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My nephew and his new wife were married on the beach in Fernandina a few weeks ago.  We went over to the site the evening before the event for an informal "rehearsal" and BBQ picnic.

 As we were enjoying the early evening, a group of 5 or 6 apparently homeless people began settling in to the gazebo chosen for the wedding site.  My nephew and his fiancee went over and offered them some of the leftovers, still on the buffet table.  They each fixed a plate and returned to the gazebo.   The couple shared with them that they were getting married there in the morning...giving them the opportunity to take the hint and vacate early, before the wedding.

Division of Forestry officials are reminding people to use caution during outdoor activities that could spark a wildfire by accident this Fourth of July holiday.

Tips to help prevent wildfires include:

• Clear vegetation away from barbecue or fire pits.

• Keep a garden hose and bucket of water nearby when using fireworks or grilling.

• Soak coals before disposing of them in a non-combustible container.

• Watch for smoke and call 911 or your local fire department immediately if a wildfire starts.

Since June 1, the Division of Forestry has responded to 43 wildfires that burned 394 acres. Lightning was the cause of 33 of those fires, burning 333.9 acres. The remaining 10 started from escaped debris burns, children or were intentionally set.

Yes, I am talking about George Carlin. Whether you liked him or not, I think most of us will admit, he was a great satirist. Carlin was not afraid to push the limit, to make us laugh and make us look inside at the same time.

I think if we pay heed to what he was trying to say, we can all live a little better, a little fuller, a little more honestly.

One of my favorites of all his “bits” is “A Place for My Stuff.” He knew how to gnaw at our relentless consumerism. He knew how to make us question our choices.

“A house is just a place to hold your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”

We have been experiencing a typical summer weather pattern; hot and muggy with afternoon showers. The heat has not deterred our local anglers, along with many visitors, from fishing our waters this week.

Surf fishing remains a great choice to wet a hook. It’s inexpensive, with not much fuel expense involved. Whiting, small sharks, sand trout, weak fish, blues and the occasional pompano have been reported from the surf this week. Fresh shrimp will definitely be your best choice for enticing even the smartest of fish when surf fishing.

The anglers fishing the Amelia By the Sea pier have reported an excellent week, with whiting, sharks and trout at the end of their hooks.

A few weeks ago My Nassau Sun Editor Amelia A. Hart came up with an idea for the Fourth of July.

She suggested we film Nassau County residents reading the Declaration of Independence.

I immediately thought about those television commercials where people recite poems or famous quotes.

Well, I never imagined how hard or fun it must be to make those commercials.

The hard part was finding people who aren’t camera shy. The fun part was thinking about the blooper video I easily could have made from what I cut. People liked the project and had fun with it.

By WENDI ZONGKER
wendi.zongker@mynassausun.com

FERNANDINA — Jeffrey Bunch turned in his radios and uniforms and cleaned out his office today, officially resigning as the Fire Department's Deputy Chief.

Bunch, who tendered his resignation last week, planned to stay on staff until the end of the month. However, he said he went to work this morning knowing he would resign today after being disappointed with last night's City Commission meeting.

At that meeting commissioners discussed at length a grant Bunch wrote for a pair of night vision goggles that has led to Fire Chief Danny Leeper being told by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel he must resign from his position or withdraw his candidacy for the Nassau County Commission.

The commissioners took no action on a plan to alter the grant to help Leeper keep his job.

Bunch said he is now looking at local job opportunities as well as some abroad.

by AMELIA A. HART

amelia.hart@mynassausun.com

FERNANDINA BEACH -- City commissioners declined tonight to either reject or alter a federal grant for night-vision goggles that is forcing Fire Chief Danny Leeper to resign his job next week or give up his run for the Nassau County Commission.

Commissioner Ron Sapp asked fellow commissioners to reject the goggles as a way to help an "exemplary" city employee leave the employ of the city with "honor."

When no commissioners seconded that motion, Sapp made another asking the city contact the federal government to switch the contact name on the grant application from Leeper to Police Chief Jim Hurley.

By AMELIA A. HART
amelia.hart@mynassausun.com

Amelia Island will host its first triathlon — the Atlantic Coast Triathlon at Amelia Island — on Saturday, Oct. 4., the Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee Chamber of Commerce announced today.

The event, sponsored by Gatorade, Open Road Bicycles and Hammer Nutrition, will feature a 1.2-mile swim at Main Beach, a 56-mile cycle along the coast and through the island interior and a 13.1-mile out-and-back run through Fort Clinch State Park.

The event will have a field of 800 participants for the Long Course event and 200 for the Olympic-distance “Ameliaman.”

The National Weather Service has upgraded the severe thunderstorm watch set to expire at 5 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for southern Nassau County until 2 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, the doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. These storms were spotted at 1:14 p.m. along a line extending from Callahan.

The previously issued severe thunderstorm watch for northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia remains in effect until 5 p.m. 

Effective today, the criminal, civil and recording fees collected by the Nassau County Clerk of the Circuit Court's office will increase.

The additional revenue will go to the state, however, not the Nassau Clerk's office.

Criminal Department Fee Updates

Service Current Fee Updated Fee
Certify a copy $1.50 $2.00
Verify a document to be certified from other than clerk $3.00 $3.50
Hardship Fee $6.00 $7.00
Exemplified copies $6.00 $7.00
Searches $1.50 $2.00
Sealing & Expunging $37.50 $42.00
Receiving/Distributing Restitution payments $3.00 $3.50
Appeal to DCA $50.00 $100.00
County Court - Traffic
Certificate of Compliance form $6.00 $7.00
Dismissals & DL/Registration/Insurance expired w/proof it was valid prior to citation $7.50 $10.00
Proof of compliance - Tag/DL/Registration $57.10 $61.25
Proof of compliance - Insurance $42.35 $55.90
Child Restraint Violation $123.50 $141.00
Moving violations other than speeding $123.50 $141.00
Non-moving violations $76.50 $91.00
Fail to stop for school bus/railroad $163.50 $181.00
Seat belt violation $76.50 $91.00
Red Light violation $188.50 $206.00
Open container - driver $123.50 $141.00
Open container - passenger $76.50 $91.00
ATV violation - non-moving $71.50 $86.00
ATV violation - moving $123.50 $141.00
Pedestrian/Bicycle violation $48.50 $49.50
Boating violation - non-moving $61.00 $73.00
Boating violation - moving $65.00 $90.00
Faulty equipment $54.00 $75.00
Dropping load $246.50 $261.00
Handicap parking $143.50 $158.00
Unlawful Speed
6-9 miles over $88.50 $106.00
10-14 miles over $163.50 $181.00
15-19 miles over $188.50 $206.00
20-29 miles over $213.50 $231.00
30+ miles over $313.50 $331.00
Unlawful Speed in a school or construction zone
6-9 miles over $113.50 $131.00
10-14 miles over $263.50 $281.00
15-19 miles over $313.50 $331.00
20-29 miles over $363.50 $381.00
30+ miles over $563.50 $581.00