Board of County Commission discusses William Burgess Extension and voter referendums

By Cindy Jackson

December 19, 2019

Adrienne Burke, director of the Planning & Economic Opportunity for Nassau County receives input from residents at a previous planning session for the William Burgess Extension.

The Board of County Commissioners decided on an important issue regarding property needed to complete the long awaited and highly anticipated William Burgess Extension Project. After much discussion at the December 4th meeting and even more at the BOCC meeting of December 9, the Board voted to pay the landowner John Semanik, President of SEDA Construction, $2 million for a 9.64 acre parcel of property.

In addition to the $2 million, well above the appraisal performed by Colliers International which reflected a market value of $1,278,000, an additional $360,000 is due to Mr. Semanik’s attorney, Bruce B. Humphrey.

Commissioner Thomas Ford

At one point, Commissioner Thomas Ford said “eminent domain bothers me. Litigation bothers me.” And while all commissioners agreed with that statement, the vote was not unanimous. Commissioner Danny Leeper, while noting the need for the project, voted no, disputing Semanik’s asking price.

Also approved at the meeting of December 9th, and done so with no dissenting votes, were motions approving the placement of two referendums on the ballot for the 2020 Election. One will ask the voters to approve an additional one mill of ad valorem millage tax for the benefit of the Nassau County School District and the second referendum will ask voters to authorize the County to issue up to $30 million in general obligation bonds for the establishment of a Conservation Land Acquisition and Management Program.

Dr. Kathy Burns, superintendent of the Nassau County School District, spoke in support of the referendum noting that it would go to providing for “the safety and security of students and staff, mental health services and other operational expenses.” Responding to a comment made by a member of the audience, Dr. Burns also noted that Governor Rick DeSantis has already approved a (new) starting salary for teachers for the next school year at a level of $47,500.

Taco Pope, Assistant County Manager, spoke in support of the Conservation Land Acquisition and Management Program saying “it has been a long time coming” . . . citing 2017 as when the staff first started exploring the concept. Margaret Kirkland, President of the Amelia Tree Conservancy, took to the podium to say, “we applaud the staff on their extensive research and building a firm foundation for a program.”

On December 18th, the BOCC voted resoundingly to accept the Western Nassau Vision Book, created through the Western Nassau Preservation Committee, as a planning tool guiding development for that section of Nassau County. The report can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/DocumentCenter/View/18856/WESTERN-NASSAU-VISION-BOOK-10-16-19?bidId=. Extensive community outreach and engagement was an important part of the process. Said Commissioner Thomas Ford, “there is no one on the West Side who wouldn’t want this to become a reality.”

A final special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners has been scheduled for December 30th at which time internet cafes will be the item of discussion.

Editor's Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.