Nassau County Department Heads update BOCC

Cindy Jackson
Reporter
September 19, 2019

Commission Chambers were filled to capacity at the most recent meeting of the BOCC
(Board of County Commissioners) as employees were officially recognized and thanked
for their tremendous efforts during Hurricane Dorian.

Building Official Keith Ellis

Each month, various department heads are called upon to provide commissioners with
an update of their division’s activities. On September 18, at the podium were Keith Ellis,
with the Building Department and Adrienne Burke with the Department of Planning and
Economic Opportunity.

Mr. Ellis has been with the county for over 23 years and over 35 years in the construction industry, Ellis oversees a staff of 32. The Building Department is
responsible for a number of activities including the issuing of permits for both commercial and residential projects, code compliance, the inspection of nuisance and unsafe structures, among other activities.

Ellis reported that his department issued 1007 permits in August, compared to 1,017 in August of 2018. He also noted that permit revenues received for August were $293,733, up from last year. Many may recall that a priority recently established by the BOCC was to have fees for services pay for the services rendered. That change has taken place and is perhaps most evident in the Building Department. Ellis also noted that damage to properties throughout Nassau County, as a result of Hurricane Dorian, was minimal, saying “we got off light on this storm, that’s for sure.”

A noteworthy addition to his report was a listing of recently completed, or nearly
completed commercial projects.

Before Ms. Burke stood at the podium, Assistant County Manager, (and former Director
of Planning and Economic Opportunity) Taco Pope, from his seat at the Commissioner
table, noted this was the fifth consecutive year that over 1,000 residential permits have
been issued, that “this trend has been going on for ½ a decade.”

Director of Planning and Economic Development Adrienne Burke

Ms. Burke, recently appointed Director for Planning and Economic Opportunities, first
introduced the new Assistant Director for her department, Valerie Feinberg.
A discussion of Timber to Tides, Rural Roots to Community Crossroads and an update
on the State Road 200 Study Update provided the meat of her presentation.

First off, she stated that overwhelmingly documented is the fact that Nassau County residents “do not want to be Blandling Boulevard,” following up that no disrespect was intended in that statement.

GAI Consultants, an engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firm, is one of the key partners in the department’s planning efforts. Burke spoke of a “mismatch” in workers versus residents as more residents go elsewhere for jobs, saying “there are not a lot of job opportunities in the [SR200] corridor,” which was followed by a discussion that spoke to the mismatch as far as jobs and affordable housing is concerned.

Burke pointed out that if the department does one thing well it is community outreach. The Department of Planning and Economic Opportunity has held almost countless open houses, roundtable discussions, conducted surveys, one on one meetings with stakeholders and participated in speaker engagements around Nassau County. As Burke stated, “what we have been really doing is community outreach.” She said that while no one has anything good to say about State Road 200, in envisioning a future, there has been a definite consensus which she followed up with “it makes our jobs as planners easier.” Across the board, when asked what residents want (be they high schoolers, new professionals to thearea, long-time residents and families) . . .everyone seems to agree on a few things.

The resounding responses have been that Nassau County residents want:

  • something to do
  • trees
  • a Farmers market
  • kyaking on Lofton Creek and easy access to make that happen
  • more recreational opportunities

To learn more or to voice your opinion, go to https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/107/Planning-Economic-Opportunity
.

Editor’s Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.