CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK P I A Ballroom ‘Get N G Hornets vs. Pirates S E gold Jazzed’ I PAGE 12A PAGE 10A 2 PAGE 1B D E 75¢ FRIDAY, September 25, 2009 /20 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS • fbnewsleader.com Private firm to manage city marina ANGELA DAUGHTRY tions, and some local charter captains pany takes over operations. Hair said “allowing a private busi- think we need something different. News-Leader voiced concerns over the impending Two charter boat operators voiced ness (to run the marina) is a travesty We need to make a gem out of the privatization. concerns about the public marina ... this is where our local boats con- marina. A private firm will take over man- A city marina committee chose being taken over by a private company. duct their business.” “You hold a lot of the future for us,” agement later this year, heralding a Westrec out of five marina manage- Wanda Hair, who owns a charter oper- “With any privatization there are Mills said. “Please realize you can’t new day for the controversial city mari- ment firms that responded to the city’s ation with her husband, Steve, said a no guarantees for slips,” Hair went on. afford (to charge) $15 a foot (per boat.) na that has lagged financially for years. request for qualifications. number of captains are looking into “This could cause even more hardship Drop it to $12 or $10 a foot and fill all Fernandina Beach Commissioners After presentations Monday by forming an official charter boat asso- ... I refuse to go the way of the shrimp the slips.” Mills also expressed hope voted 4-1 at a special meeting Monday committee vice chair Dave Lott and a ciation, and said that many captains boats. Our fleet has dwindled down to that an empty kiosk on the waterfront to negotiate a contract with Westrec representative of Westrec, commis- had been “forced out of business” a handful of captains.” could be used for a charter associa- Marine to manage the city marina. sioners agreed to accept the recom- because of the economy and accom- Allen Mills of AC Charters was not tion office. Commissioner Jeffrey Bunch voted mendation, assuming approval of a panying increases in regulations and as pessimistic as Hair. “It’s time for against going forward with negotia- more detailed contract before the com- licensing fees. new ideas downtown,” Mills said. “I MARINA Continued on 3A Electric Landfill rate hike may close in January Thursday Citing increased costs from its RYAN SMITH wholesale power provider, Florida News-Leader Public Utilities (FPU) has filed a pur- chased power cost adjustment with Open or closed, the West Nassau the Florida Public Service Commission Landfill will cost money. Closure, how- (FPSC) that would increase bills in ever, will save money in the long run, January. according to County Coordinator Ed Purchased power cost increases Sealover. will take effect Jan. 1, resulting in a But county residents can expect to total increase for residential electric pay a couple of dollars more a month service of 1.4 percent. once the landfill is closed next week. The electric bill for a residential Myron Thomas, general manager customer using 1,000 kwh per month of Stateline Disposal in Fernandina will increase from $129.99 to $131.83, Beach, said his company is trying to not including taxes and franchise fees. keep the extra charges as low as pos- FPU does not generate power and sible. purchases energy wholesale from JEA. “There will be a price increase. ... By state regulation, purchased power We’re basically looking at $1.75 per costs are directly passed through to month, plus fuel surcharge, which is customers without any mark-up. FPU $1.91,” he said. “It’s basically bare- does not earn a profit on this portion bones. We’re hoping it makes us of customers’ electric bills. FPU’s base whole. We know the economic times customer charge remains unchanged. we’re in and have been doing every- “In today’s economy, we recognize thing we can to negotiate landfill rates. that any increase, no matter how slight, We’ve been pretty successful with that will have an impact on our customers,” figure. It was much less than I thought said Mark Cutshaw, general manager it was going to be. of FPU’s Northeast Division, in a press “Basically if you’re living in the city release. “We’re committed to working this won’t really affect you because with our customers to address the that rate is negotiated by the city,” he impact of these costs as best as possi- added. “People out in the county with ble.” once-a-week pickup, they’re really the “We continue to increase our out- ones this will affect.” reach into the community to educate Thomas said the move of Nassau’s customers about conservation meas- trash to a Georgia landfill has meant ures that can directly reduce costs,” extra expense for his company as well. added Cutshaw. “Our customer rela- “We’re going to add an additional tions team is also working with cus- three trucks to move the volume, tomers on a case-by-case basis to because the weight limitations change explore payment options and, when when you cross state lines,” he said. necessary, directing customers to area “That’s been our biggest hurdle.” organizations for payment assistance.” “The original estimated closure FPU offers customers conserva- costs were somewhere in the area of FPU Continued on 3A LANDFILL Continued on 3A PHOTOS BY JASON YURGARTIS/NEWS-LEADER Residents of the Lofton Creek area, top, address a panel consisting of State Rep. Janet Adkins, State Sen. Steve Wise, county and Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials above, County, at a Monday forum. City OKs city spat State won’t enforce rules 2009-10 on sand as dock solution sought budget JASON YURGARTIS The town-hall-style event was the result of a recent ANGELA DAUGHTRY RYAN SMITH News-Leader evaluation by the DEP that found 99 out of 110 docks in News-Leader News-Leader the Lofton Creek area to be out of compliance with The state Department of Environmental Protection state-mandated aquatic preserve requirements. The Despite a few setbacks and last- Debate flared Monday between has agreed to suspend penalties until June for non-com- compliance sweep stemmed from a series of resident minute objections by local residents, Fernandina Beach and Nassau County pliant docks in an aquatic preserve in the Lofton Creek complaints to the DEP dating back to September 2008, city commissioners approved 4-1 the commissioners over cost sharing for a area in the hope that a legislative fix can be achieved in and culminated with a March request that all docks in 2009-10 budget Tuesday at City Hall. beach renovation project in the city. the 2010 session. the area be inspected. Commissioner Jeffrey Bunch voted Last year the Nassau County Shore State Rep. Janet Adkins presented a loose outline of Adkins kicked off the night by reiterating what many against. Protection Project widened and potential solutions Monday night to a standing-room-only in the audience already knew. “There is various criteria The total budget for the fiscal year restored 3.8 miles of beach from Fort crowd at the Betty P. Cook Nassau Center in Yulee. for construction of single-family docks, and I will tell you, that starts Oct. 1 is $87.4 million. The Clinch State Park to south of Sadler “Possible solutions might include – and let me empha- it is incredibly, incredibly confusing,” she said. “One millage rate for city property owners Road at Seaside Park. The federal gov- size might – variances or waivers, rule amendments, thing that we have heard over and over again since is set at 4.4855, an increase from last ernment picked up about 79 percent of going through joint administrative procedures, an envi- February is that most homeowners, county officials, year’s rate of 4.2209. the project’s $15 million price tag. The ronmental regulation commission, amended permits, real estate agents and even title insurance companies That’s in addition to the millage Florida Department of Environmental easements and the possibility of a bill or local bill,” she were unaware that their property was within an aquat- levied by the Nassau County Protection paid 10 percent, and the said. ic preserve.” Commission, which will hold a final remaining 11 percent was shared by The community forum, hosted by Adkins, included Residents of Lofton Creek and others on hand had budget hearing Monday at 7 p.m. at Fernandina Beach and Nassau County. panel members Sen. Steve Wise, county officials and a wide range of questions, from how property values will the James S. Page Governmental A portion of that 11 percent was at state DEP employees, who were on hand to answer be affected by the DEP’s findings to whether the unique Complex on Nassau Place in Yulee, questions, allay concerns and discuss a possible solution BEACH Continued on 3A for those found in violation of DEP regulations. DOCKS Continued on 4A BUDGET Continued on 3A News-Leader INDEX SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON 155th year. No. 77 CLASSIFIEDS .............................. 3B OBITUARIES ........................................... 2A 2009 Nests: 89 Hatchlings: 5738 Copyright, 2009 CROSSWORD/SUDOKU ..... 2B OUT AND ABOUT ................. 2B 2 nests lost due to storms The News-Leader EDITORIAL .................................. 7A SCHOOLS ............................................... 10A Please turn off or redirect lights shining Fernandina Beach, FL FISHING ..................................... 14A SERVICE DIRECTORY ...................... 4B directly on the beach. For a detailed count Printed on 100% recycled LEISURE ........................................................ 1B SPORTS .................................................... 12A newsprint with soy based ink.