you wish to work.

To sign up, please register by visiting Kayak Amelia's website and then "Book A Trip" to select one of the seven access points including North Beach, Main Beach, Seaside/Sadler, Peters Point, Scott Road, American Beach, and South Beach.

Site captains will be available at each location to provide gloves, trash grabbers, trash bags/buckets. Volunteers should bring their own sunscreen and water. There will be drawing at the close of event for some great prizes, however to qualify for prizes, you must have a preregistration, check in with the site captain, and sign a registration form.

If you have any questions, please contact Kayak Amelia at (904) 261-0165 or email kayakamelia.jules@gmail.com.

6/14/18 @ 2:00 p.m. - Nassau County has hired a local surveyor to conduct a survey of the erosion control line on the unincorporated beaches from Peters Point south to the State Park utilizing GPS technology. This will take place over the next few days.  This process includes placement of colored PVC pipes which will be used to mark the erosion control line and allow surveyors to take photographs that clearly depict the areas east and west of the line. The pipes will be removed as the photos are taken.

The surveyor will be accompanied by a Sheriff Deputy and one County staff member who will ensure the best approach is being used to accomplish the County’s intent.

If you have any questions, please contact County Attorney, Mike Mullin, at (904) 530-6100 or via e-mail at mmullin@nassaucountyfl.com.  

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office
 

6/8/18 @ 2:10 p.m. - Based upon passage of House Bill 631 (beach bill), the Board of County Commissioners established a Fact Finding Committee to receive testimony and documentary evidence as to the customary and historic use of the dry sand areas of the beach, in the unincorporated areas of Amelia Island. Five meetings have been held and several concerned citizens have submitted emails and photos depicting how the dry sand areas of the beach have been used for a variety of activities including sunbathing, camping, and playing in the sand. 

In order to protect the public beaches in unincorporated Nassau County, the Board intends to adopt an Ordinance declaring "customary use" of the dry sand area before HB 631 goes into affect on July 1st. The County is seeking the public's help in obtaining historical information to support adoption of the Ordinance. For additional information about HB 631 and the Board's desire to adopt a Customary Use Ordinance, please watch the Special Meeting held on May 2, 2018.

The County has created two customary beach use affidavits. Affidavit 1 should be used by anyone who is a regular beach walker and has observed various uses on the unincorporated dry sand beach areas. Affidavit 2 is for residents who have photographs and/or documents that illustrate use of the dray sand areas of the beach in unincorporated County portions of the beach. By signing an affidavit, you are acknowledging that the affidavit may be used by the County in the formulation of the customary pubic use Ordinance. Please be sure that your affidavit is signed and notarized as these are sworn statements for the record. Incomplete forms will not be considered.

Please submit your affidavits and documents via email to contact@nassaucountyfl.com or mail them to the County Manager's Office at 96135 Nassau Place, Suite 1, Yulee, FL 3209 prior to June 20th at 12:00 p.m.

Two public hearings for consideration of the Customary Use Ordinance have been scheduled. The first is Monday, June 11, 2018 at 6:00 p.m., and the second on Thursday, June 21st at 6:00 p.m. Meetings are held in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 (James S. Page Governmental Complex).

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Gilbert at (904) 530-6100.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

5/25/18 @ 8:25 a.m. - Based upon passage of House Bill 631 (beach bill), the Board of County Commissioners established a Fact Finding Committee to receive testimony and documentary evidence as to the customary and historic use of the dry sand areas of the beach, in the unincorporated areas of Amelia Island. Four meetings have been held and several concerned citizens have submitted emails and photos depicting how the dry sand areas of the beach have been used for a variety of activities including sunbathing, camping, and playing in the sand. 

In order to protect the public beaches in unincorporated Nassau County, the Board intends to adopt an Ordinance declaring "customary use" of the dry sand area before HB 631 goes into affect on July 1st. The County is seeking the public's help in obtaining historical information to support adoption of the Ordinance. For additional information about HB 631 and the Board's desire to adopt a Customary Use Ordinance, please watch the Special Meeting held on May 2, 2018.

The County has created two customary beach use affidavits. Affidavit 1 should be used by anyone who is a regular beach walker and has observed various uses on the unincorporated dry sand beach areas. Affidavit 2 is for residents who have photographs and/or documents that illustrate use of the dray sand areas of the beach in unincorporated County portions of the beach. By signing an affidavit, you are acknowledging that the affidavit may be used by the County in the formulation of the customary pubic use Ordinance.

Please submit your affidavits and documents via email to contact@nassaucountyfl.com or mail them to the County Manager's Office at 96135 Nassau Place, Suite 1, Yulee, FL 3209 prior to June 4, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

The next Beach Fact Finding Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5th at 3:00 p.m. Meetings are held in the Commissioner Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097.

If you have any questions, please call Susan Gilbert at (904) 530-6100.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

5/9/18 @ 1:55 p.m. - May is the beginning of turtle nesting seasons and it's critical that beach front property owners and beach visitors do their part to conserve Florida sea turtles.

Below are some basic ways you can help Nassau County beaches remain sea turtle friendly:

• Turn off the lights - After sundown, turn of any lights not necessary for human safety. Use long wavelength amber LED lamps for lights that must stay lit and shield lights so they are not visible from the beach. Remember to close shades and curtains.
• Sea turtles get lost in the light - Don't take flash photos on the beach at night and don't use bright cellphones and flashlights. Additionally, open fires on the beach are prohibited from May 1st to October 31st.
• Sea turtles must be protected and respected - Stay back and give sea turtles space if you see one on the beach at night. Don't touch a nesting turtle because it may leave the beach without nesting if disturbed. Remember, it is illegal to harm or disturb nesting sea turtles, their nests, eggs, or hatchlings.
• Clear the way at the end of the day - Beach furniture, canopies, boats and toys left behind may become obstacles that block nesting and hatching turtles.  Remember that Nassau County has a Leave No Trace Ordinance which allows any item left on the beaches after 8:00 p.m. to be removed and destroyed. Be sure to fill in any holes before you leave as well. 
• Help hatchlings by leaving them alone - Do not handle hatchlings crawling toward the water. Any interference or disturbance by people, such as getting too close or taking flash photos, increases the chances of the hatchlings getting confused, going the wrong way, and not reaching the ocean quickly. This makes them vulnerable to dehydration, exhaustion and predators. Watch from a distance!

To report sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922 or email Tip@MyFWC.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

5/8/18 @ 1:15 p.m. - Based on the passage of HB 631 (Beach Bill), the Board of County Commissioners has formed a Fact Finding Committee consisting of Michael S. Mullin, County Attorney, Shanea Jones, County Manager, and Taco Pope, Director of Planning and Economic Development, to receive testimony and documentary evidence as to the customary and historic use of the dry sand areas of the beach, in the unincorporated areas of Amelia Island.
 
The public is invited to participate and provide testimony and documentary evidence as to the customary beach use.
 
The Fact Finding Committee will meet in the Commission Chambers, located at the James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, Florida on the following dates and times:

          May 15, 2018 at 10:30 a.m.
          May 17, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
          May 22, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
          May 24, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Any member of the public can submit documents via electronic mail to contact@nassaucountyfl.com. For any questions or additional information, please call Sabrina Robertson at (904) 530-6010.
 
Individuals with disabilities needing a reasonable accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the Office of the Ex-Officio Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners at least two days prior to the proceeding at (904) 548-4660, or, if the hearing impaired, Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8770 (v) or 1-800-955-8771(TDD).

For additional information regarding House Bill 631 and the Board's desire to adopt an Ordinance that addresses customary use of the dry sand areas of beaches in the unincorporated areas, you may wish to view Mr. Mullin's presentation to the Board of County Commissioners at a Special Meeting on May 2, 2018. A link to that video can be located here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office