Nassau County PEO Dept
Press Release
Contact Adrienne Burke, Director
[email protected]
July 12, 2019 4:00 p.m.
Nassau County Planning + Economic Opportunity (PEO) Department has recently been awarded grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR).
The $40,000 DEP grant is the second grant award that will assist in completing a Vulnerability Assessment. A previous grant awarded last year initiated the first phase of the assessment. A Vulnerability Assessment reviews potential exposure to existing developed areas and future areas of development, financial exposure, and risks to environmental and cultural resources as it relates to flooding and sea level rise.
The two areas to be studied in the second phase of the Vulnerability Assessment are: 1) Amelia Island and 2) west of I-95 and north of A1A/SR 200/301. The first phase grant studied east of I-95 excluding the island and west of I-95, south of A1A/SR 200/301. The County has a goal of holistically incorporating resiliency planning into all planning activities, instead of treating it as a siloed, separate planning exercise. For more information, visit: www.nassaucountyfl.com/vulnerabilityassessment.
The $50,000 DHR grant will allow the County to have a historic resource survey completed. With the projected growth in Nassau County, it is a critical time to inventory and plan for historic and cultural resources. The proposed scope of work for the Nassau County Countywide Historic Resources Survey is comprised of three parts: 1) Updating existing Florida Master Site File forms, 2) Surveying areas for potential additions to the Florida Master Site File, and 3) Suggesting recommendations for preservation strategies. For more information on the County’s history, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/history.
Neither grant award required a match from the County. The Board of County Commissioners will be presented with the grant agreements for formal acceptance at forthcoming Board meetings, and the County will select consultants to assist in completing the grant projects. The DEP grant project is estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2020, and the DHR grant project will be completed by June 2020. Community outreach and updates will be part of both grant projects.
The Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department is charged with leading long-range and current planning for the community, with a focus on technical planning, implementation and management of the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, development and site plan review, and assistance to citizens, the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager and other staff, advisory boards, government agencies, and the private sector regarding growth and development in Nassau County. For more information on our Plan, Code, or current initiatives, visit www.nassaucountyfl.com/planning, call (904) 530-6300 or email [email protected].