News
By Michael Hernandez, 4-23-24
Coping With Big Reduction in Leisure Travel
YULEE, FLORIDA—Nassau County Board of Commissioners heard from Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau officials Gil Langley, President and CEO and Paul Beirnes, Vice President on how they wish to stabilize “soft” occupancy which has been going up by five percent one month and down by eight to ten percent another month.
“Leisure travel is down…significantly,” said Langley and “we want to impact November through February and successfully blunt our competition.” Leisure travel/tourism/business meetings is among the largest industries in the county.
Beach Restoration
The Board of Commissioners approved and authorized Chairman John F. Martin (District 1) to sign a contract of $145,702 with Olsen Associates for the South Amelia Island Beach Nourishment Year 3 Physical Monitoring. The Board motion for Agenda Item O was made by Jeff Gray (District 3) and seconded by Alyson R. McCullough (District 4). The motion passed 5-0.
Olsen Associates, established in 1983 in Jacksonville, Florida, is a coastal engineering firm that specializes in the study, design, permitting, and management of projects located in coastal and estuarine environments. Olsen Associates have been long-term consultants in the South Amelia Island Shore Stabilization Project.
Initial beach restoration project construction was completed in 1994 along 18,000 feet of privately owned shorefront and included the placement of sand. Olsen Associates has been responsible for all plan formulation, sand search, permitting, design and construction management on an annual basis since that time.
Since 2001, the Florida Park Service has been a project co-sponsor with the inclusion of the Amelia Island State Park into the overall project. An Olsen Associates feasibility study in 2011 analyzed the Park’s severe erosion and led to the first planned renourishment with construction of a 1,600-foot rock terminal groin and a 400-foot detached breakwater seaward of Amelia Island State Park. The beach fill included the placement of over two million cubic yards of sand.
Save the Turtles
Mary Duffy, of Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, thanked the Board of County Commissioners for its educational campaign sending out postcards reminding beach residents that turtle nesting season takes place from May 1 to October 31st each year. During this time, residents and visitors are urged to keep the beach clean, flat, and dark to prevent harm to nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.
The postcard asks residents to:
- Minimize beachfront lighting, pool and cabana lights
- Reduce light trespass on the beach by lowering shielding, recessing or redirecting light sources
- Visit a local hardware store and ask about turtle safe lighting
- Place security lighting on motion-sensitive to keep off when not needed
- Apply dark window tinting or draw curtains after sunset
- Use turtle safe flashlight on the beach.
For any questions: email [email protected] or call (904) 530-6010.
The Nassau County Land Development Code Section 37.07 Beachfront Lighting Restrictions, was created to safeguard nesting mothers and their hatchlings. Failure to comply can result in a fine.
Lupus Awareness May Proclamation Adopted
Sabrina Smith Henry, Fernandina Beach ambassador for the Lupus Foundation of America accepted the Nassau County Board of Commissioners May Proclamation. The proclamation motion was made by A.M. Huppmann (District 2) and seconded by Klynt Farmer (District 5).
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, joints and skin. It is difficult to diagnose, hard to live with, and a challenge to treat. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, joint and muscle pain, rashes, photo sensitivity, organ inflammation, and in advanced stages of the disease, kidney damage or failure.
Estimates suggest that at 1.5 million Americans are living with lupus, although research into lupus prevalence is limited—the actual number may be much higher. Some 90 percent of people diagnosed with lupus are women with 80 percent of new diagnoses made during childbearing years. Lupus disproportionately impacts women of color, who are twice as likely to develop the disease as Caucasian women.
According to the proclamation: “many physicians worldwide are unaware of symptoms and health effects of lupus, causing people with lupus to suffer for many years before they obtain a correct diagnosis and medical treatment…there is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals and families affected by lupus…there is an urgent need to increase awareness in communities worldwide of the debilitating impact of lupus…Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Board of County Commissioners of Nassau County, Florida, on this 22nd day of April, 2024, hereby designates May 2024 as Lupus Awareness Month to raise awareness of the significant public health issue.”
Two zoning changes made in District 5
Rezoning amendments were approved for application filed by owner Howard T. Hall (District 5):
- Agenda Item S: 5.88 acres on the south side of Lamar Avenue with frontage on the west side of US 1 from Medium Density Residential and Commercial to Commercial. Motion by: Farmer (District 5). Second by: Huppmann (District 2).
- Agenda item U: 5.88 acres on the south side of Lamar Avenue with frontage on the west side of US1 from Open Rural and Commercial Intensive to Commercial Intensive. Motion by: Huppmann (District 2) Second by: Farmer (District 5).
Ocean Highway Port Authority Report
Miriam Hill, Chair of the Ocean Highway Port Authority gave her quarterly report stating that a 25,000 square foot facility paid for from a $754,000 federal grant would be completed within the next two weeks which would benefit the forest industry as well as Customs, the Marina, and Airport.
REFERENCE:
Nassau County Board of Commissioners: https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/91/Board-of-County-Commissioners
Video:
https://nassaufl.granicus.com/player/clip/1831?view_id=2&redirect=true
Upcoming Nassau County Events
- Thursday, April 25 (3:30-5:30 pm @ American Beach Community Center: 1600 Julia St., Fernandina Beach): Election Training: Hand Counting Ballots (Speaker: Dennis Shoeppner) Nassau County Citizens Defending Freedom. More info: (470) 295-5365.
- Thursday, April 25 (5-7 pm @ Yulee Wal-Mart, 464016 State Rood 200): Nassau Night Out (Nassau County Sheriff’s Office with Nassau County Health Department, Nassau County Fire Rescue, Special Touch Ministry, Starting Point, Micah’s Place, Skittles the Clown, the Instrument Zoo)
- Friday, April 26-Sunday May 12: Nassau County Strawberry Festival: 543378US-1, Callahan Fairgrounds). For more information: https://hildebrandamusementrides.com/nassau-county-strawberry-festival/.
- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nassau-county-strawberry-festival-april-26-may-12-2024-callahan-florida-tickets-886515059407
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Michael Hernandez, from California, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at: [email protected] and is editor of “Stories Speak Volumes.”
