By Mike Lednovich The seemingly never-ending legal wrangling over whether the Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA) is required to continue to make payments to the City of Fernandina Beach for services it provides is going to mediation for a second time in five years. Last week, Nassau County Circuit Court Judge Marianne Aho ordered [...] The post Judge Sends City, Port Back to Mediation appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich Members of the city’s Airport Advisory Commission (AAC) faced a three-quarters-full meeting room Thursday as they heard a proposal that would charge pilots a landing fee at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport. Normally during routine AAC meetings only a handful of people are on hand, but the issue of instituting fees brought out [...] The post Airport Touch-n-Pay Idea Meets Cheers — and Doubts appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich In an effort to blunt revisions to Florida’s “Live Local Act,” which supersedes all local government regulations regarding development, the city’s Planning Advisory Board (PAB) voted Wednesday to lower the density in the Central Business District from 34 units to 18 units per acre. The PAB’s decision follows Fernandina Beach city commissioners’ [...] The post First Lower Density Step Taken in Race to Beat ‘Live Local’ Law appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Chip Ross City Commissioner Citizens want to cut taxes, but the subsidy of the Marina continues to consume approximately 2.2% of the general budget. Currently the city taxpayers subsidize the city-owned Marina approximately $700,000 per year – approximately 2.2 % of the general budget. That subsidy is likely to increase in the coming years. [...] The post Commentary: Want to Cut Taxes? Look at Marina Subsidy appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich The deadline is just six weeks away for candidacy in the Fernandina Beach city commission and a concerning silence persists. Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the current leadership of Mayor Bradley Bean and Vice Mayor David Sturges, no contenders have emerged to challenge the pro-development, good-old-boy network incumbents. This absence of candidates is [...] The post Commentary: It’s Now or Never to Keep Our City Liveable appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich It won’t happen next week, next month, or even this year. But in the not-too-distant future, the skies over Amelia Island are about to change, and not for the better for those who cherish serenity. That’s because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to expand its controlled airspace to include the majority [...] The post How will the FAA’s proposal impact Amelia Island? appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich The City of Fernandina Beach is done haggling with the Ocean Highway and Port Authority (OHPA) regarding $250,000 it claims is owed in payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) collections. City Attorney Tammi Bach said the city’s outside legal firm of Bryant Miller Olive has filed a motion of summary judgment in [...] The post City-Port Fuss Takes Another Step Toward Resolution appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich City Commission candidate Charles A. (Tony) Morris has changed again to a new seat and opponent for the August city election. According to City Clerk Caroline Best, Morris filed to change to city commission seat 3. That seat is held by Commissioner Chip Ross, who is termed out and cannot run for [...] The post Yet Again, City Candidate Switches Seats appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich Interim City Manager Charlie George has been instructed to invite Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) to a future city commission meeting to provide information about the company’s proposed bioethanol plant. The instruction from Mayor Bradley Bean followed a request Tuesday by Commissioner Chip Ross. Ross said the city followed a similar process when [...] The post RYAM Invited to Tell Commission About Bioethanol Plans appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more

By Mike Lednovich At the urging of Vice Mayor David Sturges, the Fernandina Beach City Commission did an abrupt about-face and agreed to suspend efforts to change sections of the city’s Land Development Code (LDC) that would have allowed property owners to more easily subdivide their parcels. Sturges, who filed for re-election to the city [...] The post Sturges Gets Indefinite Delay in Proposed Subdivision Changes appeared first on Fernandina Observer ..read more