2022 City of Fernandina Beach Candidate Questionnaire
Innovation and Economic Development
In your opinion, what is the City's role in economic development?
I believe that the city’s role is more about support than development. Most property that would be used for economic development is already built out so the city should focus on assisting small businesses with the redevelopment needed to make existing properties work for the businesses moving in. The city should continue to use Fernandina Beach Main Street in this capacity. The airport has enough property if the city were to want to focus on growing the aeronautic business community for low impact manufacturing to our city.
Discuss your opinion on conducting a comprehensive and continuous review of all regulatory processes that impact business/industry and provide solutions that address these barriers.
Business Climate and Competitiveness
How can the City of Fernandina Beach improve the climate and competitiveness of our existing businesses and industry?
Start by listening to businesses and industries about what they need from the city and then be willing to act. Now, that does not mean that we throw out all our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Codes, but that we strive to find common ground to meet the needs of our businesses.
What are your thoughts about the disparity in regulations and processes in doing business between the City of Fernandina Beach and Nassau County?
The city and the county are two different entities with different comprehensive plans that are unique to each community. So, it would make sense that regulations and processes would be different. However, we should always look for ways to improve, reduce and/or eliminate processes and policies that improve the lives of our city residents and makes the city easy to do business with.
And, do you support the creation of a local purchasing program?
My first commitment is to the city taxpayer and if such a local purchasing program makes sense and is cost effective, then yes, we should consider such a program.
How can the City of Fernandina Beach better support our entrepreneurial ecosystem?
Improve how the public does business with the city. Make the city departments easier to do business with by outreach, better on-line processing and interactions, and establishing a customer service mindset starting at the very top of the organizational chart. Organizations take on the attitude of their leadership. I’ve seen it time and time again. If this city wants to be more supportive and easier to do business with, then it can.
How can the City of Fernandina Beach engage in the creation of partnerships and funding programs related to current and relevant data, research as well as talent recruitment and start-up opportunities?
Better engagement with the Chamber, The Economic Development Board, the TDC, Fernandina Beach Main Street and the local Small Business Administration are all ways to engage in better partnerships.
Civic and Governance System
What, in your opinion, are the three biggest challenges facing the City of Fernandina Beach?
Long term planning and focus, long term management of our infrastructures across the city, maintaining our sense of place
Any time decisions are contemplated that affect a particular segment of the community, representatives of that affected sector, such as the business/industrial community, should be invited to the table for dialogue and input.
Yes, I agree. And the city does that today and should continue to solicit engagement through citizen led advisory and planning boards, workshops and engagement at city commission meetings.
How important is community/partner organization input as a meaningful direction in developing sound policy and how will you implement?
Very important. This can be implemented through improved communications with the public, holding workshops and doing outreach to specific segments of the community.
Do you believe the City of Fernandina Beach has an adequate amount of funding from property taxes or do you expect to require additional resources from Nassau County property owners? Please explain.
There is never enough money to do all the projects that our community wants done. The city is suffering from years of deferred maintenance on city buildings, our historic downtown, our beach walkovers and our streets. We need to look far and wide for additional resources that can come from visitors, property owners, residents as well as state and federal grant resources. I am a believer in the “cost causer” approach to funding. Let’s look at who uses a service and how it is being used to help determine how to best pay for that service.
Infrastructure and Growth Leadership
How can the City of Fernandina Beach balance and pursue both natural environment protection and sustainable economic development?
Through the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. These documents should set the strategy and focus for how we manage our environmental protections and economic growth. The challenge in the city has been through consistent compliance and enforcement of these rules and regulations. Again, this is a leadership issue with the city staff and commission.
Led by the Chamber of Commerce beginning in 2015, the now completed Public Transportation study and recommendations concluded in 2017. What are your specific recommendations to increase the options and availability for public transit?
We should be looking both short- and long-term recommendations. Of course, we must partner with local, state and federal entities to get any traction on this issue. We should work with the large employers on the island about setting up car pool lots and local drop off locations that make it easy for employees to get on the island and get to work. This is just an example of ways to improve traffic flow.
The future innovation economy and efficiency of government is dependent on technology infrastructure. How will you ensure the City of Fernandina Beach continuously improves faster, more stable, and more secure connectivity?
We should look for public/private sector partnerships if connectivity is an issue in the city.
Quality of Life and Quality of Places
Land development codes and incentives for workforce housing have not produced the needed inventory for our community. What are you recommendations for access to housing?
There seems to be little appetite among the current city commission to make significant changes to comprehensive and land development regulations around density within the city limits. The ever-increasing cost of land also makes this issue more difficult every day. However, that does not let us off the hook. We should take a hard look at city owned property and the opportunity to use it for additional access to affordable housing.
Community-based development organizations are vital tot he City of Fernandina Beach. How will you strengthen the role of these organizations?
We must continue to work closely with Fernandina Beach Main Street, the Economic Development Board and the TDC to identify and support economic development and redevelopment opportunities within the city.
What is the role of the City of Fernandina Beach for underserved communities and their development?
We must be aware of the impact of rising property values and associated property taxes on our underserved communities as we make decisions on annual millage rates. We must continue to recognize and support our African-American community by maintaining the Peck Center building and keeping the MLK property and services in place. The city is currently spending almost a million dollars on the Peck Center building. We need to help our historic black churches find funding opportunities to maintain their historic church properties. We need to continue outreach into the Hispanic communities within our city with planned outreach programs.
In your opinion, what is the City's role in economic development?
I believe that the city’s role is more about support than development. Most property that would be used for economic development is already built out so the city should focus on assisting small businesses with the redevelopment needed to make existing properties work for the businesses moving in. The city should continue to use Fernandina Beach Main Street in this capacity. The airport has enough property if the city were to want to focus on growing the aeronautic business community for low impact manufacturing to our city.
Discuss your opinion on conducting a comprehensive and continuous review of all regulatory processes that impact business/industry and provide solutions that address these barriers.
- The city should be following a continuous improvement policy and mindset that allows for the regular review of all processes. And, where such processes can be improved, reduced and or eliminated, the city staff should take action.
- There should be a designated person responsible for reviewing and alerting businesses of regulatory processes, changes and updates. There also need to be a communications plan in place for alerts and changes. We should consider expanding the kind of communication that Fernandina Beach Main Street provides to their businesses across the entire city.
Business Climate and Competitiveness
How can the City of Fernandina Beach improve the climate and competitiveness of our existing businesses and industry?
Start by listening to businesses and industries about what they need from the city and then be willing to act. Now, that does not mean that we throw out all our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Codes, but that we strive to find common ground to meet the needs of our businesses.
What are your thoughts about the disparity in regulations and processes in doing business between the City of Fernandina Beach and Nassau County?
The city and the county are two different entities with different comprehensive plans that are unique to each community. So, it would make sense that regulations and processes would be different. However, we should always look for ways to improve, reduce and/or eliminate processes and policies that improve the lives of our city residents and makes the city easy to do business with.
And, do you support the creation of a local purchasing program?
My first commitment is to the city taxpayer and if such a local purchasing program makes sense and is cost effective, then yes, we should consider such a program.
How can the City of Fernandina Beach better support our entrepreneurial ecosystem?
Improve how the public does business with the city. Make the city departments easier to do business with by outreach, better on-line processing and interactions, and establishing a customer service mindset starting at the very top of the organizational chart. Organizations take on the attitude of their leadership. I’ve seen it time and time again. If this city wants to be more supportive and easier to do business with, then it can.
How can the City of Fernandina Beach engage in the creation of partnerships and funding programs related to current and relevant data, research as well as talent recruitment and start-up opportunities?
Better engagement with the Chamber, The Economic Development Board, the TDC, Fernandina Beach Main Street and the local Small Business Administration are all ways to engage in better partnerships.
Civic and Governance System
What, in your opinion, are the three biggest challenges facing the City of Fernandina Beach?
Long term planning and focus, long term management of our infrastructures across the city, maintaining our sense of place
Any time decisions are contemplated that affect a particular segment of the community, representatives of that affected sector, such as the business/industrial community, should be invited to the table for dialogue and input.
Yes, I agree. And the city does that today and should continue to solicit engagement through citizen led advisory and planning boards, workshops and engagement at city commission meetings.
How important is community/partner organization input as a meaningful direction in developing sound policy and how will you implement?
Very important. This can be implemented through improved communications with the public, holding workshops and doing outreach to specific segments of the community.
Do you believe the City of Fernandina Beach has an adequate amount of funding from property taxes or do you expect to require additional resources from Nassau County property owners? Please explain.
There is never enough money to do all the projects that our community wants done. The city is suffering from years of deferred maintenance on city buildings, our historic downtown, our beach walkovers and our streets. We need to look far and wide for additional resources that can come from visitors, property owners, residents as well as state and federal grant resources. I am a believer in the “cost causer” approach to funding. Let’s look at who uses a service and how it is being used to help determine how to best pay for that service.
Infrastructure and Growth Leadership
How can the City of Fernandina Beach balance and pursue both natural environment protection and sustainable economic development?
Through the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. These documents should set the strategy and focus for how we manage our environmental protections and economic growth. The challenge in the city has been through consistent compliance and enforcement of these rules and regulations. Again, this is a leadership issue with the city staff and commission.
Led by the Chamber of Commerce beginning in 2015, the now completed Public Transportation study and recommendations concluded in 2017. What are your specific recommendations to increase the options and availability for public transit?
We should be looking both short- and long-term recommendations. Of course, we must partner with local, state and federal entities to get any traction on this issue. We should work with the large employers on the island about setting up car pool lots and local drop off locations that make it easy for employees to get on the island and get to work. This is just an example of ways to improve traffic flow.
The future innovation economy and efficiency of government is dependent on technology infrastructure. How will you ensure the City of Fernandina Beach continuously improves faster, more stable, and more secure connectivity?
We should look for public/private sector partnerships if connectivity is an issue in the city.
Quality of Life and Quality of Places
Land development codes and incentives for workforce housing have not produced the needed inventory for our community. What are you recommendations for access to housing?
There seems to be little appetite among the current city commission to make significant changes to comprehensive and land development regulations around density within the city limits. The ever-increasing cost of land also makes this issue more difficult every day. However, that does not let us off the hook. We should take a hard look at city owned property and the opportunity to use it for additional access to affordable housing.
Community-based development organizations are vital tot he City of Fernandina Beach. How will you strengthen the role of these organizations?
We must continue to work closely with Fernandina Beach Main Street, the Economic Development Board and the TDC to identify and support economic development and redevelopment opportunities within the city.
What is the role of the City of Fernandina Beach for underserved communities and their development?
We must be aware of the impact of rising property values and associated property taxes on our underserved communities as we make decisions on annual millage rates. We must continue to recognize and support our African-American community by maintaining the Peck Center building and keeping the MLK property and services in place. The city is currently spending almost a million dollars on the Peck Center building. We need to help our historic black churches find funding opportunities to maintain their historic church properties. We need to continue outreach into the Hispanic communities within our city with planned outreach programs.
