Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
October 27, 2016 4:09 p.m.
(l-r) District 4 Commissioner Carrol Franklin, Attorny Clyde Davis, Chair Danny Fullwood (District 2), Vice Chair Adam Salzburg (District 3), District 1 Commissioner Richard Bruce and OHPA Administrative Office Manager Joanna Cason
The Ocean Highway Port Authority (OHPA) held its second workshop on October 26, 2016 in the County Building on Pages Dairy Road to continue discussion of possible changes to their charter following the report of a citizens advisory committee. District 5 Commissioner Ron Braddock did not attend, but both Robert Sturgess and Coleman Langshaw, candidates competing for the District 1 seat to be vacated by Richard Bruce, were in attendance.
OHPA completed its review of potential changes and directed attorney Clyde Davis to bring language to their next regular meeting for find discussion and a vote. Any changes will then be forwarded to the Nassau Legislative Delegation to be taken up by the Legislature in the next session.
Members also discussed elements that might be included in a communications strategy for OHPA in dealing with other local governments, county businesses and residents in the coming months.
Public Comment
Two speakers addressed OHPA with their input on charter revisions. Frank Santry, a member of the Charter Advisory Committee, spoke to two points. Santry stressed that he was not speaking as a member of the committee but as a private citizen.
He expressed strong support for changing the current elections of OHPA members from partisan to nonpartisan. He said that the overwhelming number of similar boards and committees that exist outside the framework of general government are nonpartisan in nature and make-up. Partisanship plays a small role in the work of such boards, he asserted, and more citizens will participate if elections are nonpartisan.
Santry also expressed support for providing information to the public on toxic materials handled or shipped through the Port of Fernandina. He said that he has not been able to obtain such information through the United States Coast Guard, as was suggested at a previous meeting.
Robert “Bob” Sturgess, candidate for District 1 OHPA seat, also spoke to the legislative intent in Section 8 of the charter. Sturgess claimed that it needs to be clarified that all actions undertaken by OHPA are required to benefit the citizens of Nassau County. He claimed that current language declares that to be the intent but does not require that it be so.
Charter Review
Attorney Clyde Davis read through each section of the existing charter that lists Special Powers granted to OHPA under the charter. Some of these powers are also specified in other Florida laws.
Commissioners appeared to be interested in expanding the listing to include more activities under utilities, to include fiber optics and alternative energy. They also expressed a desire to include to mariculture under educational and research facilities.
They considered deleting radio stations, but after discussion decided to leave them in, expanding that section to include cell towers and data transmission. But they all agreed to the elimination of the term “beach casinos,” a holdover from early days of OHPA when a bath house at Main Beach was called a casino. Commissioners agreed that the use of the term casino is misleading today.
Three of the four commissioners were in favor of excluding petroleum oil refinery from the list of activities they could support. District 4 Commissioner Carrol Franklin suggested that they modify the language to eliminate such activity for Amelia Island but serve the option of keeping such an activity for the western portion of the county. District 1 Commissioner Richard Bruce said that the likelihood that an oil company would seek our assistance in such an endeavor is “as close to zero as you can get.” Chair Danny Fullwood (District 2) said that people on the west side would scream if such an activity were to be proposed. “In this day and time, this will not happen,” he said. District 3 Commissioner Adam Salzburg agreed.
Franklin once again addressed the issue of nonpartisan elections. He said, “Everyone should have the opportunity to vote.” Once again Bruce reminded fellow commissioners that there is a strong possibility, according to the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections, that the state legislature will take up election law in the next session because of the unhappiness of voters over the unintended use of write-in candidates to block portions of the electorate from voting in primaries. Most commissioners seemed content to leave the current situation as it is until the legislature acts.
Communication plan
Chair Fullwood indicted that OHPA would like to move forward with website enhancements, in addition to publishing a newsletter and developing a social media presence. Commissioners also expressed a desire to include audited, end-of-year financial statements on the website, and links to other websites that report news on OHPA activities.
Other strategies, including holding OHPA meetings around the county and sending a quarterly message from the chairman to local media, are also under consideration.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.
I want to thank Frank Santry, Carrol Franklin and others for their advocacy to change legislation and eliminate the partisan election of local offices that clearly should be focused on expertise and knowledge and not on party loyalty (OHPA, Superintendent of Schools, etc.). This election season has clearly shown that our laws in Florida are at times denying citizens their right to vote in important local elections . . . it’s shameful.