The city of Fernandina Beach kicked off 2024 by recognizing the 200th year of its existence at the Jan. 2 city commission meeting.
Bryan Campbell, representing U.S. Representative Aaron Bean, read a Congressional record he said will be read on the floor of the House of Representatives when Congress returns to session.
“Whether you are looking to immerse yourself in opulent coastal culture, splash mystical ocean waves or find bliss in unspoiled wilderness, you’ll find what you are looking for in my neck of the woods, Fernandina Beach, Florida,” the document, in part, from Rep. Bean read. “The energy going into this bicentennial year-long celebration shows the pride residents have for our city’s historical significance.”
Following the reading of the Congressional record, Mayor Bradley Bean read a proclamation wishing the city a happy 200th birthday and encouraging residents to take part in the year-long celebration leading up to Jan. 1, 2025, which is the 200th anniversary of the official day the city was incorporated.
An invitation to Fernandina 200 events was issued by the bicentennial committee’s chair, Fernandina Beach Main Street Executive Director Lisa Finkelstein. She introduced Thomas Patrick O’Hagan, who was portrayed by Nassau County Tax Collector John Drew. In costume and character, Drew gave a history of O’Hagan and the lighthouse, which is located on O’Hagan Lane.
“O’Hagan” said he was the principle lighthouse keeper on Amelia Island from 1905 until 1925, and that he would be visiting the city throughout the year to help celebrate the bicentennial. He said he had 12 children, two of whom became lighthouse keepers and one who served aboard a lighthouse tender, a ship specifically designed to maintain, support or tend to lighthouses or lightvessels, providing supplies, fuel, mail and transportation. He shared a brief history of the lighthouse and its role in the history of Fernandina Beach. He invited the public to attend events that will culminate in a Jan. 1, 2025, event to mark the city’s birthday.
The city commission unanimously approved two resolutions relating the city manager position. The first was a separation agreement with former city manager Ty Ross, whose employment with the city ended Dec. 19 in the wake of a run-in with Fernandina Beach police, in which he admitted to wrecking his bicycle after he had been drinking in the city. The separation agreement with Ross included severance pay and other benefits that added up to $50,773.
An employment agreement with city engineer Charles George, who has acted as the deputy city manager, was also approved by the commission. That contract names George as interim city manager. The terms of that agreement provide for a $200,000 annual salary, a city vehicle and cellphone.
In other business, the city commission:
- Recognized the Amelia Island Fernandina Restoration Foundation’s 50th anniversary;
- Approved an amendment to the labor agreement between the city and Laborer’s International Union of North America;
- Retroactively approved the emergency sole source purchase of a Hoffman Remanufactured Blower from Power & Pumps Inc. in the amount of $87,764.71;
- Approved the an amendment to the Comcast Enterprise Services master services agreement and a renewal service order, which adds one circuit at Fire Station No. 2, one circuit at Water Plant No. 2. and reduces the city’s monthly payment from $4,105 to $3,835;
- Approved a proposal from Railway Project Consultants, LLC for consulting services necessary for railroad permitting, consultation and construction assistance on various projects on North Front Street and Centre Street in an amount not to exceed $35,000;
- Appointed Judith Mackie to the PEG channel board and Tom Camera to the Golf Course Advisory Board.
jroberts@fbnewsleader.com