Fernandina Beach Main Street expands district, continues supporting local businesses

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm

Reporter - News Analyst

June 11, 2020

While business  has been anything but usual in downtown Fernandina Beach since the Covid-19 crisis began in March, Fernandina Beach Main Street (FBMS) has been hard at work helping local businesses survive the crisis.  Main Street’s Executive Director Arlene Filkoff updated the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) on efforts underway to help local businesses at the June 2, 2020 FBCC Regular Meeting.

The original Main Street district appears outlined in red. The blue line outlines the newly approved district boundaries. The area marked with red hash lines is the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). It is also part of the expanded Main Street district.

The state Main Street program recently approved an application from Fernandina Beach Main Street to expand its boundaries to include businesses along 8th Street south to Lime Street and east on Atlantic Avenue to take  in businesses on the corner of 14th Street.  This expansion previously was approved by the FBCC.  As a result, FBMS has been tooling up to serve the expanded area.

Main Street has been serving as an information conduit between local businesses and all the sometimes confusing information emanating from state and federal agencies regarding help available to small businesses during the pandemic.  They coordinated a forum between business people and the Small Business Development Center experts on the CARES Act.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a law intended to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Marketing efforts have continued, as well as business and consumer confidence surveys.

Working with the City of Fernandina Beach, FBMS has brought more picnic tables downtown to provide more opportunity for outdoor dining.  The city, at Main Street’s request, has implemented a temporary use application for use of the right-of-way by downtown businesses while continuing to ensure ADA compliance.

Main Street facilitated an agreement between the Council on Aging and three downtown restaurants to provide meals for the Boots on the Ground and Meals on Wheels programs.

They also helped a business forced to move during the pandemic to find a new business location.

Looking toward the future, Main Street is planning new events to celebrate the reopening of downtown as well as fundraising activities.

In the fourth quarter, Main Street will intensify marketing and training efforts, reaching out to businesses in the expanded district.

Island Stock concert will be rescheduled on the waterfront, and the Pajama Party on Black Friday will return.