Category Archives: City News

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. [...]

Commentary: Much Ado Over an Old Waterfront Plan

Editor’s note: It’s unusual, I know, for one news organization to publish a rebuttal to [...]

COMMENTARY: A Proud and Fearless Day, 45 Years Later

By Alexandra R. Lajoux Yesterday in Fernandina Beach, our community hosted the biggest local parade [...]

COMMENTARY: Why the Rush to Change City Elections?

By Genece Minshew Well, that did not take long. Less than a month in office, [...]

Port-City Meeting Worked in More Ways Than One

By Mike Phillips The city commission and port executives and commissioners had a mutually respectful [...]

COMMENTARY: Let’s Keep Our Non-Partisan Elections Non-Partisan

By Arlene Filkoff On the Fernandina Beach City Commission agenda for Jan. 17 is an [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Beaches and Parks

By Dale Martin, City Manager At the City Commission’s January 3 workshop, the primary topics [...]

Local Man Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 35-year-old Fernandina Beach man, Cooper Morgenthau, has pleaded guilty to [...]

City Manager’s Comments – New Year’s

By Dale Martin, City Manager Thank you to those who joined me at the Open [...]

‘Impaired’ Properties Continued: More of the Story

By Mike Phillips Although the bureaucratic tangle around the Jasmine Street beach access clearly is [...]

Library Book Club Back in Business

After an extended Covid-caused hiatus, the Friends of the Library Book Club has regrouped and [...]

Commentary: What’s the Risk at Jasmine Street? And Why is it a Mystery?

By Mike Phillips   Somehow, on July 11, the Jasmine Street beach access and some [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Reports

By Dale Martin, City Manager Each month, I have the department directors prepare a monthly [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Commission

By Dale Martin, City Manager With the City Commission election completed this week, let me [...]

Ayscue and Antun Win City Commission Seats

Here are the provisional results from the Dec. 13 Fernandina Beach City Commission election: Seat [...]

Do Partisan Politics Have a Place in Our Small-Town Elections?

By Mike Phillips Observer Editor Now that the Fernandina Beach runoff election is over, no [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Music

By Dale Martin, City Manager Music has always been a part of my life. I [...]

They Met, and They Got Something Down the Road!

It’s master planning time again at the Port of Fernandina. It comes around every 10 [...]

The Port Thinks Big – and Bigger – and Bigger

The Port of Fernandina has completed its first draft of a 10-year master plan. It’s [...]

Arts and Culture Celebrates with More Public Art

Arts and Culture Nassau recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in front of a new public [...]