Nassau County Schedules Public Hearing for Redistricting

from The County Insider
Office of the Nassau County Manager
November 24, 2021

11/24/21 @ 10:00 a.m. – In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted the decennial census which is designed to count every resident in the country. This is done every ten years to capture changes to the local population and adjust district boundaries to ensure all residents across the Country are equally represented. The census data collection is also used to determine the number of seats each State has in the U.S. House of Representatives and directly affects how trillions of U.S. dollars are distributed to local governments to fund hospitals, schools, and roads.

After each decennial census, the County Commission is redraw district boundaries to reflect changes in the local population, to ensure all residents across the County are equitably represented. Civic engagement and public participation were integral in properly executing this critical public duty.

On October 15, 2021, Nassau County launched a redistricting webpage which allowed Nassau County residents to learn more about about the redistricting process, locate community meetings, and review the Preliminary Electoral Redistricting Report. The page also included three, interactive maps which reflected how electoral districts could be redrawn.

On October 26, 2021, Community Meetings were held in Callahan and Fernandina Beach. An additional Community Meeting was held on in Yulee on October 28, 2021. The Board of County Commissioners and School Board then held a Joint Meeting on November 3, 2021, at which a consultant provided an overview of the redistricting process and a review of the three district maps under consideration. Together, the group determined that Option 3 was the best option.

The Board of County Commissioners then held a Special Meeting on November 8, 2021 and voted to set the public hearing for December 13, 2021 to adopt Option 3. An outline of Option 3 is shown below however a full, interactive map can be located here. This interactive version allows the user to zoom in and see specific address, streets, etc. to find out which district seat will represent them for the next 10 years.

If you have any questions, please call (904) 530-6019 and leave a message, or send an email to contact@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
Public Information Officer