by Tracy McCormick-Dishman
The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to give initial approval to a sweeping overhaul of the city’s stormwater fee structure that will raise rates for nearly every property owner in the city, with commercial properties and churches facing the steepest increases. Commissioners also approved a scaled-back parks and recreation needs assessment on a 4-1 vote over objections from two residents, finalized new speed limits for electric bicycles and scooters, and heard that a formal request for $3.1 million in county tourism tax funding was submitted without the full commission’s sign-off on the amount.
The stormwater ordinance, which passed first reading 4-1, would replace the city’s flat monthly fee with a system based on how much impervious surface each property has. Under the new structure, the single-family residential base rate would rise from $14.36 to $16.75 a month and the private retention discount would be eliminated entirely. Multifamily properties would see their discount cut from 50% to 30%. Commercial properties, which Utilities Director Andre Desilet said have been undercharged relative to their impervious coverage, would see the largest jumps; he cited a large grocery store’s bill rising to $1,822.35 a month, a large church’s to $1,353.59 and a mid-size hotel’s to $553.16. Desilet said about 25 properties above 10 equivalent residential units will be contacted individually before the ordinance returns for a second reading. Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue and Commissioner Joyce Tuten both said those large commercial customers and churches should have been notified before the vote rather than after, with Ayscue saying he would rather have “dealt with that firestorm up front.” Commissioner Tim Poynter said the increase was necessary regardless of the timing, calling it “the cost of living here” after years of deferred stormwater infrastructure needs.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a $98,750 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates for a scaled-back parks and recreation needs assessment covering the Atlantic Recreation Center, the MLK Center and the city’s beach access points. The study is a smaller version of a parks master plan the commission previously rejected as too costly. Two residents, Richard Dean and Scott Inglis, urged the commission to defer the study or have city staff perform the work in-house, with Dean arguing the money would be better spent addressing a long-discussed need for additional soccer fields. Vice Mayor Ayscue agreed, casting the lone dissenting vote and saying the $100,000 “could be spent on items that we have identified today.” Commissioner Tuten countered that outside expertise would give the plan more credibility with the public and help the commission set long-term priorities across the city’s roughly $5 million annual parks budget.
In other business, City Manager Sarah Campbell told commissioners that staff submitted a formal application by the county’s June 30 deadline requesting $3.1 million in tourist development tax funding for downtown revitalization work, after the commission reached no clear consensus at its previous meeting on how to proceed. Vice Mayor Ayscue noted that the commission itself never approved the requested dollar amount before the application went out. Separately, resident Chad Charland urged the commission to investigate two license-plate-reading cameras near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Center Street, raising concerns about Flock Safety’s national database and citing cases elsewhere in the country of law enforcement misuse of the technology; the cameras were not the subject of a commission vote or discussion.
Other items:
- Commissioners gave final approval, 5-0, to Ordinance 2026-08, setting a 10 mph speed limit for bicycles and electric bicycles on sidewalks, trails and paths and a 25 mph speed limit on roadways.
- Approved 5-0: a $499,000 marina fund budget amendment to cover a nearly 30% rise in fuel costs.
- Approved 5-0: a no-match grant application to the Florida Department of Commerce’s Rural Infrastructure Fund, seeking up to $300,000 for engineering and design work to protect historic downtown properties during revitalization construction.
- Approved 5-0: a Resilient Florida grant application, with a 100% local match, seeking $1.5 million to complete the city’s seawall.
- Approved 4-0: road closures for two private downtown events, the Wells Fargo Company Block Party on Aug. 31 and the Ritz-Carlton Mystery Lunch on Oct. 18; commissioners discussed possibly charging additional fees for closures affecting major intersections in the future.
- Approved 5-0: a contract awarding financial advisor and arbitrage services to PFM Financial Advisors, replacing longtime provider Hilltop Securities after a competitive review.
- Approved 5-0 on first reading: a rewrite of the city’s fats, oils and grease program to align with current state and federal law.
- Approved 5-0 on first reading: an ordinance authorizing the city to enforce St. Johns River Water Management District orders, including the current Level 3 water restrictions.
- Appointed Marie Riley to the Historic District Council, 4-1, and Frederick Kates to the Waterfront Advisory Board, 5-0.
- The city’s Citizens Academy, a nine-week program aimed at educating residents on city operations, restarts this month with room for about 30 participants.
- A Florida Department of Transportation town hall on the Atlantic Avenue repaving project has been rescheduled from July 9 to Thursday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m. in the commission chambers.
