Category Archives: City News

Smooth Sailing for City Manager Search Plan

The citizen committee assisting with the Fernandina Beach city manager search got compliments from city [...]

Parking: The Worry Never Seems to End

By Mike PhillipsAh, parking. While northern cities worry about organized shoplifting and children shooting up [...]

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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 [...]

9 Comments

Off and Running: The City Manager Search Process

By Mike PhillipsThe citizen committee that is assisting the search for a new city manager [...]

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A Challenging Week for Fernandina Beach

By April L. Bogle The Fernandina Beach City Commission considered and ruled on several contentious [...]

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Tringali Neighbors File Appeal to ‘Stop the Domino Effect’

Neighbors of the Tringali property in downtown Fernandina Beach and their supporters announced yesterday they [...]

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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 [...]

66 Comments

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 [...]

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Knocke Group Trying to Halt Pride Bingo Event

By Mike Lednovich Citizens Defending Freedom is attempting to stop a Drag Queen Bingo event [...]

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Search Committee Agrees on One Thing: No Looking Back

By Mike Lednovich The chairman of the Citizens City Manager Search Committee sparked a conversation [...]

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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 [...]

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No Vote Tuesday on Solar Array Proposal

By Mike Lednovich There will be no vote Tuesday by the city commission to amend [...]

10 Comments

Solar Farm Proposed on Heavily Wooded Airport Land

By Mike Lednovich The leaseholder of Amelia River Golf Course wants to clear-cut 36 acres [...]

Commentary: When is a Public Prayer Out of Line?

By Linda Hart Green “Will you offer a prayer, Reverend?” I have been asked that [...]

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 [...]

Advisory Board Will Tackle The Downtown Parking Issue

By Mike Lednovich The chairman of the Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board (CRAAB) wants the [...]

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 [...]

Hours of Pride Comments, But No Change

By April L. Bogle Mayor Bradley Bean announced at last night’s City Commission meeting that [...]

City Attorney: Don’t Cancel Pride Events

By April L. Bogle Fernandina Beach City Attorney Tammi Bach will advise city commissioners against [...]

Knocke Pushes to Cancel Pride Parade, Festival

By April L. Bogle Citizens Defending Freedom-Nassau (CDF-Nassau) is asking Fernandina Beach cty commissioners to [...]

Commentary: Bad Advice on ‘Special Privileges’ for Developers

By Faith Ross Recently Tammi Bach, the Fernandina Beach City Attorney, gave a workshop for [...]

Commentary: The Law Is Clear. Deny the Tringali Townhouses

By Taina Cristner In early 2006, at the beginning of the aughts’ housing bubble, the [...]

Here’s a Special Way to Love the Beach

By Shari Roan Along with the maritime forest, Amelia Island is best known among nature [...]

Study Shows Rates for a Self-Supporting Marina

By Mike Lednovich The Marina Advisory Board will discuss rates at its May 22 meeting. [...]

At First Meeting, Citizens Say Walking and Cycling Safety Is Worse

By Mike Spino At the first public series of meetings this week about walking and [...]

Election Fraud Speakers Find an Audience Here

By April L. Bogle A former law professor and a businessman turned podcaster preached their [...]

City Commission Goes Big-Time in Manager Search

By Mike Phillips For several weeks after firing former City Manager Dale Martin, a majority [...]

Commission OKs Legal Support for Ethics Charge

Fernandina Beach city commissioners voted at Tuesday night’s meeting to approve paying legal fees for [...]

Citizens Give Commission Some Jobs to Do on Manager Search

By Mike Lednovich The citizens committee tasked with advising the City Commission on finding the [...]

2023 Waste Contract: Once-a-Week Garbage

By Chip Ross The first reading of the city’s new agreement with Waste Management will [...]

Art Auction to Support Police Good Works

The Fernandina Beach Police Foundation (FBPF) is holding a ticketed VIP art auction to benefit [...]

A Dirty Trick at Le Clos Turned Remodel Into Oblivion

By Dylan Bailey Le Clos has made another official statement on its Facebook page, retracting [...]

Ethics Charge Filed Against Vice Mayor

By Mike Lednovich Vice Mayor David Sturges is facing an ethics investigation by the Florida [...]

Beloved Le Clos Abruptly Closes

By Dylan Bailey Le Clos, an iconic Fernandina historic district restaurant since 1996 is no [...]

City Manager Search: Back to Square One

By Mike Lednovich Executive search firm Strategic Government Resources says it will not provide only [...]

Walker? Cyclist? Here’s Your Chance to Be Heard

The new Citizens’ Task Force for Safe Walking and Biking in Fernandina Beach invites the [...]

Walking/Cycling Safety Study Needs Your Ideas

Fernandina Beach citizen surveys reveal that safe and accessible walking and biking is a priority [...]

Who’s On First? Commission Wrestles With Manager Process

By Mike Phillips The most important item on yesterday’s city commission agenda was billed as [...]

It’s Almost Time to Build Another City Budget: How That Happens

By Suanne Thamm There is never a good time to be without a permanent, full-time [...]

A Recognized Tree City Third Time

Fernandina Beach once again has been recognized as a Tree City by the international program, [...]

Commentary: A Deceit Beyond the Pale

By Mike Phillips Over the years I’ve lost track of how many city commissions and [...]

Other Proposed Search Advisor is a Mystery Man from 2012 On

By Mike Lednovich Not much was known about the city commission’s appointment of Richard Sala [...]

Search Committee ‘Advisor’ Knew Nothing About It

  By Mike Lednovich A long tenured former city manager who was voted by the [...]

City Manager Search Group Launched — With Surprise Advisors

By Mike Phillips In a Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting made up primarily of routine [...]

Commentary: What Will it Take to Be United in Keeping Our Paradise?

By Suanne Thamm Hatfields vs. McCoys. Sharks vs. Jets. Natives vs. Newbies. Isn’t it about [...]

Why a Mine in Georgia is Our Problem, Too

EDITOR’S NOTE: Many Nassau County residents don’t know that St. Marys Riverkeeper, as part of [...]

Cement Exodus Update

As of Saturday morning, with the port shut down and no trucks running, there were [...]

Friend of Sturges Pressured Antun to Terminate Martin

By April L. Bogle William Bailey, a friend of Fernandina Beach City Commissioner David Sturges, [...]

Florida Main Street Day Is Coming Up

Tallahassee – Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd announced today, March 15 as this year’s [...]

News Commentary: Commission’s City Manager Search Gets Off to a Ragged Start

By Mike Lednovich Fernandina Beach is searching for its most important executive, the city manager. [...]

The Scramble to Fire a City Manager — And Then What?

By April L. Bogle This article highlights milestones leading up to and following the Feb. [...]

Commentary: A Good City Manager is Hard to Find — And Too Easy to Fire

Editor’s note: This commentary first appeared in 2015, but it’s as fresh as it was [...]

Port Commission Will Vote on its Plan March 8

The Ocean Highway Port Authority (OHPA) commissioners are preparing to vote on a final version [...]

Commentary: More Questions than Transparency in Firing

THAMM-O-GRAMM By Suanne Thamm When Vice Mayor David Sturges showed up at the City Commission [...]

As Expected, City Manager Fired

By Mike Phillips Was it a done deal? Of course it was. Well before the [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Capital

By Dale Martin, City Manager In last week’s recap of the city commission’s annual goal-setting [...]

Why the Tringali Townhouse Proposal Was Taken Off the Table

By Tammi Bach Fernandina Beach City Attorney I have reviewed application materials, engineered plans, emails [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Visioning

By Dale Martin, City Manager Earlier this week, the City Commission convened for its annual [...]

Port Decisions Coming into the Final Weeks

By Mike Phillips What was expected to be a conclusive port commissioners meeting last evening [...]

Commentary: A Voice of Reason from Suanne Thamm

Dear Readers: Some of you may remember that before I wrote for the Fernandina Observer, [...]

Late Commission News: a Move to Fire the City Manager

By Mike Lednovich Citing a litany of mismanagement and lack of communication, Vice Mayor David [...]

Big, Mysterious Surprise on Townhouse Proposal

By Mike Phillips City Hall was packed last night. Standing room only of citizens, many [...]

Commentary: Eminent Attorney Challenges City Attorney on Important Land-Use Case

Editor’s note: The following piece of advice to the Fernandina Beach City Commission was written [...]

Worldwide, Cement Dust is a Serious Issue

  Editor’s note: I’m very liberal about reader comments. So long as you aren’t calling [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Projects

By Dale Martin, City Manager Included in this year’s budget are several capital projects. Here [...]

Huge Concrete Dust Bags Rupture at Port

By Mike Lednovich       Residents of the historic downtown neighborhood near the Port [...]

Commentary: Does This City Want to Lose $500,000 a Year on its Marina?

By Chip Ross Ten years ago, when former Commissioner Pat Gass asked when the city [...]

It’s a Non-Partisan City Government — But Are You Sure?

By April L. Bogle I don’t know anyone who wants the political battles being fought [...]

Cruise Ships Top Concern at Port Authority Open House

By Mike Lednovich French mathematician Narges Obaid famously said: “Don’t trust everything you see. Even [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Nate Coyle

By Dale Martin, City Manager Next week, the city will lose one of its most [...]

Calling All Port Questioners – Final Open House

If you have any questions, concerns or fresh ideas about the Port of Fernandina Beach, [...]

Commentary: Townhouses in a Neighborhood That Cherishes Its History – and the Law

By Julie Ferreira The Fernandina Beach City Commission is poised to make a significant decision [...]

Commentary: A Rebuttal of a Rebuttal on Waterfront Plans

By  Bob Allison I read with interest Commissioner Chip Ross’s rebuttal to my article about [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Henry

By Dale Martin, City Manager Henry Centrella was released (supervised) from prison earlier this week. [...]

A Starring Role for Trees at City Hall

It was a good evening for trees at this week’s Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting. [...]