The Mayor of Fernandina Beach, center in bow tie, poses with others in attendance at the Fernandina Fiesta in 1956. The Fiesta is the precursor to the Shrimp Festival. Finalists in the 1956 Fernandina Beach beauty contest pose on the beach. Photo courtesy of Amelia Island Museum of History

Local history shines through bicentennial events, Shrimp Fest

This year, events flood the city and county in celebration of the 200-year bicentennial of Nassau County and Fernandina Beach. These festivities preserve our history in the ways we celebrate them.  History is built from the actions and lives of…
This year, events flood the city and county in celebration of the 200-year bicentennial of Nassau County and Fernandina Beach. These festivities preserve our history in the ways we celebrate them.  History is built from the actions and lives of the individuals who have made up these communities.…
The first quarter 2024 general election and municipal election campaign filings reveal races for Superintendent of Schools and District 5 county commissioner have raised significant campaign contributions so far. The Superintendent of Schools race is by far the most expensive race in the 2024…
Ocean Highway and Port Authority commissioners raised concerns about the rate of pay for security officers at the Port of Fernandina and how much of fees paid to the security company go to the guards at the port. The terms of the contract between OHPA and Allied Universal Security, a Jacksonville…
Over the next 18 years, Florida will receive $3.1 billion in opioid settlement monies to combat drug addiction and deaths. The first installment began arriving in February 2023 and, as of December, the state had received $550 million for distribution. Nassau County and the city of Fernandina Beach…
After less than three hours of deliberation, a Nassau County jury recommended the death penalty for Patrick McDowell. The count was 11-1 Thursday, with a lone juror favoring life in prison. McDowell, a Jacksonville resident, shot Nassau County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Moyers, 29, during a traffic…
In a quiet preserve along the eastern bank of the Apalachicola River, 41 eastern indigo snakes were released Tuesday into gopher tortoise burrows. The release, a longtime goal of federal and state officials, is part of an effort to restore some balance to Florida’s ecosystem lost in the 1980s as…
With a law now in effect preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Florida health-care regulators Thursday released emergency rules related to treating medical conditions that pose dangers to the lives of pregnant women or unborn children. The state Agency for Health Care Administration…
In the next couple of weeks, pregnant sea turtles will begin to come in from the Atlantic Ocean and nest along the beaches of Amelia Island. Sea turtles are always a topic of discussion, especially around this time of year. Today, May 1, marks the start of the sea turtle nesting season in…
A petition for an administrative hearing has been filed regarding a bioethanol plant planned for Fernandina Beach. Last November, Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) applied to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for an air quality permit to build the plant in its Fernandina Beach…
The News-Leader is running a series throughout the year on the history of Fernandina and Nassau County in celebration of our 200th anniversary. Previous articles have explored how the British model of plantations based on slave labor was introduced to the area during colonial times and discussed…
Two people, a Hilliard man and a woman, were arrested following a high-speed chase on Barnwell Road. According to the arrest report, the incident began when the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office contacted Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) regarding a possibly stolen pickup truck traveling on SR 200. The…

   

Who is filling their campaign coffers?

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The first quarter 2024 general election and municipal election campaign filings reveal races for Superintendent of Schools and District 5 county commissioner have raised significant campaign contri

State of Florida issues abortion rules

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With a law now in effect preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Florida health-care regulators Thursday released emergency rules related to treating medical conditions that pose dangers

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