8/4/22 @ 11:15 a.m. - 

​In partnership with Tobacco Free Nassau, the Nassau County Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a Drive-in Movie night at Peters Point Park on Sunday, September 4th. The featured film for the night will be a showing of the cult classic, “Jaws”.

PARKING AND MOVIE TIME
Parking for the event will begin at 7:30pm with the film starting at 8:30pm. The running time for the film is 124 minutes.

CONCESSIONS
Concessions will be available for purchase from Tobacco Free Nassau with all proceeds benefitting their organization.

OTHER DETAILS
The movie will be shown on an inflatable 25ft movie screen and can be heard through an FM station in your vehicle or broadcast through the PA system. There will be a designated space for those that want to bring a chair and enjoy from outside their vehicles.

CONTACT
For more information, please contact Jay Robertson, Nassau County Parks and Recreation Director, at 904-530-6127 or jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/14/22 @ 9:55 a.m. - Yesterday, the Board of County Commissioners and Nassau County Sheriff's Office hosted a Ribbon Cutting and Firing of First Shot Ceremony for Phase One of the Public Safety Training Center which consists of two new gun ranges, restrooms and a temporary parking area. 

The event began with a welcome message by Board Chairman, Jeff Gray. He stated, "In 2016, Sheriff Leeper identified a need for a modern training facility for public safety personnel. However, not only did he identify a need, he came to us with a plan for funding utilizing monies earned from the U.S. Marshall Service for housing federal inmates at the Nassau County Detention Center. In January 2017, the Board dedicated 40 acres of County-owned property for the future facility. We broke ground on March 21, 2021 and progress has been steady. Our public safety personnel are dedicated to protecting the lives and property of Nassau County residents and they are deserving of a site where they can maximize their skills through training and participate in exercises consisting of realistic events to help them prepare for future incidents. This site provides those opportunities and will serve our public safety personnel for many years to come". 

Following the Chairman's welcome message, Sheriff Leeper spoke. He stated, "This new gun range will allow Nassau County Sheriff's Office Deputies to train better, train smarter and train more often. We will also be able to train with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. This is a professional range, one that is compliant with the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission and one our deputies can be proud of".  

Sheriff Leeper expressed his gratitude to Secretary of State (formerly State Representative) Cord Byrd and Senator Aaron Bean for their hard work in securing Legislative funding for Phase Two of the Facility which will include a training classroom building, storage building, and paved parking lot. "This building is pivotal for the development of training complex, which will eventually house our training unit. It will be a state-of-the art building with office space, a dispatch training room, several classrooms, a mat room, strength and conditioning room, as well as an airnasium for outdoor training", stated Sheriff Leeper. 

The Facility will eventually have a less lethal and de-escalation training room, a shoot house, a jail training facility, a burn building, fire training tower, canine training and tracking area with kennels, special response team obstacle course, a pond for diving and boating rescue training and other endless possibilities. 

In his closing comments, Sheriff Leeper stated, "As we conduct this ribbon cutting ceremony today,  remember that this is just the beginning of the future of training public safety in Nassau County, which will ultimately provide better services to our residents. And who knows, if we dream big enough, we might just start our own Nassau County Law Enforcement Academy right here. Or what about a Nassau County Public Safety Police and Fire Training Academy? Wouldn't that be something". 

Following the presentation, Sheriff Leeper performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting with the five County Commissioners and County Manager by his side. Then, Sheriff Leeper fired the first shot at the gun range. 

We appreciate everyone who took time to celebrate this milestone with us yesterday. We look forward to celebrating with you again as future phases are completed. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/13/22 @ 3:00 - On Friday, June 10, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners hosted a Ribbon Cutting in celebration of the new Rebecca L. Jordi Cooperative Extension Office. This site will serve as the primary office for the County Extension, with the existing Callahan office functioning as an annex. 

The Board broke ground on the facility on May 15, 2019 and since that time, nearly 6,500 manhours have been spent bringing this project to fruition. This includes over 3,400 manhours from our Road Department staff that consisted of clearing land, preparing the site, and pouring concrete for driveways, parking lots and sidewalks, as well as 3,000 + manhours from our Facilities staff that consisted of digging trenches for utilities, laying carpet, installing air conditioning, drywalling, painting, and much, much more.  Building the facility in-house resulted in significant savings to the County.

At the beginning of the event, Commissioner Thomas Ford stated, "While there are still some small items that need to be completed before it (the site) is fully opened, we are excited about the progress that has been made and are happy to be here celebrating with you today. We appreciate each and every one of the employees who worked diligently to get us to this point, as well as to the late Rebecca Jordi who recognized the need for the facility and pushed to make it a reality. It has truly been a group effort and while it has not been easy, we can feel proud of what we have accomplished. We trust this new site will serve the residents well for many years to come". 

​Commissioner Jeff Gray spoke about Mr. Jordi's outstanding work effort and achievements. "While in her position as Director, Becky initiated many projects and programs including, but not limited to, demonstration gardens at County facilities; landscape matters classes; plant clinics; and crash courses in gardening. She had a standing guest column in the News-Leader and also appeared several times on WTLV 12's First Coast Living. She spoke with excitement and passion and was often called upon to speak at events around the State, including speaking engagements at Epcot's annual home and garden show. Becky was a one-of-a-kind employee who dedicated countless hours serving the County and its residents. We are happy to honor her legacy through the naming of this facility which will serve as a reminder of all her great contributions to our community". 

Other speakers during the event included Dr. Taylor Clem, Becky's husband Doug Jordi, and a close relative who all shared stories about Becky's love of agriculture and horticulture, her passion for teaching others, and her vision for the new facility. 

The also event included a tree dedication in Becky's honor by Keep Nassau Beautiful, the ceremonial ribbon cutting, and a brief tour of the facility. 

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us on Friday. We look forward to seeing you at future County Extension events! 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

6/13/22 @ 10:40 a.m. 

In January 2017, the Board of County Commissioners dedicated 40 acres of County-owned property for a Public Safety Training Center to be used by public safety personnel. Long term plans for the center include gun ranges, training rooms, a mock jail, K-9 training area with kennels, an SRT training obstacle course, shoot house, dive-team training pond, Fire/Rescue training area (with classroom, training tower, railcar prop, semi/fuel prop) and other possibilities as future needs develop.

A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on March 21, 2021, to celebrate the commencement of construction. The first phase of the Public Safety Training Center consisting of gun ranges and temporary parking is now complete. To celebrate, the Board will host a Ribbon Cutting for Phase One and Firing of the First Shot Ceremony on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the site’s location at 153322 County Road 108, Yulee, FL. The public is invited to attend.

Phase Two of the project will commence in the very near future and will include construction of the classroom building with airnaseum, a storage building, and resurfacing of the parking lot.

If you have any questions, please contact the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 225-0331.
 

Nassau County, Florida, May 25, 2022 – On Friday, June 10, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., the Board of County Commissioners will host a Ribbon Cutting in celebration of the completion of the new County Extension Office located at 85831 Miner Road, Yulee, FL 32097.

The Board of County Commissioners broke ground on this project on May 15, 2019.  All construction work has been done in-house by Facilities Maintenance staff consisting of over 1,800 man-hours and resulting in significant savings to the County.

Upon completion, this new 2,000 square foot facility will serve as the administrative office for the County Extension staff and will feature classrooms for horticulture, natural resources, agriculture, 4-H Youth Development, and family consumer classes and training rooms for the master gardener volunteers and extension agents. The property will also feature demonstration gardens, a nature trail with learning stations, an orchard, and an aquatic pond for pond maintenance training.

At the May 15, 2019 groundbreaking event, an announcement was made that the facility would be called the “Rebecca L. Jordi Cooperative Extension Office” in honor of Extension Director Rebecca L. Jordi who spent countless hours advocating for a new facility for Extension services. Unfortunately, Ms. Jordi passed away on July 31, 2020, however having the facility named after her will ensure that she will always be remembered for her great passion for agriculture and horticulture and for all her efforts in bringing this project to fruition.
​
Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in this celebration.

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The Smith Lever Act of 1914 established the Cooperative Extension Service as a partnership between land grant colleges nationwide, including the University of Florida and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in order to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public through educational programs.  The Nassau County Extension is a joint partnership between the University of Florida and the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners and has been in operation since 1915.

-Sabrina Robertson 
 Public Information Officer
 
 

4/29/22 @ 9:40 a.m. - Below are some photos taken at the 2022 Shrimp Festival Parade held on Thursday, April 28, 2022.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

4/8/22 @ 1:00 p.m. - Just a friendly reminder that the Waste Tire Amnesty Day Event will take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Convenience Recycle Center located at 46026 Landfill Rd., Callahan.

This event is free for Nassau County residents (proof of residency will be required) and allows you to safely dispose of up to 15 light car or truck tires. Tires must be off the rim and free of debris. No commercial loads will be accepted.

The event starts at 8:30 a.m. and will last until noon, or until the trucks are full (whichever comes first).

If you have any questions, please contact Nassau County Solid Waste at (904) 530-6700.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

3/29/22 @ 9:15 a.m. - On Monday, March 28, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners hosted a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Westside Regional Park. This 107 acre property will serve as a regional destination delivering recreation, leisure, social interaction, and educational opportunities for the entire spectrum of the public. It's overall conceptual plan and features were derived from community input which revealed that residents want a variety of recreational facilities and programs that include more than youth athletics. The data collected was used to create a conceptual plan which was shared with the public at a community meeting in March 2021 and formally adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in May 2021.

Yesterday's event began with a welcome message by Vice-Chairman, Jeff Gray. He stated, "The County purchased this property with the dream of providing regional recreation opportunities for Nassau County residents. This park will be unlike anything Nassau County has ever seen and will serve the residents for many years to come".

District Four County Commissioner, Thomas Ford, also spoke, stating, "This park will feature basic amenities such as pavilions, picnic tables and playgrounds. However, it will also feature unique amenities such as walking trails, a managed forest, a recreational fishing pond, outdoor fitness and exercise opportunities, green/event space, multi-use and tournament fields, and the County's first ampitheatre". He further added, "No matter where you live in Nassau County, you will now be able to experience a first-class park with a short drive".

Other speakers at the event included Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, and Shawn Bliss with Prosser, Inc., the engineering firm overseeing construction of the project. Both shared information about the wonderful recreational opportunities the park will bring to the area, as well as their excitement to be involved in the efforts to bring these amenities to our residents. District Five Commissioner, Klynt Farmer, also spoke briefly, stating that, "I'm excited to see that we're going to bring something to the west side of the County that will benefit many, many generations".

Following the presentations, the Commissioners participated in the ceremonial "breaking of the ground".

We appreciate everyone that came out yesterday to celebrate with us. For those that were unable to attend, the presentation was recorded and can be found on our YouTube Channel (see link below).

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

Following the

3/22/22 @ 8:45 a.m. - Next week, the Board of County Commissioners will host a Groundbreaking Ceremony in celebration of the upcoming construction of Phase One of the Westside Regional Park.

The overall conceptual plan for the park was devised from community input collected from a series of citizen surveys and public outreach event which concluded that residents want a variety of recreational facilities and programs that include far more than youth athletics.  The conceptual plan was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on May 24, 2021.

Phase One of the park will feature a variety of amenities including pavilions throughout the park, outdoor event/green space, community playground with shade, restrooms, multi-use trails, a fishing pond and multi-purpose fields. This vibrant park will serve as a regional destination delivering recreation, leisure, social interaction, and educational opportunities for the entire spectrum of the public.

Please join us on Monday, March 28, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. at the site’s entrance which is located just off U.S. 1, across from Mizell Tract Road, Hilliard, FL. (click here for site map)

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, by phone at (904) 530-6127 or via email at jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

3/9/22 @ 10:35 a.m. - This edition of our Nassau Now series features information about the Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Event scheduled for Saturday, April 16, 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact Nassau County Solid Waste at (904) 530-6700.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer