Category Archives: City News
Many Questions About a Dune Walkover for Two Hotels
By Mike Lednovich Two hotels are seeking to connect access with each other by constructing [...]
5 Comments
Oct
Code Change Study: Clarity or an End Run on Neighborhood Character?
By Mike Lednovich A parade of speakers voiced its concerns to the Planning Advisory Board [...]
15 Comments
Sep
Oh, by the Way: They Raised Their Salaries 50%
By Mike Lednovich There was no mention that the 2023-2024 Fernandina Beach city budget included [...]
5 Comments
Sep
A Tough Decision Gets a Board of Adjustments Variance
By Mike Phillips It can be tough serving on the Fernandina Board of Adjustments. People [...]
8 Comments
Sep
New Port Customs House Wrinkle: Feds Will Prevail
By Mike Lednovich The latest twist in the ongoing controversy regarding the U.S. Customs and [...]
10 Comments
Sep
Utility Chief Asks That New Study Be Used to Set Fees
By Mike Lednovich City Utilities Director Andre Desilet has sent a letter to city commissioners [...]
3 Comments
Sep
Commentary: Vote AFTER the People Have Spoken
By Mike Lednovich Twice in eight days the Fernandina Beach City Commission told residents your [...]
10 Comments
Sep
Fernandina’s New City Manager: Ty Ross
By Mike Lednovich It took the Fernandina Beach City Commission just over two hours to [...]
6 Comments
Sep
How Citizens Say OPHA Should Sell Lots
After hearing input in August from more than 40 citizens about the Ocean Highway and [...]
1 Comment
Sep
Meet the City Manager Candidates Monday
By Mike Lednovich Citizens can meet and ask questions Monday of the four final candidates [...]
1 Comment
Sep
Commentary: Bean’s Gavel Is Honorary, Not a Weapon
By Mike Lednovich Mayor Bradley Bean last Tuesday night silenced a sitting city commissioner who [...]
22 Comments
Sep
This Iconic Tree at the Downtown Entrance Needs Friends
By Mike Lednovich Representing an alliance of conservation groups, Julie Ferreira with the Nassau County [...]
5 Comments
Sep
Chip Ross Says It’s Density, One Slice at a Time
By Mike Lednovich Three decisions by the City Commission Tuesday night could clear the path [...]
6 Comments
Sep
Sturges Wants Commission to Talk About Density
By Mike Lednovich Vice Mayor David Sturges wants to discuss the definition of density in [...]
Sep
Port Commission Seeks Input on Lots to Be Sold
Port commissioners are sponsoring an outdoor listening session for the public at one of the [...]
Aug
City Manager List Is on the Table from Citizens Committee
By Mike Lednovich The search for a new Fernandina Beach City Manager that began with [...]
Aug
Commentary: A Highly Seasoned Boater’s Advice on Our Marina
By Wally Moran Having stopped in Fernandina Beach by boat more than 50 times myself, [...]
Aug
Commentary: Sidewalks vs. Trees Need Not Be a Conflict
This is an open letter from the Nassau County Sierra Executive Board to fellow stakeholders [...]
Aug
City Marina Dock Fee Increase Paused Until Next Year
By Mike Lednovich There is no denying the fact that the city marina is a [...]
Aug
Commission Decides Against Increasing New Development Fees
By Mike Lednovich The City Commission did an about-face Tuesday on funding improvements to the [...]
Aug
Tough Talk from Customs: New Port Facility or Else
By Mike Lednovich The Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA) has so little money available [...]
Aug
Port Plans to Add Two Fabric Warehouses
By Mike LednovichThe Port of Fernandina is ready to start building two fabric warehouses on [...]
Aug
After a Shambles, Port Votes to Sell Historic District Lots
By Mike Lednovich The Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA) voted 4-1 Wednesday to sell [...]
Aug
Nine Manager Candidates Presented to Citizen Committee
By Mike Lednovich Colin Baenziger & Associates has submitted nine city manager candidates to the [...]
Aug
City Opens Up Path to Bigger Shopping Centers
By Mike Lednovich By votes of 4-1, the Fernandina Beach City Commission Tuesday paved the [...]
Aug
An Update on the City Manager Search Process
Here is the schedule going forward for selecting the new Fernandina Beach city manager: Now [...]
Aug
Brett’s Lawyers Up, Threatens to Sue
By Mike LednovichAn attorney for Center Street Restaurant Group, owners of Brett’s Waterway Cafe, is [...]
Aug
New Wrinkles in RV Site Plan: Townhouses and City Annexation
By Mike PhillipsThe developer of a proposed RV park on Nassau County land on Sadler [...]
Jul
Port Hears First Broker Ideas About Land Sale
By Mike LednovichDuring a special meeting of the Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA) Thursday, [...]
Jul
What’s With the Alachua Project? Contractor Shortages
Curious people want to know: What’s going on at the seemingly stalled Alachua rail crossing [...]
Jul
By 3-2, City Votes Rollback, Sets Up $2.5 Million in Cuts
By Mike Lednovich Joyce Tuten speaks against rollback After 50 minutes of debate over the [...]
Jul
Marina Fuel Leak: 76 Days and Counting
By Mike LednovichA leaking fuel line at the city marina fuel dock has resulted in [...]
Jul
Final 55 Manager Candidates Ready for Committee Review
By Mike LednovichThe final tally for candidates for the Fernandina Beach city manager is 55, [...]
Jul
Proposed PILOT Deal: A Park for the Debt
By Mike Lednovich Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Chip Ross is pitching a lawsuit settlement with [...]
Jul
City Critic Was Getting Free Trash Service for Five Years
By Mike LednovichNews-Leader columnist Steve Nicklas, who repeatedly criticizes city spending as wasteful, has been [...]
Jul
Commentary: It Isn’t Just $30,000 — It’s the Principle of the Thing
By Mike PhillipsThe cost of the city commission’s 50% pay raise that’s under discussion is [...]
Jul
Amid Big Cuts, a Big Raise for Commissioners?
By Mike LednovichFernandina Beach City Commissioners are cutting funding for sidewalks, beach walkovers and paving [...]
Jul
Commission Stands Firm on Cutting Capital Improvements
By Mike LednovichThe needle didn’t budge over the proposed 2023-24 capital improvement budget as the [...]
Jul
Manager Applications Up to 42 — 19 with Crucial Experience
By Mike LednovichTen more applications have been received for the vacant Fernandina Beach city manager [...]
Jul
Dale Martin the Unanimous First Choice for Flagler Beach Manager
By Mike Lednovich Former Fernandina Beach City Manager Dale Martin was selected Friday as the [...]
Jul
Is Port-City Dispute Nearing Resolution? Stay Tuned
By Mike Lednovich Fernandina Beach claims each year that the Ocean Highway and Port Authority [...]
Jul
City Manager Search Extended to July 21
By Mike Lednovich Colin Baenziger & Associates, the city’s executive search firm, notified city commissioners [...]
Jul
A Flurry of Applicants Ends Manager Search With 32
By Mike Lednovich Five current or former city managers and a city administrator were among [...]
Jul
As City Considers Rollback Rate, Here’s What Would Not Happen
By Mike Lednovich At a city commission workshop Wednesday, Interim City Manager Charlie George outlined [...]
Jul
What’s With Sturges and Brett’s?
By Mike Lednovich In his first comments since a June inspection report of the supporting [...]
Jul
Two More Applicants for City Manager Make Twelve
By Mike Lednovich There are now 12 applicants for the Fernandina Beach city manager position [...]
Jun
Former Vice Mayor Joins City Manager Applicants
By Mike Lednovich Former Fernandina Beach Vice Mayor Len Kreger has joined nine other applicants [...]
Jun
Commentary: Let’s Face Facts — Brett’s Has To Go
By Mike Phillips So here we go again. Yet another well-respected engineering firm has told [...]
Jun
Engineers Say Close and Fix Crumbling Brett’s. City Says Not So Fast
By Mike Lednovich A June inspection of the supporting substructure of Brett’s Waterway Cafe has [...]
Jun
Nine City Manager Applications, So Far
By Mike Lednovich There are currently nine applicants for the vacant Fernandina Beach city manager [...]
Jun
Big Staff Fuss Over a Few Parking Spots
By Mike Lednovich On paper the plan to add 19 new parking spaces to the [...]
Jun
Neighbors File to Stop Tringali Townhouses
Neighbors of the Tringali property surrounded by the Fernandina Beach Historic District have filed a [...]
Jun
TDC Taking Another Run at Beach “Harmonization”
By Mike Lednovich The Tourist Development Council’s highly criticized redesign of three city beach parks [...]
Jun
Governor’s Budget Chopping Claims Downtown Seawall Request
By Mike Lednovich Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed Fernandina Beach’s $1 million funding request to [...]
Jun
Disc Golf Proposal Soundly Defeated
By Mike Lednovich The proposal for a disc golf course at Simmons Road Park was [...]
Jun
Low-Key Tour of Potential Disc Golf Course Tuesday at 3:00 pm
By Mike Lednovich The City’s Parks and Recreation Department, along with representatives of a disc [...]
Jun
Commentary: Think About a Run for Commission — Yes, YOU
By Suanne Thamm Fernandina Beach wants YOU to consider running for city commission in 2024. [...]
Jun
Smooth Sailing for City Manager Search Plan
The citizen committee assisting with the Fernandina Beach city manager search got compliments from city [...]
Jun
Parking: The Worry Never Seems to End
By Mike PhillipsAh, parking. While northern cities worry about organized shoplifting and children shooting up [...]
Jun
City Commission: Building Department Improvements Approved but Public Comments Stay at Meeting End for Non-Agenda Items
By April L. Bogle City Commissioners unanimously approved several high-profile pieces of city business at [...]
Jun
Off and Running: The City Manager Search Process
By Mike PhillipsThe citizen committee that is assisting the search for a new city manager [...]
Jun
A Challenging Week for Fernandina Beach
By April L. Bogle The Fernandina Beach City Commission considered and ruled on several contentious [...]
May
Tringali Neighbors File Appeal to ‘Stop the Domino Effect’
Neighbors of the Tringali property in downtown Fernandina Beach and their supporters announced yesterday they [...]
May
Knocke Group Gets Bingo Banned, but Pride Event Is Still On
By Mike Lednovich Fernandina Beach Pride has quickly pivoted, replacing bingo with various games for [...]
May
City Commission Votes 4-1 to Approve ‘Tringali’ Townhome Subdivision, Citizens Considering Lawsuit
By April L. Bogle Twelve townhomes are one step closer to being built in a [...]
May
Knocke Group Trying to Halt Pride Bingo Event
By Mike Lednovich Citizens Defending Freedom is attempting to stop a Drag Queen Bingo event [...]
May
Search Committee Agrees on One Thing: No Looking Back
By Mike Lednovich The chairman of the Citizens City Manager Search Committee sparked a conversation [...]
May
Another Major Debate: Townhouses in a Single-Family Neighborhood
By April L. Bogle Tonight’s city commission meeting is likely to include another long debate [...]
May
No Vote Tuesday on Solar Array Proposal
By Mike Lednovich There will be no vote Tuesday by the city commission to amend [...]
May
Solar Farm Proposed on Heavily Wooded Airport Land
By Mike Lednovich The leaseholder of Amelia River Golf Course wants to clear-cut 36 acres [...]
May
Commentary: When is a Public Prayer Out of Line?
By Linda Hart Green “Will you offer a prayer, Reverend?” I have been asked that [...]
May
Future of Sports Fields Is a Stinker of a Problem
By Mike Lednovich Where will kids play soccer? That question was mulled by the City [...]
May
Advisory Board Will Tackle The Downtown Parking Issue
By Mike Lednovich The chairman of the Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board (CRAAB) wants the [...]
May
Commentary: Mr. Nicklas Has Opinions. Now, Here Are The Facts
By Chip Ross Steve Nicklas writes an opinion column called “Steve’s Marketplace” for the Amelia [...]
May
Hours of Pride Comments, But No Change
By April L. Bogle Mayor Bradley Bean announced at last night’s City Commission meeting that [...]
May