Category Archives: City News
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 [...]
Jan
City Manager’s Comments – Beaches and Parks
By Dale Martin, City Manager At the City Commission’s January 3 workshop, the primary topics [...]
Jan
Local Man Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A 35-year-old Fernandina Beach man, Cooper Morgenthau, has pleaded guilty to [...]
Jan
City Manager’s Comments – New Year’s
By Dale Martin, City Manager Thank you to those who joined me at the Open [...]
Dec
‘Impaired’ Properties Continued: More of the Story
By Mike Phillips Although the bureaucratic tangle around the Jasmine Street beach access clearly is [...]
Dec
Library Book Club Back in Business
After an extended Covid-caused hiatus, the Friends of the Library Book Club has regrouped and [...]
Dec
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 [...]
Dec
City Manager’s Comments – Reports
By Dale Martin, City Manager Each month, I have the department directors prepare a monthly [...]
Dec
City Manager’s Comments – Commission
By Dale Martin, City Manager With the City Commission election completed this week, let me [...]
Dec
Ayscue and Antun Win City Commission Seats
Here are the provisional results from the Dec. 13 Fernandina Beach City Commission election: Seat [...]
Dec
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 [...]
Dec
City Manager’s Comments – Music
By Dale Martin, City Manager Music has always been a part of my life. I [...]
Dec
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 [...]
Dec
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 [...]
Dec
Arts and Culture Celebrates with More Public Art
Arts and Culture Nassau recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in front of a new public [...]
Dec
City Manager’s Comments – Service Awards
By Dale Martin, City Manager The city work staff has not been immune to the [...]
Dec
City Manager’s Comments – Christmas
By Dale Martin, City Manager From the time that I first visited Fernandina Beach as [...]
Nov
A Dozen Questions for the Runoff Candidates: Genece Minshew
Editor’s note: After seeking questions from quite a number of thoughtful citizens, we boiled their [...]
Nov
City Manager’s Comments – Thanksgiving
By Dale Martin, City Manager November offers two significant days for me. One is singularly [...]
Nov
City Manager’s Comments – Election
By Dale Martin, City Manager Another biannual general election has closed. We can now pause [...]
Nov
Dear 15%: Come on in With the Rest of Us!
By Mike Phillips Observer Editor I learned two new words this election: undercount and overcount. [...]
Nov
City Races Go to Runoffs
Two Fernandina Beach City Commission runoffs are coming coming Dec. 13. Incumbent Mike Lednovich, who [...]
Nov
Fernandina Beach Voters Elect Bradley Bean New Mayor
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Fernandina Beach, with a median resident age of 55, isn’t [...]
Nov
City Manager’s Comments – Flood Risk Ratings
By Dale Martin, City Manager The City Commission, through Resolution 2021-20, established a series of [...]
Nov
City To Manage Golf Course Three More Years
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics The Fernandina Beach City Commission has committed the city to three more years managing the [...]
Nov
City Manager’s Comments – The Riverfront
By Dale Martin, City Manager An interesting facet of working at City Hall is the [...]
Oct
City Commission Essay by Candidate Staci McMonagle
Editor’s note: The Observer invited Fernandina Beach City Commission candidates to write an essay about [...]
Oct
City Backs County Land Conservation Bonds
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics A bond plan to kick-start Nassau County’s land conservation, amid [...]
Oct
OHPA Does the Right Thing! Mayor is on Board
By Tammi Kosack October 25, 2022 It’s been a while since we’ve seen agreement between [...]
Oct
Matthew Federal Marina Money Finally Coming Through
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Not every city has a collectively owned marina, but Fernandina Beach [...]
Oct
Candidate Essay by Darron Ayscue: Common Sense, Not Nonsense
Darron Ayscue for City Commission Seat 5, Fernandina Beach EDITOR’S NOTE: A few weeks ago, [...]
Oct
Candidate Essay by Mike Lednovich: Preserving Our City’s Quality of Life
Mike Lednovich for City Commission Seat 4, Fernandina Beach EDITOR’S NOTE: A few weeks ago, [...]
Oct
The Myth of City-County Discontent
By Dale Martin, City Manager In the midst of the current campaign season for two [...]
Oct
Candidate Essay by Genece Minshew: Better Ways to Get Things Done
Genece Minshew for City Commission Seat 5, Fernandina Beach EDITOR’S NOTE: A few weeks ago, [...]
Oct
City Manager’s Comments – Storm Assessment
By Dale Martin October 7, 2022 One week after Hurricane Ian (a tropical storm when [...]
Oct
Welcome to Fernandina Beach: A Kerfuffle Over the Sign
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Those wanting to turn Amelia Island into the sort of [...]
Oct
Garbage Service to Resume
Waste Management has announced that it will resume residential garbage pickup in Nassau County on [...]
Sep
Evacuation Order Zones A and D
The Following is an Evacuation Order for Zones A and D – Hurricane Ian As [...]
Sep
A Wednesday Morning Update From the City Manager
Morning Update from Fernandina Beach City Manager By Dale Martin Fernandina Beach City Manager As [...]
Sep
Serious Nassau Advice from the Weather Service
Issued by Jacksonville – FL, US, National Weather Service Affected Area: Coastal Nassau County LOCATIONS AFFECTED [...]
Sep
City Emergency Declared
Fernandina Beach declares city emergency ahead of Hurrican Ian Joining the governor and the county, [...]
Sep
City Manager’s Comments – Front Street
By Dale Martin September 23, 2022 Although the most significant highlight of Tuesday evening’s City [...]
Commentary: Time for a New Bike at City Hall?
Editor’s note: The Observer has invited all seven City Commission candidates to submit an essay [...]
City Manager’s Weekly Comments – Trees
By Dale Martin September 16, 2022 As the current fiscal year nears its conclusion (Sept. [...]
Sep
City Manager’s Weekly Comments – National Community Survey Results
By Dale Martin September 2, 2022 The data from the City’s recent National Community Survey [...]
Sep
Bosque Bello Cemetery Gets New Landscapers
City of Fernandina Beach August 26, 2022 The rumors are true. Starting Monday, Aug. 29, [...]
Aug
City Manager’s Weekly Comments – Staff
By Dale Martin With the hiring of Ms. Catherine Vorrasi to lead the Parks and [...]
City Manager’s Weekly Comments – CRA Update
By Dale Martin At the joint meeting Monday evening between the City Commission (acting as [...]
City Manager’s Weekly Comments – City Streets
By Dale Martin As the 2022-2023 budget process continues, a topic of significant discussion [...]
The City of Fernandina Beach 2022 Community Survey – Open to All CITY Residents
July 19, 2022 ~15 min survey Expires on 08/03/2022 Thank you for participating in the [...]
Jul
Weekly Comments from Dale Martin: Status Report on the Seawall
Submitted by Dale Martin Fernandina Beach City Manager July 15, 2022 As I work with [...]
Jul
McMonagle announces candidacy for Fernandina Beach City Commission Seat 5
Staci McMonagle, Candidate Fernandina Beach City Commission Seat 5 July 13, 2022 Staci McMonagle, a [...]
Jul
Update: Fernandina Beach Police Terminates Employment of Officer Accused of Date Rape
Fernandina Beach Police Department Jeff Tambasco, Deputy Chief Press Release July 7, 2022 On [...]
Jul
City of Fernandina Beach Qualifying Period for 2022 Commission Election: July 11-15
Fernandina Beach City Clerk Caroline Best reminds City residents that the Qualifying Period for [...]
Jul
Weekly comments from Dale Martin – ” . . . let us enjoy one day of our togetherness.”
By Dale Martin City Manager Fernandina Beach July 1, 2022 Trivia question: Where was the [...]
Jun
Jun
Fernandina Beach Commissioners dive into tree protection controversy
By Wes Wolfe FloridaPolitics.com June 24, 2022 ‘Remember, our canopy’s 37%. We’re never going to [...]
Jun
Fernandina’s city beaches on path to smoking ban
By Wes Wolfe FloridaPolitics.com June 24, 2022 There is the cigar and pipe loophole, however. [...]
Jun
Weekly comments from Dale Martin – Capital Improvement Budget
By Dale Martin City Manager Fernandina Beach June 24, 2022 As City staff moves through [...]
Jun
Are We Losing Our Island Paradise? – An opinion
By Gerald Decker June 22, 2022 There is that danger for many, as local property [...]
Jun
Weekly Comments from City Manager Dale Martin: 13 ways to kill your community
By Dale Martin Fernandina Beach City Manager June 16, 2022 At the annual Florida [...]
Jun
Opinion: Serving no whines before their time
By Suanne Z. Thamm June 14, 2022 “Today we have reason to take heart. Fernandina [...]
Jun
Fernandina Beach tackles rising cost of garbage
By Wes Wolfe FloridaPolitics.com June 10, 2022 The city will open up a competitive bidding [...]
Jun
Weekly comments from Dale Martin – A Trashy Report
By Dale Martin City Manager Fernandina Beach June 10, 2022 Mr. Greg Huntington, Waste Management [...]
Jun
City Crafts Anti-Port Expansion Bill
By Mike Phillips June 9, 2022 Relationships between Fernandina Beach and the Port have been [...]
Jun
Fernandina Beach Police Officer Fired After Sexual Battery Arrest and Investigation
Fernandina Beach Police Department Jeffrey Tambasco, Deputy Chief June 6, 2022 On May 30, 2022, [...]
Jun
City’s re-do of Wolff Park showers saves taxpayer dollars
City of Fernandina Beach May 26, 2022 From Public Works – Operations Director Jeremiah [...]
May
Fernandina Beach High School Class of 2022 Awards
Fernandina Beach High School May 20, 2022 The following students received awards at [...]
May
Weekly comments from Dale Martin – Upcoming meetings and conferences . . .
By Dale Martin May 20, 2022 As the most threatening aspects of the covid pandemic [...]
May
Weekly comments from Dale Martin – City Park’s & Recreation Master Plan
By Dale Martin City Manager Fernandina Beach May 13, 2022 “Mr. Mikelson, [interim Park & [...]
May