City leaders decide to keep Fernandina Beach closed, for now

Fernandina Beach, Fla. — The Fernandina Beach City Commission decided Tuesday to keep its beach closed.

The Action News Jax Sky Vision drone showed an empty Fernandina Beach Tuesday evening.

It was a stark contrast to the images from Jacksonville Beach, which reopened last week with restrictions on certain activities and hours.

Sandwiched between Duval County and Georgia -- which is now taking aggressive steps to reopen -- Nassau County leaders are facing building pressure to reopen their beaches.

“We live here, and we miss our beach,” Bonnie McBride said. “They need to get smart and open it up for us.”

But city leaders said it’s not that simple.

Nassau County’s 15-mile coast has parts managed by three different entities: the state, city and county.

So, for example, say only the city beach opens, city leaders say crowds that would be spread out will be condensed into a smaller space, which experts caution against during a pandemic.

As of now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t reopened state parks like Fort Clinch and Amelia Island in Nassau County.

So, Tuesday night, the Fernandina Beach City Commission decided it will follow the state’s lead, and for now, stay closed.

“I want to emphasize that over 30% of the people in Fernandina [Beach] are 65 and over,” Vice Mayor Len Kreger said. “We have to be really careful about what we do.”

Nassau County will meet Wednesday to discuss reopening its beaches.

Action News Jax is told that is now unlikely.

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