Fernandina Beach will soon welcome first Arborist and a Building Director

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
July 24, 2018 3:54 p.m.

City of Fernandina Beach Manager Dale Martin has announced the completion of interviews for two key positions in the city.  Offers have been made to the successful candidates, who have accepted and will soon report to their new positions.

Neal Thomas Lumsden will become the city’s first Urban Forestry Inspector/Arborist when he reports to the city on August 20, 2018.  Lumsden currently lives in St. Petersburg, FL.  He has worked as Tree Coordinator for Environmental Consultants since 2003.  Prior to that he worked for the city of Atlanta, GA as the city’s arborist for 2 years. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, having earned a B.S.A. in Horticulture.  He is an International Society of Arborists (I.S.A.) Certified Arborist and an I.S.A. Certified Utility Specialist/Arborist.

James “Jud” Allen, Jr. has accepted the position of Building Director with the city.  He currently lives in Tallahassee, where he has worked for Leon County since 2006, serving since 2015 as Director of Building Plans Review and Inspection.  Prior to that he served as Deputy Building Official for Florida State University. He holds an Associate of Arts Degree from Tallahassee Community College in Data Processing.  He holds many credentials in addition to being a Certified Building Official and a Certified Flood Plain manager.  He was named Building Official of the Year by the Big Bend chapter of the Building Officials Association of Florida in 1994.  Allen will report to his new job on September 17, 2018.

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.