Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
June 29, 2020
Registered voters in the City of Fernandina Beach who may have been considering running for one of the three seats up for election in November will need to make a decision soon.
Candidates choosing to qualify by petition must submit their signed petitions to the Supervisor of Elections no later than noon, July 3, 2020. It takes 108 valid petitions to qualify by this method. Although Friday, July 3, has been designated a government holiday, the Supervisor of Elections Office will remain open until noon to validate petitions. City Clerk Caroline Best coordinates City General Elections and Runoff elections with the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office and is the official Qualifying Officer for candidates seeking elected office within the City of Fernandina Beach. She will be in attendance at the County Supervisor of Elections Office in Yulee the morning of July 3, 2020.
But that is not the last chance to qualify. For those potential candidates who choose not to gather petition signatures, they may qualify by paying a fee during the 2020 General Election Qualifying Period which begins July 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM and concludes July 17, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
In accordance with City of Fernandina Beach Code of Ordinances Section 34-2 every candidate for election as a member of the City Commission shall file a notice of candidacy with the City Clerk during the Qualifying Period as set by resolution each year by the City Commission. Upon filing of the notice, all documents required by this Code, City Charter and/or Florida Statute Election laws shall be given to the City Clerk, and all required Qualifying Fees shall be paid.
For additional information on elections, visit the Supervisor of Elections website and the City of Fernandina Beach website under the Elections tab.
PLEASE run for office. We need some fiscal conservatives downtown.