FERNANDINA BEACH WEATHER
Pat’s Wildways: Okefenokee Day Trip

By Pat Foster-Turley March 3, 2023 Sometimes when Bucko and I are bored with Amelia [...]

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 [...]

Second Year of Heroes for Barnabas

This year’s second annual Barnabas Center Fashion Show honoring Hometown Heroes took place on Monday, [...]

Port Commission Will Vote on its Plan March 8

The Ocean Highway Port Authority (OHPA) commissioners are preparing to vote on a final version [...]

Commentary: More Questions than Transparency in Firing

THAMM-O-GRAMM By Suanne Thamm When Vice Mayor David Sturges showed up at the City Commission [...]

Review – Peach Cobbler Factory

By Dylan Bailey It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens on Amelia Island. And [...]

A New Backpacks for Kids Program in Nassau

The Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Amelia Island Tourist Development [...]

Nassau Firefighters to Train for Derailments

Nassau County Emergency Management (NCEM) will hold a multi-agency tabletop emergency response exercise in its [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Backyard Birding

By Pat Foster-Turley February 24, 2023 Like most of my friends, I try to attract [...]

Neighbors Seek Review of RV Park Approval

On Tuesday, Pirates Bay residents filed a writ of certiorari requesting judicial review of the [...]

As Expected, City Manager Fired

By Mike Phillips Was it a done deal? Of course it was. Well before the [...]

Mystery: Port Meeting Cancelled ‘Until Further Notice’

That’s all the notification said. The Wednesday meeting is cancelled. No reason given. It’s known [...]

Commentary: Cement Dust and Nassau’s Waterways

  Editor’s note: St Marys Riverkeeper — one of 15 Riverkeeper units in Florida — [...]

Library Director Ends a Distinguished Career

Library Director Dawn Bostwick retired last week after 27 years of service, 22 of those [...]

LGBTQ Scholarships: It’s Time to Apply

Fernandina Beach Pride has announced that its yearly Fernandina Beach Pride Scholarship, which celebrates service [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Capital

By Dale Martin, City Manager In last week’s recap of the city commission’s annual goal-setting [...]

Invader Raiders Are Death to Invasive Plants

If you went to the beach last fall and didn’t run into a bunch of [...]

Boat Ramp Repairs

The North End (Dee Dee Bartels) Boat Ramp is temporarily closed. A piling on the [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Dogs in Paris

By Pat Foster-Turley February 17, 2023 It didn’t take long on this trip to Paris [...]

Grants for Florida Non-Profits Serving ‘Medically Complex’ Children

The CareSource Foundation has announced that nonprofit organizations in Florida are eligible for funding through [...]

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 [...]

How Fernandina Beach Came to Be Restored

The Amelia Island Museum of History will present a lecture by Buddy Jacobs on the [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Order of Publication

In the Juvenile Court of Putnam County, Tennessee at Cookeville, Tennessee Ann Marie Fisk VS [...]

A Bash to Kick Off Concours

CarCoterie hosts The Hangar, on March 4, as a kick-off to the widely attended Concours [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Visioning

By Dale Martin, City Manager Earlier this week, the City Commission convened for its annual [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Zoologist in Paris

By Pat Foster-Turley February 10, 2023 It was a whirlwind weeklong visit to Paris with [...]

Port Decisions Coming into the Final Weeks

By Mike Phillips What was expected to be a conclusive port commissioners meeting last evening [...]

Commentary: A Voice of Reason from Suanne Thamm

Dear Readers: Some of you may remember that before I wrote for the Fernandina Observer, [...]

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 [...]

Big, Mysterious Surprise on Townhouse Proposal

By Mike Phillips City Hall was packed last night. Standing room only of citizens, many [...]

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 [...]

Worldwide, Cement Dust is a Serious Issue

  Editor’s note: I’m very liberal about reader comments. So long as you aren’t calling [...]

The Bartram Garden Club Talks Roses

The Bartram Garden Club, Inc. Submitted by Linda Broadrick Secretary and Publicity Chairman Feb. 5, [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Projects

By Dale Martin, City Manager Included in this year’s budget are several capital projects. Here [...]

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 [...]

Huge Concrete Dust Bags Rupture at Port

By Mike Lednovich       Residents of the historic downtown neighborhood near the Port [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Bone Yard Beach

By Pat Foster-Turley February 3, 2023 Most times when I am in search of a [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Big Raise Approved for Nassau Teachers

By Wes Wolfe  Florida Politics Nassau County is making moves, working to better compensate the [...]

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 [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Nate Coyle

By Dale Martin, City Manager Next week, the city will lose one of its most [...]

Interview: Story & Song Bookstore Bistro

By Dylan Bailey I was given the opportunity to interview Donna Kaufman, who is the [...]

Amelia Community Theatre Presents “Clue”

It’s a dark and stormy night in 1954, as invited guests arrive at the foreboding [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Little Talbot Pond

By Pat Foster-Turley January 27, 2023 I’m sure most of you zoom on State Road [...]

Whigham Sentenced for Second-Degree Murder

Fernandina Beach Police Department Jeffrey Tambasco, Deputy Chief Press Release January 23, 2023 Today, Shawn [...]

Citrus Drive Delivers Local Fruit to Barnabas

Barnabas Center Press Release Submitted by Nicola Barnack Director of Development Jan. 25, 2023 Record-breaking [...]

Calling All Port Questioners – Final Open House

If you have any questions, concerns or fresh ideas about the Port of Fernandina Beach, [...]

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 [...]

New Memorial in Fernandina Beach Honors Pearl Harbor Survivor

Executives from Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the Veterans Council of Nassau County honored a [...]

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 [...]

Commentary — Townhouses: A View From the Historic District

  By Taina Cristner Most of us are very concerned about the impact this new [...]

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 [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Henry

By Dale Martin, City Manager Henry Centrella was released (supervised) from prison earlier this week. [...]

Pat’s Wildways – Big Dogs

By Pat Foster-Turley January 20, 2023 It is no surprise to anyone who regularly reads [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A Starring Role for Trees at City Hall

It was a good evening for trees at this week’s Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting. [...]

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 [...]

It’s Time Again to Get Books to Children

Ferst Readers of Nassau County is once again partnering with Nassau County Public Schools for [...]

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 [...]

Habitat Is On a Roll

As the Nassau Habitat for Humanity team rings in the new year, breaking ground on [...]

COMMENTARY: A Proud and Fearless Day, 45 Years Later

By Alexandra R. Lajoux Yesterday in Fernandina Beach, our community hosted the biggest local parade [...]

COMMENTARY: Why the Rush to Change City Elections?

By Genece Minshew Well, that did not take long. Less than a month in office, [...]

City Manager’s Comments – James Thomas

By Dale Martin, City Manager In 1998, Tom Brokaw, then the sole anchor of “NBC [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Effects of the Freeze

By Pat Foster-Turley January 13, 2023 Those of you fairly new to Nassau County maybe [...]

Port-City Meeting Worked in More Ways Than One

By Mike Phillips The city commission and port executives and commissioners had a mutually respectful [...]

Legislators Hear From Tree Advocates

By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Conservative state legislatures like to pass municipal preemption laws to [...]

Free Dental Clinic for Kids

Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is hosting the Jacksonville Dental Society’s annual Give Kids [...]

Barnabas Fashion Show Fund-Raiser

This year’s second Barnabas Center Fashion Show Honoring Hometown Heroes takes place Monday, Feb. 27, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Fernandina Memories at the Museum

On Monday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m., the Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society will present [...]