Who’s Buying Influence

Press Release

We the People

08-11-24

But wait, there’s even MORE on Nassau County School Board “deals”

Thanks to member Brent Lemond for contributing the additional insight provided below [NOTE: Brent currently works in GA. He formerly managed the Nassau County School District’s career education programs for 14 years and he served four consecutive terms on the Nassau County Economic Development Board]:

Kathy Burns’ Legacy: Shady Deals, Controversy, and Poor Management

Between the misleading millage campaign and overpaying for land next to Yulee Elementary School, Nassau Superintendent Kathy Burns’ motives and character have been called into question lately. With such glaring causes for concern and the district set to likely bond for new schools and close others in the near future, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at a few other actions.

Let’s start with the district’s concurrency program. Despite knowing that the district would have to deal with pending developments for an extended period of time, Burns waited until the last minute to recommend contracting with an attorney to handle negotiations. At the school board meeting in December of 2019, she presented the board with a contract for law firm Nabors, Giblin, and Nickerson, recommending that the board accept the contract for $49,999. This was conveniently just one dollar below the bidding threshold. She justified the no-bid contract saying the attorney gave them an initial quote for services coming to $65K, presenting it as a bargain. She also mentioned a 90-day deadline for responding to developers. Can’t you just hear the late night TV advertisement voice-over, “This $65K value can be yours today for the low price of just $49,999”? How can anyone know the actual value of the service without actually going to bid?

But, what about the problem of being up against a 90-day deadline? I can personally attest to a conversation with Burns approximately a year earlier. She knew this was coming, so any time-crunch was on her. Her penchant for waiting until the last minute to present to the board was a common tactic to push things through.

If you think ^that^ is sketchy, at the meeting on November 12th, 2020, Burns asked the board to wave any conflict of interest claims against the attorney. There was no discussion about which developments might result in potential conflict of interest.

Coincidentally, this was the month following the approval of an initial concurrency agreement with Greg Matovina, a developer that has a history of funding county commissioner campaigns. Matovina was publicly referred to as a “friend” by Burns’ closest political ally, Pat Edwards. How does that smell?

Fast-forward to the fall of 2021. At the September 23rd meeting, the board was scheduled to approve a land donation for a school site related to the same Matovina development. The agenda included a draft of a deed transferring the land from the original owner to the district. Burns said the paperwork wasn’t correct and asked the school board to vote to extend the contract until October.

When it came up the following month, paperwork showed Matovina “donating” the land. While there’s no telling what arrangement was made between the developer and the original owner of the property, the district paid heavily for this donation. They not only removed the concurrency reservation, something that would stall the development and usually negotiated for cash and/or land, but the district also directed the county to waive $2.35M worth of the developer’s educational impact fees. 

Is it really a donation if you are taking millions off of someone’s tax bills?

Was it an even swap?

A look at the documentation suggests that Matovina made off like a bandit. The only appraisal provided to the board by the superintendent was ordered and purchased by Matovina’s partner.

Would you buy something based only on a seller’s appraisal?

This appraisal valued the property based on what were claimed to be comparable sales. The school site sat well off of William Burgess Blvd. The comparable sales used consisted of major properties at (1) a major intersection on SR 200 and (2) at the corner of Harts Road and US 17.

Does that sound like comparable land to you or does it sound more like a heavily inflated appraisal–like what was used when the district overpaid for the land next to Yulee Elementary?

These are the type of things superintendents ought to catch. Or, perhaps they could rely on the attorney they hired to negotiate the contract. Of course, this would be the same attorney where she waived any conflict of interest claim less than a year before.

Recently, I heard from individuals concerned about a housing development coming between Yulee Elementary School and the railroad. The development, called Northgate, belongs to none other than Greg Matovina.

The original zoning on the property would have allowed for 44 homes. However, the Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board has already approved a zoning change to allow 188 units–21’ wide duplex homes with only 5’ between each home. To placate traffic concerns, the developer submitted a map that included a connection to Felmor Road, running through the school district’s property. Interestingly enough, this easement would appear to run about 20 feet north of school portables and would result in an intersection with Felmor Road, just 300 feet south of the railroad crossing.

None of this has been presented to the school board as of this writing.

Burns has a land-growth committee consisting of district and county staff, but the board members I have spoken with say they haven’t received any report on their activities. It’s hard to imagine that a developer would submit a map to the P&Z board that includes a road through land he didn’t own unless someone on the inside has made a tentative agreement. I guess anything is possible.

If you are concerned about the impact to traffic in the area or to Yulee Elementary School, there’s a clear way to stop this. You can reach out to your school board members and get their assurance they would not approve any deal with the developer. However, if Burns wins and is successful in having one of her insider cronies appointed to Curtis Gaus’ board seat, there’s not much chance of stopping it when the new board is seated.

This should be a major issue in the August 20th primary, and early voting has already begun.

It’s also just one more reason why Curtis Gaus is the best choice for Nassau County Superintendent of Schools.

Deb Boelkes
Business World Rising, LLC
1417 Sadler Road, Suite 207
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034