NEFBA’s Government Affairs Committee: The next Government Affairs meeting will be 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 22, at the NEFBA offices, 103 Century 21 Drive, Suite 100.
Franchise Fee: Councilman Bill Gulliford has proposed a bill to create a franchise fee for all construction debris generated in Duval County. Currently, no franchise fee is applied to construction debris.
Duval County issues: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
New Blight Ordinance: The Clay County Commission approved a new blight ordinance that makes it easier to enforce county rules. The new ordinance gives the commission a method to deal with buildings that are boarded up, abandoned or considered derelict or unsafe. Further action from the commission is required to fund enforcement of the new ordinance. The vote was 4-1 in favor of the ordinance, with the dissenting vote coming from Ronnie Robinson, commission vice chair.
Builders Council: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Safe Harbor Tree list: After receiving input from a group of NEFBA members, including a registered landscape architect, St. Johns County has expanded its Safe Harbor Tree list. The county also will recognize and accept any shrub or ground cover as part of the Safe Harbor list for shrubs and groundcovers that are “listed in Waterwise Florida Landscapes, developed by the water management districts, for hardiness Zone 9a.”
RARA: Due to conflicts with state statutes, the St. Johns County Commission directed staff to draft an ordinance to remove Registered Architecture Review Associations from the county’s Land Development Code. This change would mean the county would no longer be authorized to delay a building permit because of a homeowners’ association architecture review board. County staff proposed replacing RARAs with neighborhood bill of rights notifications for relevant building permits in HOA communities.
Builders Council: Leona Brown, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Planning director resigns: Nassau County Planning Director Peter King has resigned his position with the county effective Aug. 5, after five years in the position. King returned to the private sector, opening a consulting firm.
Land Bank impact fees: The city of Fernandina Beach is discussing the implementation of an impact fee or real-estate transaction fee to fund the creation of a conservation land bank. No legislation has been filed, but the City Commission has directed the city attorney to investigate the feasibility of such a fee.
Builders Council: Palmer Kuder, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
County budget: The Baker County Commission is looking closely at the budget projections for fiscal year 2016-17 and is facing a budget deficit of $1.8 million. Not wanting to increase property taxes, the board voted Aug. 2 for no increase in millage rate. The county manager is currently seeking citizens’ opinions and ideas on how to reduce this deficit and create a balanced budget.
Baker County issues: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Sales & Marketing Council Director/Nassau Builders Council/E-Council
Palmer Kuder, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Events Coordinator/Remodelers Council/Education
Corey Hacker, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Member Services Director
Hans Krieg, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Governmental Affairs Director/Clay Builders Council/Young Professionals
Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355