At the Wednesday, October 16, 2024 meeting, the BOCC approved Proclamation No. 2024-034 proclaiming the week of October 20 - October 26, 2024 as Breast Cancer Awareness Week and Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at "Pink Day." Below are photos from employees of various County departments showing their support by wearing their pink on Wednesday. 

Employee George Murray and his wife Ashley celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Week by wearing their pink to Yulee High School's Pink Out Night. Upon hearing about the Proclamation, George emailed Public Information Officer Sabrina Robertson and stated, "I wanted to share a short note about the benefits of self exams and early detection. My wife, Ashley, was diagnosed with breast cancer in late June and had a bilateral mastectomy in August at the Mayo Clinic. She found the tumor on her own and thankfully it was still relatively small at stage 1. But based on her age only being 39 she decided to go with the double just to mitigate any risk of future recurrence. But it’s an important story to show it’s never too early to start checking. I’ll be rocking my pink on Wednesday!"

Thank you George for the very important reminder and appreciate Ashley for agreeing to share her story with us. If you are interested in learning more about breast cancer, visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation's website by clicking here.  

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/18/24 @ 2:00 p.m. - At the Wednesday, October 16, 2024 meeting, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2024-033 proclaiming the month of October 2024 as Emily Adkins Blood Clot Awareness Month. 

In attendance to accept the Proclamation were residents Doug Adkins and the Honorable Janet Adkins (Supervisor of Elections) who lost their daughter Emily in 2022 from a pulmonary embolism. Since then, the Adkins family have established Emily's Promise, a non-profit organization that works with medical professionals and the public to educate Floridians about the life-threatening risks associated with blood clots. 

According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, an estimated 900,000 Americans are affected by blood clots each year with 100,000 lives lost to this preventable condition.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that blood clots can strike anyone at any age, with risk factors including surgery, pregnancy, and cancer treatment - killing more Americans than car accidents, AIDS and breast cancer combined. 

Doug Adkins stated, "If we can get people to ask their doctor "what is my blood clot prevention plan". If you can convey that to your healthcare provider, it will draw their attention to your risk, and if you're at risk, you definitely need to have a blood clot prevention plan." He also added, "If we can help just one person, it'll be worth it."

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/18/24 @ 1:00 p.m. - At the Wednesday, October 16, 2024 meeting, the BOCC approved Proclamation No. 2024-034 proclaiming the week of October 20 - October 26, 2024 as Breast Cancer Awareness Week and Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at "Pink Day." 

Breast cancer touches the lives of Americans from every background and in every community across our nation. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2024, approximately 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer would be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 56,500 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. And while breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,790 men in the U.S. will develop breast cancer this year. 

Two Nassau County residents and breast cancer survivors were in attendance to accept the Proclamation, one of which was our first male survivor to be recognized by the BOCC during the annual reading of this Proclamation. We are grateful to them for sharing their survival stories and for helping us spread the message on the importance of early detection. Nassau County residents can further help spread the message by wearing pink on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/16/24 @ 11:45 a.m. - At today's meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No.2024-035 proclaiming the week of October 25 - November 2, 2024 at Mobility Week in Nassau County, Florida. 

Mobility Week is a collaborative effort by the Florida Department of Transportation and its partner agencies to promote awareness of safe, multimodal transportation choices by hosting an annual collection of outreach events. The week is also mean to encourage individuals to explore how various active travel choices like walking, biking, riding transit or carpooling reduces traffic congestion and serve as great alternative travel choices. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/4/24 @ 9:30 a.m. -  At the Wednesday, September 18, 2024 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No. 2024-031 proclaiming the month of October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Nassau County, Florida. Representatives from Micah's Place, Nassau County's only certified domestic violence center were in attendance to accept the Proclamation. 

Statistics show that twenty people become victims of domestic violence every minutes and that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 18 and 34. Domestic violence also plays a key role in other social problems including homelessness, pregnancy outcomes, mental health, substance abuse, child abuse and unemployment. The provision of education on community services available for victims is one of the most important life-saving services a community can provide for victims of domestic violence.

This month, residents are urged to learn the signs of domestic violence and encourage any victims to get help. To learn more about Micah's Place, please visit ​https://www.micahsplace.org/.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

9/25/24 @ 1:15 p.m. - At the Wednesday, September 18, 2024 meeting, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2024-032 recognizing the ARC Nassau on 50 years of service to Nassau County residents. Since 1974, the ARC Nassau has provided support and services to adults with intellectual disabilities. They recently announced a merger with the Northeast Florida Advocates for Autism and Related Disabilities and will now also provide services to youth. The Board commends the ARC Nassau on 50 outstanding years of services to Nassau County residents and wishes them well on all their future endeavors. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/18/24 @ 4:45 p.m. - On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No. 2024-028 designating the week of July 27 - August 4, 2024 as "Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week."

This is an annual celebration of the living legacy of Gullah/Geechee history, heritage and culture. The Gullah/Geechees have an extensive history in Nassau County that includes both the enslavement and self-determination of the GUllah/Geechee people through the history of Amelia Island, Old Town, Yulee, Nassauville, Franklintown, and American Beach. 

To learn more about the Gullah/Geechees, please click here. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/18/24 @ 1:45 p.m. - Congratulations to the Prince Chapel African Methodist Church on their 134th Anniversary. This church was established in 1897 by Reverend Prince Albert who dreamed of a wooden tabernacle for African Americans to worship in spirit and truth. While the original facility was lost to hurricane damage in 1953 and again in 1985 from a fire, a new facility was built in 1987 after Brother Charles Albert, Sr. and wife Pearl Albert Blue donated funds and two acres of land on Hendricks Road for Prince Chapel AME Church in Nassauville. 

The Prince Chapel Family began worshipping in the new facility on October 13, 1996 and the church was officially dedicated on August 2, 1997. On Sunday, April 28, 2024, the congregation held an Anniversary Celebration where past members, as well as the community came together to celebrate 134 years of service. The Board of County Commissioners celebrated this milestone with them by presenting Proclamation No. 2024-026 at the June 10, 2024 meeting. The Board congratulates the Prince Chapel AME Church and wishes them many more years of success and service to their community. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

5/20/24 @ 4:45 p.m. - At the Wednesday, May 15 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No. 2024-025 proclaiming the week of May 19-May 25, 2024 as "Emergency Medical Services Week" in Nassau County, Florida. Representatives from Nassau County Fire Rescue and the City of Fernandina Beach Fire Department were in attendance. 

Emergency Medical Services is a vital public service. Members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. Access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury as they fill the gap by providing important, out-of-hospital care. Emergency medical services consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, police officers, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, trained members of the public, and other out of hospital medical care providers. 

Please join us in celebrating Emergency Medical Services Week by recognizing the value and accomplishments of emergency medical providers across the Country, and here in Nassau County.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer 

5/14/24 @ 1:15 p.m. - At the Monday, May 13, 2024 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No. 2024-022 declaring May 12 - May 18, 2024 as National Police Week and Wednesday, May 15, 2024 as Peace Officers Memorial Day. 

May 15 was designated by Presidential Proclamation in 1962 by President John F. Kenney, as Peace Officer Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week, to honor those who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. 

There are currently more than 800,000 law enforcement officers serving in communities across the U.S., including local agencies such as the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office and the Fernandina Beach Police Department. Since the first recorded death in 1786, there have been 26,567 law enforcement officers in the U.S. who made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed in the line of duty. In 2023, 282 new names of fallen heroes were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, including 118 killed in 2023. 

To date, Nassau County has suffered the loss of thirteen (13) Law Enforcement Officers, heroes who have fallen in the line of duty, including 8 from the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, 1 from the City of Fernandina Beach, 1 Florida Highway Patrol Officer, 2 from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Law Enforcement, and 1 Hilliard Constable. 

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Law Enforcement Officers for safeguarding life and property in Nassau County and protecting us against violence and disorder. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer