Tuesday, July 28, 2020
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2020/2021 BUDGET; NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE IMPOSITION OF OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS, ADOPTION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL, AND THE LEVY, COLLECTION, AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAME; NOTICE OF POSSIBLE REMOTE PROCEDURES DURING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO COVID-19; AND NOTICE OF REGULAR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING.
Upcoming Public Hearings, and Regular Meeting
The Board of Supervisors (“Board”) for the East Nassau Stewardship District (“District”) will hold the following two public hearings and a regular meeting:
DATE: August 20, 2020
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport
700 Airport Road
Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034
It is anticipated that the public hearing and meeting will take place at the location above. In the event that the COVID-19 public health emergency prevents the hearing and meeting from occurring in-person, the District may conduct the public hearing by telephone or video conferencing communications media technology pursuant to governmental orders, including but not limited to Executive Orders 20-52, 20-69 and 20-150, issued by Governor DeSantis, as such orders may be supplemented or extended, and pursuant to Section 120.54(5)(b)2., Florida Statutes.
While it may be necessary to hold the above referenced public hearing and meeting utilizing communications media technology due to the current COVID-19 public health emergency, the District fully encourages public participation in a safe and efficient manner. To that end, anyone wishing to listen to and/or participate in the meeting should contact the District Manager’s Office at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance to obtain meeting access information. Participants are strongly encouraged to submit questions and comments to the District Manager’s Office at info@eastnassausd.net or by calling (561) 571-0010 at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting to facilitate the Board’s consideration of such questions and comments during the meeting.
The first public hearing is being held pursuant to Chapter 2017-206, Laws of Florida (“Act”), to receive public comment and objections on the District’s proposed budget (“Proposed Budget”) for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2021 (“Fiscal Year 2020/2021”). The second public hearing is being held pursuant to the Act and Chapter 197, Florida Statutes, to consider the imposition of operations and maintenance special assessments (“O&M Assessments”) upon the lands located within the District, to fund the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021; to consider the adoption of an assessment roll; and, to provide for the levy, collection, and enforcement of assessments. At the conclusion of the hearings, the Board will, by resolution, adopt a budget and levy O&M Assessments as finally approved by the Board. A Board meeting of the District will also be held where the Board may consider any other District business.
Description of Assessments
The District imposes O&M Assessments on benefitted property within the District for the purpose of funding the District’s general administrative, operations, and maintenance budget. A geographic depiction of the property potentially subject to the proposed O&M Assessments is identified in the map attached hereto. The table below shows the schedule of the proposed O&M Assessments, which are subject to change at the hearing:
O&M GF Assessments
* Represents a decrease from O&M GF Assessments of $5.02 per ERU in Fiscal Year 2019/2020, which constitutes the maximum rate in accordance with the mailed notice requirements of Chapter 197.3632, Florida Statutes
O&M SRF Assessments
The proposed O&M Assessments as stated include collection costs and/or early payment discounts, which Nassau County (“County”) may impose on assessments that are collected on the County tax bill. Moreover, pursuant to Section 197.3632(4), Florida Statutes, the lien amount shall serve as the “maximum rate” authorized by law for O&M Assessments, such that no assessment hearing must be held or notice provided in future years unless the assessments are proposed to be increased or another criterion within Section 197.3632(4), Florida Statutes, is met. Note that the O&M Assessments do not include any debt service assessments previously levied by the District and due to be collected for Fiscal Year 2020/2021.
For Fiscal Year 2020/2021, the District intends to have the County tax collector collect the assessments imposed on certain developed property, and will directly collect the assessments imposed on the remaining benefitted property by sending out a bill prior to, or during, November 2020. It is important to pay your assessment because failure to pay will cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property which may result in loss of title, or for direct billed assessments, may result in a foreclosure action, which also may result in a loss of title. The District’s decision to collect assessments on the tax roll or by direct billing does not preclude the District from later electing to collect those or other assessments in a different manner at a future time.
Additional Provisions
The public hearings and meeting are open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida law. A copy of the Proposed Budget, proposed assessment roll, and the agenda for the hearings and meeting may be obtained at the offices of the District Manager, located at Wrathell, Hunt and Associates, LLC, 2300 Glades Road, Suite 410W, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, Ph: (561) 571-0010 (“District Manager’s Office”), during normal business hours or on the District’s website at https://eastnassausd.net/. The public hearings and meeting may be continued to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the hearings or meeting. There may be occasions when staff or board members may participate by speaker telephone.
Any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Manager’s Office at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1, or 1-800-955-8771 (TTY) / 1-800-955-8770 (Voice), for aid in contacting the District Manager’s Office.
Please note that all affected property owners have the right to appear at the public hearings and meeting, and may also file written objections with the District Manager’s Office within twenty days of publication of this notice. Each person who decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at the public hearings or meeting is advised that person will need a record of proceedings and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which such appeal is to be based.
Craig Wrathell
District Manager
