Scott Inglis defeated Len Kreger and Staci McMonagle to take a spot of the Fernandina Beach City Commission, while voters heavily came out against paid parking.
Scott Inglis during his campaign (Submitted)
Two major questions were answered by Fernandina Beach voters Tuesday night.
Residents resoundingly came out against paid parking with a 74.9% to 25.1% margin, or 4,168 to 1,397 votes, respectively. In the City Commission 4 race, former Shrimp Festival Chair Scott Inglis (50.67%) defeated former commissioner Len Kreger (25.26%) and local businesswoman Staci McMonagle (24.07%) with 2,684 votes total to Kreger's 1,338 votes and McMonagle's 1,275.
Mayor James Antun, who currently holds Seat 4, did not file for reelection. Inglis, a U.S. Navy veteran, told the News-Leader he felt gratitude toward the voters for their trust.
"I would like to say thank you so much to the citizens of Fernandina Beach," Inglis stated Tuesday night, "Thank you for your confidence in me. The local residences will now have a voice on the commission looking out for them. And thank you to my opponents for running a clean race."
Regarding the paid parking ballot question, it will return in November.
In full, the ballot question reads:
“The City of Fernandina Beach shall not implement paid parking in any designated area, defined as all areas within the City, without majority approval (50% plus one) vote from a public referendum of registered City voters. This ordinance does not prohibit the City from implementing temporary parking measures during special events. Such measures require public notice at such time a special permit is issued and not last longer than 30 days.”
A yes vote amends the city code with the aforementioned ballot language. Another vote would be required for the language to be placed on the city charter. Commissioners could ultimately override the question with a 4-1 supermajority.
The city has already thwarted a lawsuit against the program and the potential repeal of two commissioners: Genece Minshew and Tim Poynter. With the ballot question, city officials are faced with what City Manager Sarah Campbell referred to as a “myriad” of decisions for city commissioners.
“What’s less clear are some of the personal decisions (commissioners) are faced with, which are probably more nuanced and political,” Campbell told the News-Leader earlier this month. “ … I don’t know what those decisions are going to look like. Our in-house council is saying it doesn’t require (commissioners) to do anything with the program. Now, there’s some pushback against that. I think you can always find an attorney to argue the other side of a case.”
Results are projected until certified by the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections.