Opinion
By Sandy Kerry, 4-25-23
Last night’s Nassau County Commission meeting on the Riverstone settlement was far more than a disappointment. It was an insult to the citizens of Nassau County and a complete disregard for upholding the oath of office that 4 of the county commissioners took when elected to represent the citizens of Nassau county, including 1 of our newest elected officials, Commissioner Huppman.
Commissioner Huppman made a statement at the end of the meeting after public comments were concluded just before the vote was taken that was obviously pre-written and indicating that he obviously had his mind already made up before the meeting. He basically indicated that there were only really 2 parties that were relevant to the decision, and that was the property owner and the County. He said this, despite several statements made by citizens that “they the taxpayers are the County” and so they, too, are co-Defendants in this case. Later in his statement he seemed to be leaning to NOT approving the settlement agreement, saying we are indeed “at a crossroads” and we should look for other ways to get funding “as the lady said” (referring to one of the citizens who had commented about funding for land conservation that had just been approved by the Fla legislature and was being made available the very next day after the meeting). We all in the audience even started clapping thinking he was supporting us. Then, shockingly, he proceeded to make a motion to APPROVE the settlement agreement! Unbelievable! After all the input from citizens, not 1 of whom supported the towers, including numerous representatives from entire HOAs like the Amelia Island Plantation, The Preserve, The Sanctuary etc., it was like it fell on deaf ears.
But the fight for our island will not stop here! The battle is far from over! Those public officials in elected and appointed (county attorney) offices WILL be held accountable.
Sandy Kerry is local resident and civic activist.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
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