7/26/23 @ 9:15 p.m.

Please join us in welcoming Elizabeth Backe as Nassau County’s new Planning Director. Elizabeth brings with her nearly 25 years of experience in public sector work which includes community planning, growth management, transportation planning, and sustainability.
 
As Planning Director for Nassau County, Elizabeth will provide professional planning support to County departments and will serve as the technical planning advisor for the County Manager and Board of County Commissioners. Other duties will include review and implementation of the County’s Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan; development of department goals and objectives; evaluation of planning-related legislation; reviewing all zoning applications, land-use amendments, plats and subdivisions for compliance; and providing guidance to Planning Department staff.
 
Deputy County Manager/County Engineer, Robert Companion, stated, “We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Backe to the team. With over two decades of local and regional planning experience, Elizabeth brings a wealth of knowledge to Nassau County.  I believe she will be an effective and efficient leader for the Planning Staff and serve the citizens of Nassau County well into the future.”
 
Elizabeth’s work history includes eleven years as a Senior Planner in Hillsborough County, Florida; seven years as an Environmental Planner and Sustainability Coordinator in Gaithersburg, Maryland; and most recently, five years as the Planning and Transportation Director for the Southern Georgia Regional Commission.
 
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Eckerd College and a Master of Science in Planning Degree from Florida State University. Elizabeth is also a member of the American Planning Association and American Institute of Certified Planners.
 
Elizabeth expressed her enthusiasm about coming to work for Nassau County. She stated, “I’m grateful for this opportunity and look forward to collaborating with the County Manager and other staff to advance the Board’s identified strategic priorities. I also look forward to engaging with Nassau County’s residents to foster a transparent and community-based approach to County governance.”
 
-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:
Sabrina Robertson
Administrative Manager, County Manager’s Office
(904) 530-6010
[email protected]
 
Board Schedules Workshop Session Regarding Growth
 
Nassau County, Florida, March 5, 2020 – At the February 20, 2020 Board of County Commissioners meeting, County Attorney/County Manager, Mike Mullin, requested the Board to set a Workshop Session to discuss examples of how growth is addressed.
 
Mr. Mullin stated, “Everyone is aware that growth is an issue and staff has been developing ways to control and manage it”.
 
The County’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Ordinances established tools for properly managing growth.
 
Examples include the following:
 

• The Recreation and Public Space Element which encourages public-private partnerships for funding and construction of parks and recreational facilities for Nassau County residents.
  
• The Transportation Element which encourages the use of strategies to reduce traffic impacts and enhance traffic flow, accessibility and safety of the County transportation system. Examples include traffic signal upgrades, lighting improvements, signage and pavement striping, expanded turn lanes, etc. Development shall also include paved shoulders and sidewalks which connect to the County’s transportation system to encourage bicycle use and pedestrian movement to minimize utilization of the major roadways.  
  
• The Public School Facilities Element requires developers to provide off-site improvements, signalization, signage, sidewalks and bicycle paths to serve the schools and mandates that the development pays its share of capital costs to accommodate the increase to school capacity.

 
Mr. Mullin went on to say, “While we cannot legally stop growth, we can plan for it by ensuring that the property is reviewed for historical values before a development is approved, that the proposed structures are aesthetically pleasing, and that recreational facilities are in place before construction on a development begins.”
 
Mr. Mullin suggested a Workshop Session be held to provide the public with information on what the County is doing to manage growth and the challenges we have in controlling it. The Board will also discuss the new trend of public/private partnerships that are being utilized to ensure the County has facilities and infrastructure in place to accommodate the growth. Examples include the recently approved Tributary and Nassau Crossing Communities in which the Developers donated land and covered costs associated with constructing parks to be enjoyed by all Nassau County residents.
 
The Workshop will be held on Monday, March 23, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097. The public is encouraged to attend and learn more about this very important issue. If you are unable to attend, you can watch the meeting live on our website at www.nassaucountyfl.com. The video will also be available to view at the conclusion of the meeting.
 
If you have any questions, please contact the County Manager’s Office at (904) 530-6010.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

12/09/19 @ 11:45 a.m. - In the fall of 2017, Nassau County invited the Urban Land Institute to conduct a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) regarding potential future growth and development pressures in western Nassau County. The report found that western Nassau County is subject to significant development pressures based a variety of factors including growth through internal and external employment centers and the desirability of quality of life in Nassau County. The ultimate conclusion was that "while development is knocking at Western Nassau's door, there is time to get ahead of the curve and follow a plan that contains development to appropriate areas, while maintaining the rural character in other areas. Doing nothing, however, will assure that development comes without restraint".

In response to this report, the Nassau County Planning & Zoning Board created a subcommittee comprised of Planning Board members who reside in Western Nassau County. They were named the "Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee" (WNHPC). They held their first meeting in March 2018 and began a nearly two year  initiative to develop a vision plan specific to western Nassau.

The first year consisted of solely community outreach events in western Nassau including public meetings, open houses, surveys, one-on-one stake holder meetings, roundtables and attendance at other community events to gauge citizen concerns and to learn what they desire to protect in western Nassau. The community feedback drove the creation of the following goals for the Committee to address: history, natural resources, health, quality of life, recreation, jobs and education, and public spaces and infrastructure. 

During the second year of the initiative, the Committee began working on the objectives and strategies to the community identified goals, creating the Western Nassau Vision Book. The Vision Book was adopted at the Planning & Zoning Board meeting held on October 22, 2019 and will be discussed by the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting tonight, December 9, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. 

At the December 18, 2019 meeting commencing at 9:00 a.m., Planning Director, Adrienne Burke, will provide a presentation regarding the initiative and will ask the Board to approve a Resolution accepting the findings of the Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee. 

To view the agenda item for tonight's meeting, including the Vision Book, please click here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Adrienne Burke
Director, PEO Department
(904) 530-6300
[email protected]
 
PEO DEPARTMENT RECEIVES TWO STATE GRANT AWARDS
 
Nassau County, Florida, July 12, 2019 -  The Nassau County Planning + Economic Opportunity (PEO) Department has recently been awarded grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR).
 
The $40,000 DEP grant is the second grant award that will assist in completing a  Vulnerability Assessment.  A previous grant awarded last year initiated the first phase of the assessment. A Vulnerability Assessment reviews potential exposure to existing developed areas and future areas of development, financial exposure, and risks to environmental and cultural resources as it relates to flooding and sea level rise.
 
The two areas to be studied in the second phase of the Vulnerability Assessment are: 1) Amelia Island and 2) west of I-95 and north of A1A/SR 200/301. The first phase grant studied east of I-95 excluding the island and west of I-95, south of A1A/SR 200/301. The County has a goal of holistically incorporating resiliency planning into all planning activities, instead of treating it as a siloed, separate planning exercise. For more information, visit: .
 
The $50,000 DHR grant will allow the County to have a historic resource survey completed. With the projected growth in Nassau County, it is a critical time to inventory and plan for historic and cultural resources. The proposed scope of work for the Nassau County Countywide Historic Resources Survey is comprised of three parts: 1) Updating existing Florida Master Site File forms, 2) Surveying areas for potential additions to the Florida Master Site File, and 3) Suggesting recommendations for preservation strategies. For more information on the County’s history, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/history.
 
Neither grant award required a match from the County. The Board of County Commissioners will be presented with the grant agreements for formal acceptance at forthcoming Board meetings, and the County will select consultants to assist in completing the grant projects. The DEP grant project is estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2020, and the DHR grant project will be completed by June 2020. Community outreach and updates will be part of both grant projects.
 
The Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department is charged with leading long-range and current planning for the community, with a focus on technical planning, implementation and management of the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, development and site plan review, and assistance to citizens, the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager and other staff, advisory boards, government agencies, and the private sector regarding growth and development in Nassau County. For more information on our Plan, Code, or current initiatives, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/planning, call (904) 530-6300 or email [email protected].
 

6/3/19 @ 10:40 a.m. - We are pleased to announce that Adrienne Burke has accepted the position of Director of Planning & Economic Opportunity. This position was left vacant last month when the former Director, Taco Pope, was promoted to Assistant County Manager.

Ms. Burke had been serving as the Assistant Director of Planning & Economic Opportunity since May 21, 2018. She previously worked for Riverside Avondale Preservation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance and preserve the architecture, history, cultural heritage, and economic viability of the historic neighborhoods of Riverside and Avondale in Jacksonville. Prior to joining RAP, she worked for the City of Fernandina Beach’s Community Development Department as the Community Development Director, coordinating Building, Planning, and Code Enforcement.

Adrienne’s expertise is in cultural and natural resource policy, with a focus on historic preservation programs and resiliency and sea level rise. She is well-versed in land development code and comprehensive plan management and will be working on long-term strategic planning initiatives for the County.

Adrienne has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Virginia, and graduated from the University of Florida with a master’s degree in historic preservation/urban planning and a law degree. She is an AICP certified planner, member of the Florida Bar, on the Florida Public Archaeology Network Board of Directors, and a past Board member with the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

We are excited to have Adrienne leading the Department of Planning & Economic Opportunity and wish her many years of success!

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

4/16/19 @ 3:30 p.m. -

PRESS RELEASE
At the March 25, 2019 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2019-37, adopting a Consolidated Fee Schedule for the Engineering Services Department and Department of Planning & Economic Opportunity for review of applications filed pursuant to the Land Development Code and/or Nassau County Code of Laws and Ordinances.
 
The Resolution was adopted following a Comprehensive Fee Study which concluded that a fee adjustment was necessary to offset costs associated with staff hours required for review, inspections, meetings, and any other action required for review of applications to ensure the action is consistent with the County’s Land Development Code, and to properly assess the applicants so that costs are not born by general revenue.
 
Attached is the revised fee schedule adopted by Resolution No. 2019-37, referenced as “Exhibit A”. The new fees shall become effective June 24, 2019. Recommendations for fee structure modification, including updates to existing fees and/or proposals of any new fees, will be reviewed annually.
 
If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Planning & Economic Opportunity at (904) 530-6300 or email [email protected].

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office
 

12/12/18 @ 3:15 p.m. 

On December 6th, Nassau County celebrated an award win for planning excellence at the Northeast Florida Regional Council’s annual Elected Officials Luncheon and Regional Leadership Awards event. The County received this year’s award for Excellence in Planning and Growth Management for the William Burgess Overlay District. Nassau County’s work was selected from the seven county region that encompasses Northeast Florida.
 
The Burgess Overlay and Vision Book represent a philosophical shift in land use planning in Nassau County away from the auto-dependent development pattern that has dominated growth and towards a sustainable, compact, mixed-use and multi-modal development pattern. The intent of the WBD is to utilize the built environment to promote social ties and the cultivation of community, highlight Nassau’s railroad history to facilitate a sense of place experience, and take advantage of multi-modal transportation opportunities in a growing part of Yulee. As noted in the NEFRC’s comments on presentation of the award, “The William Burgess Overlay District and Vision Book lay the groundwork for future proactive, innovative land use planning in Nassau County, and serve as a model for other communities in Florida. All our communities have been talking about these issues.  Nassau County is doing it.”
This is the third award for the County’s Planning and Economic Opportunity Department this year related to work on the William Burgess Overlay District. In September, the Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department won the American Planning Association-Florida Chapter award for Best Practices, one of only three statewide Best Practices awards this year, for the Burgess Overlay. In November, the First Coast Chapter of the Florida Planning and Zoning Association awarded Nassau County the Master Planning of Land Areas Award for the William Burgess Overlay.
The Nassau County PEO Department has been very busy working to help the community and citizens plan for the future, especially in the face of growth pressures impacting the County. As Taco Pope, AICP and PEO Director explains, “As Nassau enters this period of population expansion, it is imperative the community make planning, policy and design decisions that that put people at the center of the equation – establishing a people-first agenda. Such an agenda prioritizes citizen wellbeing, quality-of-life and generational sustainability.” Planning staff, after listening and working with community members, are facilitating many numerous long-range planning projects that aim to help the County prosper and maintain balance and cohesiveness.

Nassau County looks forward to more proactive planning opportunities to ensure Nassau County maintains its high quality of life and is the best county in Florida in which to live, work, and play.  More information on the William Burgess Overlay can be found at www.nassaucountyfl.com/burgessoverlay.

The Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department is charged with leading long-range and current planning for the community, with a focus on technical planning, implementation and management of the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, development and site plan review, and assistance to citizens, the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager and other staff, advisory boards, government agencies, and the private sector regarding growth and development in Nassau County. For more information on our Plan, Code, or current initiatives, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/planning, call (904) 530-6300 or email [email protected].

For additional information, please contact Adrienne Burke, Assistant Director for the Department of Planning and Economic Opportunity at (904) 530-6300 or via email at [email protected].


 


 

9/26/18 @ 11:45 a.m.

PRESS RELEASE

COUNTY SEEKS INPUT ON VISION FOR WESTERN NASSAU
 
The Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board (PZB) has formed a subcommittee, the Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee (WNHPC). Five PZB members who reside in Western Nassau, the area of the County west of I-95, serve on the WNHPC. The committee is charged with discussing the future of Western Nassau as it relates to community planning, and to work with the County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department to determine how they can best assist in these proactive planning efforts. The WNHPC anticipates working on this initiative for the next 24 months, with the result being a vision plan and policies for the Board of County Commissioners to consider including in the County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. But first they want to hear from you!
 
Community engagement and outreach are priorities of the Committee, to best understand what the citizens of Western Nassau wish to see for the future. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Planning and Economic Opportunity Department with feedback, as well as participate through surveys and in-person events. The WNHPC will be gathering citizen input throughout the entire process and providing updates as the process moves along. Be a part of the conversation! You can reach the PEO Department at (904) 530-6300 or [email protected]
 
Community members can give immediate feedback through two brief online surveys:
 
Tell us what makes Western Nassau County unique.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/westernnassau
 
Let us know how important community live, work, and play amenities are to you! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HOWIMPORTANTIS

Contact:
Adrienne Burke
Assistant Director, Nassau County Planning & Economic Opportunity
(904) 530-6300
[email protected]

9/7/18 @ 9:10 a.m. - Nassau County's Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) is working to tackle housing issues facing our county and have coordinated a series of public outreach strategies to engage our communities in this important conversation. A second speaker series event is titled: Staying in Your Home: Legal Issues & Home Ownership.

The event will be held on Wednesday, September 19th at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097. This is event is free and open to the public.

If you have any questions, please contact Adrienne Burke, Assistant Director for the Department of Planning & Economic Opportunity, at (904) 530-6300 or via e-mail at [email protected].

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

7/27/18 @ 11:50 a.m.

Sue Ann Alleger, a Planner in the Department of Planning and Economic Opportunity has successfully passed the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc. (ASFPM) certification examination to become the fourth county employee to attain national certification.
 
The ASFPM grants this certification only to professionals who meet the requirements and complete the comprehensive examination on the programs and standard to reduce flood losses in the nation. All county CFM’s are required to maintain their certification by completing sixteen (16) Continuing Education credits in the field of Floodplain Management which will promote continual growth and awareness of the principles and practices crucial to protection of people, property and natural features within the county.
The role of the nation's floodplain managers is expanding due to increases in disaster losses, the emphasis on mitigation to alleviate the cycle of damage-rebuild-damage, and a recognized need for professionals to adequately address these issues. Nassau County is ensuring that highly qualified individuals are available to meet the challenge of breaking the damage cycle and stopping its negative drain on the County’s human, financial and natural resources.
Further information about the role, duties and knowledge held by a Certified Floodplain Manager can be found at the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc. website:
https://www.floods.org
 
Contact:
For more information contact Sue Ann Alleger, MLA/CFM, Planner II and CRS Coordinator for the Nassau County Department of Planning and Economic Opportunity at (904)530-6300 or via email at [email protected]