Wrathell, Hunt and Associates, LLC
MEDIA RELEASE
October 9, 2017 10:00 a.m.
Yulee, FL – Oct. 5, 2017 – The East Nassau Stewardship District (“District”) is pleased to announce that Mike Hahaj, Dan Roach, Rob Fancher, Max Hord and Bob Rhodes were recently elected to its Board of Supervisors on Aug. 10, 2017. Hahaj will serve as chairman of the board and Roach will serve as vice-chairman of the board. The board is responsible for governing the newly created District which spans 24,000 acres in Nassau County, including a potential 12,000 acres of conservation habitat network. Following the election, the board took action to engage a team of professional advisors to support the District’s initiatives. Advisors include: Hopping Green & Sams, General Counsel; Wrathell, Hunt and Associates, LLC, District Manager; England Thims & Miller, Inc., District Engineer; Greenberg Traurig, Bond Counsel; and MBS Capital, Bond Underwriting Services.
“Our driving factor for pursuing a stewardship district was to provide a streamlined and consolidated entity to oversee the long-term maintenance and conservation of such a large-scale property,” said Mike Hahaj, chairman of the board. “One of a stewardship district’s key benefits is its ability to help fund, construct and manage public infrastructure improvements, utilities and certain recreational amenities within a development area which support economic growth.”
Established by the Florida legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on June 6, 2017, the District is a special purpose entity created to operate and maintain basic services for future community development within the 24,000-acre East Nassau Community Planning Area (ENCPA). The District supports the efforts of the landmark public/private partnership between Nassau County and Rayonier to promote economic growth, conserve the environment and ensure sustainable development of the area for decades to come.
In addition to the potential 12,000-acre Conservation Habitat Network, the District will also encompass Wildlight, the 2,900-acre new town already under development. Inspired by the Florida Lowcountry, Wildlight is designed for a variety of homes, townhomes and apartments with shops, restaurants and commercial space, along with the recently opened Wildlight Elementary School and plenty of trails, pathways and open space.
All District-owned improvements, facilities and public infrastructure such as storm water management systems, utilities, roadways and certain recreational amenities will be open and accessible to the general public, subject to limitations based upon ordinary or customary hours of operation. Over time, the remaining acres within the District, outside of the potential Conservation Habitat Network, could be developed into additional neighborhoods, parks and recreational areas.
About the East Nassau Stewardship District
The East Nassau Stewardship District (“District”) is an independent, special purpose entity established by House Bill 1075, passed by the Florida Legislature and approved by the Governor of Florida on June 6, 2017. The District is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors and is responsible for operating and maintaining certain improvements, infrastructure and facilities within the District’s footprint.
The District encompasses 24,000 acres of land located in Nassau County, FL, including the projected Conservation Habitat Network of 12,000 acres. In addition to the Conservation Habitat Network, the District also includes Wildlight, the 2,900-acre new town already under development. Overtime, the remaining acres within the District could be development into additional neighborhoods, parks and recreational areas.