Nassau County Insider
Contact: Sabrina Robertson
[email protected]
March 19, 2020
Nassau County, Florida, March 18, 2020 – At today’s meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2020-35, declaring a State of Local Emergency, as a result of the threat to public health caused by COVID-19.
Florida Statutes, Section 252.38, states that “safeguarding the life and property of (the County’s) citizens is an innate responsibility of the governing body of each political subdivision of the State”, and further grants the County the power to provide a State of Emergency for the health and safety of persons and property”. The State of Emergency will apply to all territory within the legal boundaries of Nassau County, including the unincorporated and incorporated areas.
Declaring a State of Emergency may sound threatening, however this is a formality that allows your government officials quick access to resources to help manage a crisis until things return to normal.
A State of Emergency also helps government officials take extra measures to protect the public, trigger anti-price gouging laws, and most importantly, seek State or Federal funding for disaster response and reimbursement of funds exhausted on things such as overtime costs and purchase of supplies and equipment needed to manage the emergency.
Should you have any questions, please contact the County Manager’s Office at (904) 530-6010.