5/2/25 @ 4:30 p.m. 

Thousands joined us last year for the first Opening of the Beaches Event which included live music, food trucks, a kids zone, touch-a-truck area, and beer garden. The event also included the already popular Wild Amelia Nature Festival featuring exhibits, wild animals, kids activities, and non-profits, organizations and vendors focused on wildlife, nature and conservation.

Join us again this year for the Second Annual Opening of the Beaches. This is a FREE, family-friendly gathering and will feature beach and nature-themed activities, food and beverage, music and fun, and Vision 2050 updates. And to make the event even more fun this year, we will have activities at two locations:

Main Beach
10am-7pm

​Peters Point
10am-4pm

The Draft Vision 2050 Plan Is Here—Make Your Voice Heard!​
Over the past two years, Nassau County has worked hand-in-hand with the community to create Vision 2050—a long-range plan to guide growth, policies, and programs over the next 25 years. From surveys to pop-ups all over the County to community events during the 2024 Bicentennial, your voices helped shape this vision.
 
This plan reflects the community’s shared priorities for a vibrant, high-quality future in Nassau County. It includes:

• A comprehensive growth plan
• Detailed actions and strategies for long-term success
• A vision & building blocks grounded in community values

Digital Engagement Opportunities:

Explore the Draft Vision 2050 Plan through our interactive StoryMap, where you can review the Growth Plan, actions, and strategies and submit your comments online:

• https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1fa6fd7474d64791afcec85f4bc2c532?header

In-person Engagement Opportunities:
Would you prefer to share your thoughts in person? Stop by any upcoming Open House events to connect with County planners and neighbors and make your voice heard.

• YULEE, FLORIDA - Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (6 PM)
  @ James S. Page Governmental Complex (96135 Nassau Pl., Suite 1, Yulee, FL 32097)
  
  
• TOWN OF HILLIARD - Thursday, May 15, 2025 (6 PM)
  @ Hilliard Town Hall (15859 County Road 108, Hilliard, FL 32046)

 

• CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH - Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (4 PM)
  @ Fernandina Beach City Hall (204 Ash Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034)

​
This is the final opportunity to share your input on the Draft Vision 2050 Plan before it’s finalized. Don’t miss out!
 
To learn more about the Nassau Florida Vision Plan and ways to get involved, please visit www.nassaufl2050.com.

4/23/25 @ 3:00 p.m. 

We have some great local artists to perform all your favorite tunes at our 2nd Annual Opening of the Beaches Even on May 17th. 

10:30 a.m. - Laid Back
12:15 p.m. - Brian Ernst
1:45 p.m. - The Sean McCarthy Band
3:30 p.m. - Gilberto 77
5:30 p.m. - The Honey Badgers

Over the next few days, we will share videos highlighting each band/performer in an effort to spread excitement about the event so stay tuned!

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Communications Officer

4/21/25 @ 11:15 a.m.

Several thousand residents and visitors joined us last May for an Opening of the Beaches event where we celebrated Nassau County’s 200th birthday and engaged with the community about the Nassau Vision 2050 initiative. We had so much fun last year that we’ve decided to make this an annual event!

Join us on Saturday, May 17, 2025, for our Second Annual Opening of the Beaches. This FREE, family-friendly event will bring the community together for nature-themed activities, food and beverage, music and fun, and updates on Vision 2050. This year, we will be celebrating at two locations: Main Beach and Peters Point.

Taking place at Main Beach from 10am-7pm will be food trucks, live music, a Children’s Entrepreneur Market, kid’s activities, and a beer garden. Featured on stage will be a series of local favorites including Laid Back, Brian Ernst, the Sean McCarthy Band, Gilberto 77 and The Honey Badgers.

While there, be sure to stop by the Vision 2050 tent to review and provide comments on the draft Vision 2050 plan. The draft Vision 2050 plan is the result of an 18-month collaborative effort to gain feedback on Nassau County’s future and represents the overarching themes and ideas of the collective community. The final Vision 2050 Plan will be used to guide policies that will promote and manage growth while protecting and enhancing key areas of importance.

Also featured at Main Beach will be the 16th Annual Wild Amelia Nature Festival, brought to you by Keep Nassau Beautiful, which will include exhibits and live animals at the Wild Amelia Eco-Expo. This popular annual event introduces Nassau County’s diverse ecosystem and the wonderful creatures that inhabit them.

Looking for something slower paced? Head down to Peters Point Beachfront Park between 10am-3pm where you will find a vendor’s market, food trucks and a DJ playing all your favorite tunes.

Be sure to visit our news blog at www.thecountyinsider.com for future updates on this event. You can also find updates on our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/nassaucountyfl. We look forward to celebrating with you at the Second Annual Opening of the Beaches.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Communications Officer

We are sad to announce that Nassau County has been experiencing a lot of vandalism at its ballparks, playgrounds, beach front parks, boat ramps and other public facilities. These damages are not only costly to the taxpayers, they also disrupt the normal flow of operations as staff is pulled from their regular duties and/or scheduled projects to immediately make repairs to ensure continued safety of residents and guests. Sometimes the damages are so bad that they require facilities to be closed while repairs are made, leading to cancelled practices and games and preventing families from enjoying their time in our parks.

We've experienced profanity spray painted on walls, sinks and soap dispensers ripped off walls, donuts/tire tracks on multi-purpose fields, broken playground equipment, rails ripped off boardwalks, and many other costly damages that ruin the aesthetics of our parks and make them unsafe for users.
​
At this time, we would like to ask our residents to be vigilant and to notify us of any concerns related to potential vandalism. If you see suspicious behavior, please report it right away to Nassau County Parks & Recreation at (904) 530-6120 or by calling the non-emergency line at the Sheriff's Office at (904) 225-5174, particularly if it's after hours (after 5pm or on weekends). Residents are reminded to not approach suspected vandals directly for safety purposes but are encouraged to get a description of any suspicious person(s) or vehicles and report this information right away.

Thank you in advance for helping us keep Nassau County's parks and facilities safe and clean.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Communications Officer

4/10/25 @ 5:00 p.m. - 

Vision 2050 is here—make your voice heard!
 
After two years of community input and collaboration, from surveys to pop-up events to Bicentennial Celebrations, the County is proud to unveil the Draft Vision 2050 Plan: a roadmap for guiding growth, policies, and programs over the next 25 years.
 
This plan reflects your priorities for a vibrant, high-quality future in Nassau County.
 
Explore the Vision 2050 components, including the Growth Plan, actions, and strategies, and then share your feedback!
 
Visit the project website to explore the interactive StoryMap before May 23, 2025. Or, join us in person at a workshop and share your input!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Communications Officer
 

4/10/25 @ 8:30a.m.

​Have you seen the Fire Safety Simulator Trailer? In 2024, the County partnered with the City of Fernandina Beach to apply for a Federal Grant to cover the costs of the 27’ trailer which provides an immersive learning experience and offers opportunities to critical thinking, physical activity, hazard recognition and safe practices. It uses advanced programming and use of a tablet control system to imitate common household fire scenarios.

Are you interested in scheduling a fire safety demonstration? Contact Fire Marshal Amanda Baumann at (904) 530-6600.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Communications Officer

4/4/25 @ 1:00 p.m.

​On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Nassau County Parks & Recreation hosted an Open House to share with the community the conceptual plan for the Blackrock Cove Park. The approximately 20-acre park located at the intersection of Blackrock Road and Heron Isles Parkway is being built through a developer agreement with Wood Development Company which requires the developer to donate land and provide associated surveys, earthwork, land clearing, irrigation and drainage. The developer is also required to provide a multi-use field and parking lot. Once completed, the County will accept the property and incorporated it into the County's Parks & Recreation Department for use by the the community.

During the Open House, Parks & Recreation Director Jay Robertson spoke briefly about the project and future plans for the park.  Carlos Perez of Perez Planning also gave remarks on the overall process of how the conceptual plan was constructed and how it ties into the foundational pieces of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) adopted Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. 

As seen in the below conceptual plan, the long-term goal for the park is multi-use trails, exercise stations, a fenced dog park, pickleball courts, playground, gymnasium, pavilions and more. Amenities anticipated for Phase One are outlined in black however the design could vary slightly depending on costs identified during the engineering phase which is currently underway. Amenities not outlined in black are proposed amenities for future phases and will be dependent on available funding. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Parks & Recreation Director Jay Robertson at (904) 530-6120 or via e-mail at [email protected]. 
​

4/4/25 @ 11:00 a.m.

Join us for a FREE, family friendly gathering featuring beach and nature-themed activities, food & beverage, music and fun, and Vision 2050 Updates. Now celebrating at two beach locations!

MAIN BEACH
32 N. Fletcher Avenue, Fernandina Beach
10am-7pm
*featuring Wild Amelia Nature Festival

PETERS POINT
4600 Peters Point Road, Fernandina Beach
10am-4pm

Stay tuned for additional details.

​
-Sabrina Robertson
​ Communications Officer

3/27/25 @ 6:00 p.m. 

The Nassau County Department of Health is updating its community health assessment and is looking for the community's feedback to have a better understanding of the community's health needs. Please consider taking the Community Health Assessment as it will contribute to a more comprehensive and inclusive assessment. The survey will remain open until May 2, 2025. 

If you have any questions, please contact Briana Angstman, Public Health Strategic Planner for the Department of Health-Nassau, at (904) 557-9162 or via e-mail at [email protected]. 

-Sabrina Robertson 
 Communications Officer