| 📅 MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2026 Full Edition | Fernandina Beach ⛅ 91°/74° |
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Fernandina
⛅ 91°/74°
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Yulee
⛅ 91°/74°
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Callahan
⛅ 92°/74°
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Hilliard
⛅ 92°/74°
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| 📰 | Top Stories |
Homeowners next to the Amelia Island Lighthouse turned out to last Tuesday's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting to push back on proposals that would expand public access and generate revenue at the 1839 landmark. Parks and Recreation Director Scott Mikelson told the room "we're in the very infancy of this," pointing to immediate priorities like replacing deteriorating chain-link fencing and adding pavers around the base. Neighbors raised concerns about cars constantly backing into Lighthouse Circle driveways for photo stops, drainage from any new paved parking, and the long-term operating budget required if access expands. The conversation pairs with the city's $406K grant application for structural restoration we covered in May.
Read More → The Lednovich ObserverThe eighth annual Cross The Line Paddle for Veterans wrapped Saturday morning with a record 148 paddlers completing the seven-mile crossing from St. Marys to the new finish line at Dee Dee Bartels Boat Ramp. Conditions were as clean as the event has seen, with calm Cumberland Sound water and a steady tailwind. Proceeds this year benefit Building Battle Buddies, a Nassau County nonprofit that trains service dogs for veterans. More than 70 volunteers from the City of St. Marys, NCSO, Nassau Fire Rescue, and FDEP at Fort Clinch supported the route.
Read More → Fernandina ObserverThe Fernandina Beach City Commission holds the second and final reading on the new e-bike ordinance tomorrow at the 6 PM regular meeting in City Hall Commission Chambers. If adopted, the ordinance caps e-bikes at 20 mph on roadways and 10 mph on sidewalks, multiuse trails, and beaches, and gives police explicit enforcement authority. First reading passed 5-0 in May after months of complaints about high-speed sidewalk riding downtown, especially among kids and young adults. Public comment will be open.
Read More → News4JaxYear two of the Amelia Island International Skate & Surf Film Festival lands Saturday, June 20, with filmmakers from around the world bringing surf and skate films to town for a full day of screenings, live music, vendors, and food trucks. The festival runs 1 to 9 PM and adds live music from Haze Brothers, 1BlackFrEnd, Kulcha Shok Muzik, and the Johnston Brothers, plus a live score by Supreme of Wu-Tang and Airtight during the release of El Toro. The 2026 edition adds two competition divisions for surf and skate films, judged by a panel of "surf legends, skate icons, and film professionals." Tickets are $40.
Read More → skatesurffilm.org| 📍 | Around Nassau County |
| ➤ | Nassau County: The data center fact-finding committee returns Thursday at 9 AM at the BOCC Commission Chambers in Yulee, its next session since commissioners passed the 12-month moratorium last week. Public comment will be open. |
| ➤ | Callahan: The Jacksonville Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will host a 248th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Alligator Creek Bridge Saturday at 10 AM at the Multi-Purpose Building, 543378 Highway 1. (More) |
| ➤ | Local Media: The News-Leader took First Place for General Excellence in its division plus two additional awards at the Florida Press Association's 2025 Weekly Newspaper Contest. (More) |
| ➤ | Coastal: An Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors volunteer is raising the alarm over potential NOAA rollback of the 2008 vessel speed rule that protects endangered North Atlantic right whales, the calving population our coast hosts each winter. (More) |
| 📌 | Briefly Noted |
- Two weeks and counting until Publix Island Walk reopens Thursday, July 2 at 7 AM, complete with Publix Pours, a pizza oven, and burrito bowls.
- The RYAM bioethanol litigation enters its next phase June 28, when the city and RYAM must submit a new case management proposal after mediation ended in impasse.
- SJRWMD Phase III Extreme Water Shortage remains in effect across Nassau County. Conservation rules apply even as scattered storms move through this week.
- The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival closed its 25th anniversary season Saturday with a sold-out Miró Quartet finale at the Historic Nassau County Courthouse.
| 🗓️ | This Week on the Island |
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TUE
16
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City Hall Commission Chambers, 204 Ash Street • 6:00 PM • Second and final reading; public comment open
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THU
18
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BOCC Commission Chambers, Yulee • 9:00 AM • First meeting since the 12-month moratorium passed; public comment open
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SAT
20
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Main Beach Park / Poe Pinson Skate Park • 1 to 9 PM • Year two; international filmmakers, live music, vendors, food trucks. $40 tickets.
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SUN
21
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Waterfront Park (123 S. Front Street) + Wildlight • 11 AM to 5 PM • Free pop-up performances across downtown and Wildlight; second annual
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It's going to be a hot one. What is your favorite spot on the island to beat the heat. The shaded bench by Fort Clinch. A particular AC-blasted shop. A pool, a porch, a friend's screened lanai. Hit reply and let us know. We read every response.
Bosque Bello, the oldest cemetery in Fernandina Beach (established in the early 1800s), takes its name from Spanish. What does Bosque Bello translate to in English?
Answer: Beautiful Forest (or Beautiful Woods).
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Fernandina Beach, FL 32034