Media Release
Submitted by State Senator
Aaron Bean, Nassau County
Delegation Chair
January 9, 2015 10:05 a.m.
The Nassau County Legislative Delegation chaired by Sen. Aaron Bean will hold a public meeting Jan. 13 to review a resolution presented by the Ocean Highway and Port Authority revising OHPA’s commission elections process.
OHPA is seeking to clarify how its commission elections are conducted. Specifically, the proposed amendment to the OHPA charter would formalize a partisan election process for all commission members. OHPA elections have traditionally been conducted as partisan; however, a 2005 update to the charter did not specify that the elections be partisan. The full text of the resolution can be found here.
The Jan. 13 meeting will be begin at 4 p.m. in the Nassau County Commission Chambers located in the James S. Page Governmental Complex at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL.
Those who would like to be included in the agenda, should contact Sen. Bean’s office at (904) 346-5039 or e-mail Meghan Tarsitano at [email protected].
The deadline to be included in the agenda is Jan. 9; however, anyone who submits a speaker card at the meeting may speak. Please submit all hand-outs or written materials by Jan. 12 to the above e-mail address or by postal service to 1919 Atlantic Blvd., Jacksonville, FL, 32207.
All delegation meetings are open to the public. Those wishing to participate in the meeting who require special assistance such as interpreters or assisted listening devices, should contact Sen. Bean’s office by Jan. 9.
For more information, please contact Meghan Tarsitano at [email protected] or by calling (904) 346-5039.
Best way to get open, objective, and relatively unbiased Port Authority decision making is to make plain that the election of Authority Commissioners is non partisan -thus allowing non affiliated citizens the chance to express their informed opinions.
Robert, I agree with you. The position of OHPA Commissioner should be non partisan same a City Commissioners. I also feel that this Commission needs oversight. That the OHPA Charter should be amended to allow our City leaders to have input as to what transpires at our Port. That was apparent at the Wednesday night meeting. When the Charter was written in 1948? I’m sure the planners had no idea of what potential havoc this group could have on our community. A post last night, told of how the charter in Jacksonville was amended so the city would have a say at JaxPort. We need those safeguards here in Fernandina Beach.
There are 2 issues regarding elections at OHPA: future and past. Elections have been improperly held since 2005 which means that all Commissioners currently serving need to be ratified. I suspect they woul not be elected today,
I will be asking senator Bean and congresswoman Adkins to find a remedy for past election irregularities as well as to amend the current OHPA charter.
Outstanding.
For information about JAXPORT….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Port_Authority
http://www.jaxport.com/content/charter-and-executive-summary
http://www.jaxport.com/sites/default/files/docs/2014%20JAXPORT%20Charter%20b.pdf
Additionally, a public records request to OHPA revealed that it’s Board has no bylaws! I also received and read the Operating Contract between OHPA and Nassau Terminals … more issues.
Improper elections, no bylaws, lack of oversight of Nassau Terminals … OHPA is in disarray. We need state regulators to intervene in more ways than one.
We lack a forum where all issues can be aired. Perhaps we can coordinate and do so at Tuesday meeting.
back this summer, Aaron and Janet were going to schedule a town hall meeting over Kinder Morgans request for a dirty air permit from the State so they could haul in up to 500,000 tons of coal. After it was discovered, The Port said that it was only to support the paper mill, but that wasn’t true, the paper mill was converting to Natural Gas. Which City Commissioner Poynter had to point out to the OHPA Commissioners. I feel a Town Hall meeting would be appropriate. I think we can voice our concern at the Tues. meeting at Page Govt. center. But to initiate oversight and rewrite the Charter will be quit a process. But it must be done.
Thank you Robert and Medardo good input. Bean and Adkins needs to know this. The tues. meeting differently needs to be more than partisan vs. nonpartisan for OHPA Commissioners.
Steven,
Please write to: [email protected] . I’d like to contact you directly to share my findings and talk about coordinating efforts at Tuesday’s meeting and beyond.
To All, This is the most important discussion opportunity we have had to change the dialog and the direction of the Port Of Fernandina’s Future. We need to talk about Proper elections of the OHPA Commissioners, but also future imput and oversight of this group by our County/City Commissioners. It was apparent at the City/OHPA Commissioners meeting last week that they have no interest in playing nice with this Town. Please turn out at the meeting if you can. Today @ 4pm Page Govt. complex. Commissioners Chambers.