Pat’s Wildways: Okefenokee Day Trip
By Pat Foster-Turley March 3, 2023 Sometimes when Bucko and I are bored with Amelia [...]
Mar
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 [...]
Mar
Second Year of Heroes for Barnabas
This year’s second annual Barnabas Center Fashion Show honoring Hometown Heroes took place on Monday, [...]
Mar
Port Commission Will Vote on its Plan March 8
The Ocean Highway Port Authority (OHPA) commissioners are preparing to vote on a final version [...]
Feb
Commentary: More Questions than Transparency in Firing
THAMM-O-GRAMM By Suanne Thamm When Vice Mayor David Sturges showed up at the City Commission [...]
Feb
Review – Peach Cobbler Factory
By Dylan Bailey It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens on Amelia Island. And [...]
Feb
A New Backpacks for Kids Program in Nassau
The Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Amelia Island Tourist Development [...]
Feb
Nassau Firefighters to Train for Derailments
Nassau County Emergency Management (NCEM) will hold a multi-agency tabletop emergency response exercise in its [...]
Feb
Pat’s Wildways: Backyard Birding
By Pat Foster-Turley February 24, 2023 Like most of my friends, I try to attract [...]
Feb
Neighbors Seek Review of RV Park Approval
On Tuesday, Pirates Bay residents filed a writ of certiorari requesting judicial review of the [...]
Feb
As Expected, City Manager Fired
By Mike Phillips Was it a done deal? Of course it was. Well before the [...]
Feb
Mystery: Port Meeting Cancelled ‘Until Further Notice’
That’s all the notification said. The Wednesday meeting is cancelled. No reason given. It’s known [...]
Feb
Commentary: Cement Dust and Nassau’s Waterways
Editor’s note: St Marys Riverkeeper — one of 15 Riverkeeper units in Florida — [...]
Feb
Library Director Ends a Distinguished Career
Library Director Dawn Bostwick retired last week after 27 years of service, 22 of those [...]
Feb
LGBTQ Scholarships: It’s Time to Apply
Fernandina Beach Pride has announced that its yearly Fernandina Beach Pride Scholarship, which celebrates service [...]
Feb
City Manager’s Comments – Capital
By Dale Martin, City Manager In last week’s recap of the city commission’s annual goal-setting [...]
Feb
Invader Raiders Are Death to Invasive Plants
If you went to the beach last fall and didn’t run into a bunch of [...]
Feb
Boat Ramp Repairs
The North End (Dee Dee Bartels) Boat Ramp is temporarily closed. A piling on the [...]
Feb
Pat’s Wildways: Dogs in Paris
By Pat Foster-Turley February 17, 2023 It didn’t take long on this trip to Paris [...]
Feb
Grants for Florida Non-Profits Serving ‘Medically Complex’ Children
The CareSource Foundation has announced that nonprofit organizations in Florida are eligible for funding through [...]
Feb
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 [...]
Feb
How Fernandina Beach Came to Be Restored
The Amelia Island Museum of History will present a lecture by Buddy Jacobs on the [...]
Feb
Calling All Quilt-Lovers, ‘Quilts by the Sea’ Is This Weekend
The Amelia Island Quilt Guild’s triennial quilt show, Quilts by the Sea, will be this [...]
Feb
Restaurant Review: a Hidden Gem the Tourists Haven’t Found
By Dylan Bailey I have lived around the Amelia Island area for more than 15 [...]
Feb
Order of Publication
In the Juvenile Court of Putnam County, Tennessee at Cookeville, Tennessee Ann Marie Fisk VS [...]
Feb
A Bash to Kick Off Concours
CarCoterie hosts The Hangar, on March 4, as a kick-off to the widely attended Concours [...]
Feb
City Manager’s Comments – Visioning
By Dale Martin, City Manager Earlier this week, the City Commission convened for its annual [...]
Feb
Pat’s Wildways: A Zoologist in Paris
By Pat Foster-Turley February 10, 2023 It was a whirlwind weeklong visit to Paris with [...]
Feb
Port Decisions Coming into the Final Weeks
By Mike Phillips What was expected to be a conclusive port commissioners meeting last evening [...]
Feb
Commentary: A Voice of Reason from Suanne Thamm
Dear Readers: Some of you may remember that before I wrote for the Fernandina Observer, [...]
Feb
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 [...]
Feb
Big, Mysterious Surprise on Townhouse Proposal
By Mike Phillips City Hall was packed last night. Standing room only of citizens, many [...]
Feb
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 [...]
Feb
Worldwide, Cement Dust is a Serious Issue
Editor’s note: I’m very liberal about reader comments. So long as you aren’t calling [...]
Feb
The Bartram Garden Club Talks Roses
The Bartram Garden Club, Inc. Submitted by Linda Broadrick Secretary and Publicity Chairman Feb. 5, [...]
Feb
City Manager’s Comments – Projects
By Dale Martin, City Manager Included in this year’s budget are several capital projects. Here [...]
Feb
Commentary: It’s No Wetland — It’s a Mud Bank That Could Be a Park
By Bob Allison City citizens who have read the waterfront plan I provided to the [...]
Feb
Huge Concrete Dust Bags Rupture at Port
By Mike Lednovich Residents of the historic downtown neighborhood near the Port [...]
Feb
Pat’s Wildways: Bone Yard Beach
By Pat Foster-Turley February 3, 2023 Most times when I am in search of a [...]
Feb
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 [...]
Feb
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 [...]
Jan
Big Raise Approved for Nassau Teachers
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Nassau County is making moves, working to better compensate the [...]
Jan
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 [...]
Jan
City Manager’s Comments – Nate Coyle
By Dale Martin, City Manager Next week, the city will lose one of its most [...]
Jan
Interview: Story & Song Bookstore Bistro
By Dylan Bailey I was given the opportunity to interview Donna Kaufman, who is the [...]
Jan
Amelia Community Theatre Presents “Clue”
It’s a dark and stormy night in 1954, as invited guests arrive at the foreboding [...]
Jan
Pat’s Wildways: Little Talbot Pond
By Pat Foster-Turley January 27, 2023 I’m sure most of you zoom on State Road [...]
Jan
Whigham Sentenced for Second-Degree Murder
Fernandina Beach Police Department Jeffrey Tambasco, Deputy Chief Press Release January 23, 2023 Today, Shawn [...]
Jan
Citrus Drive Delivers Local Fruit to Barnabas
Barnabas Center Press Release Submitted by Nicola Barnack Director of Development Jan. 25, 2023 Record-breaking [...]
Jan
Calling All Port Questioners – Final Open House
If you have any questions, concerns or fresh ideas about the Port of Fernandina Beach, [...]
Jan
Florida Roots Trail Race Delivers an Unforgettable Day at Fort Clinch
The third annual Florida Roots Trail Series foot race was run this past weekend at [...]
Jan
New Memorial in Fernandina Beach Honors Pearl Harbor Survivor
Executives from Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the Veterans Council of Nassau County honored a [...]
Jan
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 [...]
Jan
Commentary — Townhouses: A View From the Historic District
By Taina Cristner Most of us are very concerned about the impact this new [...]
Jan
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 [...]
Jan
City Manager’s Comments – Henry
By Dale Martin, City Manager Henry Centrella was released (supervised) from prison earlier this week. [...]
Jan
Pat’s Wildways – Big Dogs
By Pat Foster-Turley January 20, 2023 It is no surprise to anyone who regularly reads [...]
Jan
A Friend of Fernandina and The Observer Has Passed
Editor’s note: We were saddened to learn of the death of Malcolm “Mac” Noden. While [...]
Jan
Pay Up to Tee Up: Golf Fees Soaring on the Island
By Mike Lednovich Domenick Gambardella and Carla Foreman were stunned after receiving an email late [...]
Jan
A Starring Role for Trees at City Hall
It was a good evening for trees at this week’s Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting. [...]
Jan
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 [...]
Jan
It’s Time Again to Get Books to Children
Ferst Readers of Nassau County is once again partnering with Nassau County Public Schools for [...]
Jan
Restaurant Review: The Old/New Crab Trap Is a Delight
By Dylan Bailey The Crab Trap, at 31 N. 2nd St., was long a staple [...]
Jan
Habitat Is On a Roll
As the Nassau Habitat for Humanity team rings in the new year, breaking ground on [...]
Jan
COMMENTARY: A Proud and Fearless Day, 45 Years Later
By Alexandra R. Lajoux Yesterday in Fernandina Beach, our community hosted the biggest local parade [...]
Jan
COMMENTARY: Why the Rush to Change City Elections?
By Genece Minshew Well, that did not take long. Less than a month in office, [...]
Jan
City Manager’s Comments – James Thomas
By Dale Martin, City Manager In 1998, Tom Brokaw, then the sole anchor of “NBC [...]
Jan
Pat’s Wildways: Effects of the Freeze
By Pat Foster-Turley January 13, 2023 Those of you fairly new to Nassau County maybe [...]
Jan
Port-City Meeting Worked in More Ways Than One
By Mike Phillips The city commission and port executives and commissioners had a mutually respectful [...]
Jan
Legislators Hear From Tree Advocates
By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Conservative state legislatures like to pass municipal preemption laws to [...]
Jan
Free Dental Clinic for Kids
Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is hosting the Jacksonville Dental Society’s annual Give Kids [...]
Jan
Barnabas Fashion Show Fund-Raiser
This year’s second Barnabas Center Fashion Show Honoring Hometown Heroes takes place Monday, Feb. 27, [...]
Jan
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
Genealogy Group to View New Software
The Amelia Island Genealogical Society will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Community Room [...]
Jan
Fernandina Memories at the Museum
On Monday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m., the Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society will present [...]
Jan