Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
February 16, 2022
At the February 15, 2022 Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) meeting Mayor Mike Lednovich read a Proclamation honoring former Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioner Ron Sapp for his 24 years of public service to the City over four decades.
The Proclamation called out Sapp as a staunch supporter of conservation and controlled development within City limits,, His accomplishments included the introduction of the Open Space Bond Issue which was the primary funding source for the Egan’s Creek Greenway, opening and preservation of over forty public beach accesses, establishing construction height limits, eliminating beach front lot consolidation, initiating the Seaside Park and North Beach Park projects, representing the City in negotiations with the Nassau County School Board to purchase the Peck High School property, collaborating with key African American community leaders to secure state and local funding for the Peck Center rehabilitation project, as well as introduction and sponsorship of the Main Beach Revitalization project which resulted in boardwalk construction, new expanded lighting, and landscaping.
Lednovich expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to Sapp for “his loyal and distinguished service, his uncompromising efforts to maintain and protect the City’s charm and character, his lifelong commitment to community service, and his innumerable civic achievements.”
Sapp thanked the City for the recognition, visibly moved by the tribute and the audience standing ovation. He said, “One of the first things I learned when I became Commissioner in 1978 is that one Commissioner can’t do much of anything; you better have at least 2 other Commissioners on your side. … I’ve been able to serve with so many wonderful Commissioners over the years. I’ve served with nine City Managers, seven City Attorneys, and five City Clerks. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of [the accomplishments listed in the Proclamation] without the help of other Commissioners, and City staff. We were a team.”
Sapp continued on personal reflections on growing up in Fernandina Beach. “The African saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is certainly true,” he said. “The people of Fernandina Beach sure raised me.”
He thanked the Mayor and the City Commissioners for the recognition and also, “the people of Fernandina Beach for putting up with me.”
Ron Sapp is a lifelong resident, a Fernandina Beach High School graduate (Class of 1965), a Georgia Military College graduate, University of North Florida graduate, and United States Air Force veteran. After receiving his education, Mayor Sapp began teaching at the Fernandina Beach High School; a truly revered educator, instructing over 7,000 local students over the course of his twenty-eight-year tenure.
Sapp was accompanied by his wife Kasey and daughter Sherri.
Thank you for your dedication. The island is a better place because of it.
Congratulations!!
A true role model for all of us. Very well done, Mr. Sapp.
An honor well deserved and I know Ron will continue to raise his voice in support of all those causes. Congratulations!
You are truly the last person on Amelia Island with any common sense. Please keep writing your articles in the local paper. They bring a lot of joy, especially when compared to the general, not very detailed reporting, that is the norm on our beautiful Island. John Rasmussen
Although I am sure Mr. Sapp’s motives for serving this community did not include expectations of adulation, this recognition is certainly appropriate and well-deserved. I would further argue that his characteristic humility makes it even more so!
As an elected official, his hands-on efforts to improve the quality of life here are well-documented. Moreover, I believe he has done so in a way that recognized and respected the concerns of all stakeholders in the community. As someone who has dared enter the arena of public service, surviving the “slings and arrows” endemic to that choice, he has certainly earned his role as “elder statesman”.
In his carefully considered expositions concerning the social, political and cultural issues facing our community and beyond, he has always stuck to the topic at hand. He has never resorted to name-calling or emotional rants directed at individuals or groups that don’t share his views. It’s unfortunate that the same can’t be said about some commentators on the opposite side of such arguments. He is a model of civility in an era when that appears to be in short supply, while so desperately needed!
I, too, hope that he will continue to contribute to the public discourse regarding how best to retain the quality of living we enjoy in Fernandina-Nassau County. He is an important voice in our community and I look forward to hearing it and learning from it for
many more years to come.
As citizens of this precious island we have called home for over 20 years we are thankful to Mr. Sapp for the significant effort he made to preserve public access to our beaches and greenways so that everyone can enjoy them. We are also thankful that Mr. Sapp was a beloved teacher to our kids at Fernandina Beach High School. He set an example as a challenging and engaging educator. Thank you for your service to our community.