Nassau County Board of County Commissioners Declares a State of Local Emergency as a Result of Threat to Public Health Caused by COVID-19

Nassau County, Florida, March 18, 2020 – At today’s meeting, the Board of County
Commissioners approved Resolution No. 2020-35, declaring a State of Local Emergency, as a result of the threat to public health caused by COVID-19.

Florida Statutes, Section 252.38, states that “safeguarding the life and property of (the
County’s) citizens is an innate responsibility of the governing body of each political
subdivision of the State”, and further grants the County the power to provide a State of
Emergency for the health and safety of persons and property.” The State of Emergency will apply to all territory within the legal boundaries of Nassau County, including the
unincorporated and incorporated areas.

Declaring a State of Emergency may sound threatening; however, this is a formality that
allows your government officials quick access to resources to help manage a crisis until
things return to normal.

A State of Emergency also helps government officials take extra measures to protect the
public, trigger anti-price gouging laws, and most importantly, seek State or Federal funding for disaster response and reimbursement of funds exhausted on things such as overtime costs and purchase of supplies and equipment needed to manage the emergency.

Should you have any questions, please contact the County Manager’s Office at (904) 530-6010.