Nassau Florida Vision 2050 Update

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) hosted a Workshop for an update on the Nassau Florida Vision 2050 initiative, a collaborative 18-month process involving local leaders, residents, businesses, and stakeholders to shape the future of our community. This planning process and the resulting policies will be critical for the ability to promote and manage growth, as well as protecting and enhancing key areas of importance while accommodating future trends. This includes identifying what makes the community unique, establishing the vision of what Nassau County desires to become in the future, and providing the necessary baseline for an update to the County’s Comprehensive Plan.  

The consultant team with Halff Associates presented to the BOCC on October 18, 2023, at the onset of the planning process. Since then, they have been busy studying the county's history, culture and values, and obtaining feedback from the community through a series of interviews, community surveys, and pop-up events. In an effort to gain as much feedback as possible, they have also been present at numerous large, community events throughout the year such as the Independence Day Celebration in Callahan, the Opening of the Beaches Event in Fernandina Beach, the County's Bicentennial Kick-off Event in Yulee, and more. 

Wednesday's Workshop began with an introduction from County Manager Taco Pope who stated, "Vision 2050 is the foundational element of your 2050 Comprehensive Plan. The adoption of the Vision 2050 Comprehensive Plan is the single most important piece of legislation that you will consider as an elected official. It is the document from which all of the public policies you set will stem from. When you set new rules and new regulations, they will be required to be consistent with your Comprehensive Plan. So, both us as staff members and you as Elected Officials, have an amazing opportunity to shape not just tomorrow, but the next 25 years to the place we call home."

Presenting from Halff Associates was Associate Planner Kailey Saver who provided an update on the project, an overview of community engagement that has taken place, and provided growth projections and scenarios to assist with shaping the vision. She also explained how the Vision 2050 Plan will be used by the County including for Comprehensive Plan updates; Land Development Regulation updates; Small Area Plan updates; Mobility and Transportation Planning updates; Strategic Planning; Annual Work Programs and Budgets; Capital Improvement Planning; and Community Planning and Initiatives. To view the presentation, please click here.

The Vision 2050 Plan is on track to be completed by the end of 2024 with the intentions of presenting the final findings to the BOCC for consideration/adoption in early 2025. If you have not yet provided feedback, there's still time! Visit the Nassau Vision 2050 website and complete the "Let's Envision" section to send a note to the team about your vision for the future of Nassau County. Here you can also find all materials related to the Vision 2050 initiative including presentations, community engagement opportunities, and more.