Staff bloggers

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.

Like myself, many were surprised to discover that the Declaration of Independence doesn’t begin with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident …”

I hope by watching the video you’ll discover something you didn’t know about the document that founded our country.

To see the video, move your cursor over the Multimedia tab and then click on video in the drop-down menu. That'll take you to our video page.

And thanks to all the Nassau County citizens who participated.

Vernetta Spaulding of Fernandina Beach; Laura Cason of Fernandina Beach; Terry Smith of Fernandina Beach; Viviana Drake of Fernandina Beach; and Tyrian Baker of Fernandina Beach.

Janet Kennedy of Fernandina Beach; Amelia Hardison of Fernandina Beach; Niam Dickerson of Yulee; Zachary Hatten of Yulee; and Link Cooper of Yulee

Tez Gray of Fernandina Beach; Leanne Church of Fernandina Beach; Abrionna McGowen of Fernandina Beach; Laura Lott Harris of Fernandina Beach; and Pamela Ash of Hilliard.

Sarah Klepzig of Callahan; Conner Sharp of Fernandina Beach; Matthew Collins of the Callahan Volunteer Fire Department; Brenda Moss of Fernandina Beach; and Brian Smith of Hilliard.

Hattie Baker of Fernandina Beach; Niki Stanford of Fernandina Beach; Josh Thomas of Fernandina Beach; Rosemary Szczygiel of Hilliard; and Claire Coverdell of Fernandina Beach.

Rick Miller of Fernandina Beach; Allyson Washington of Yulee; Matt Bellar of Yulee; Angelica Castillo of Yulee; and Dave Evans of Fernandina Beach.

Altamease Holmes of Fernandina Beach; Suzanne Franklin of Hilliard; Octavia Blue of Fernandina Beach; Austin Coleman of Fernandina Beach and Deanna Richard of Hilliard.

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.

However, other commissioners raised concerns about the appropriateness of the commission getting involved in an issue with political ramifications and whether federal officials would see the request as an attempt to circumvent a ruling that Leeper is in violation of the federal Hatch Act. The motion failed 3 to 2.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel ruled June 20 that Leeper is in violation of the Act, which restricts partisan political activity by government employees, because he is listed as a contact person on a 2007 grant application to the Department of Homeland Security for a night-vision kit and because he supervises the applicant, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Bunch.

The office gave Leeper a July 7 deadline to either leave his job or withdraw his candidacy. Leeper already had tendered his resignation under Florida's Resign to Run law, but the resignation is effective Nov. 3.

Leeper is running for the District 1 seat on the Nassau County Commission now held by Jim B. Higginbotham.

Leeper told commissioners tonight the fire department doesn't really need the goggles, which had been applied for when the city was experiencing a rash of trash dumpster fires.

However, in response to a commissioner, Hurley said the goggles would be useful to the police department.

The city was awarded the grant in December; the goggles now are expected to arrive in November.

Commissioner Ken Walker said he felt it was inappropriate for the commission to meddle in the issue, "which is clearly something that has political consequences."

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.”

Chamber officials said they have been working for a year with the Amelia Island Tourism Development Council and Fernandina Beach to hammer out logistics for the triathlon.

DRC Sports, which also puts on the Jacksonville Triathlon Series, will produce the event.

The announcement comes as Amelia Island is facing the potential loss of its premier athletic event, the women’s tennis tournament at the Amelia Island Plantation that had been sponsored for more than 20 years by Bausch & Lomb.

As reported in the Times-Union June 28, Octagon, which organizes the tournament, is in negotiations to move the event to the Sawgrass Country Club.

I am working on a special video for the Fourth of July and I need your help.

I am looking to film Nassau County residents reading a couple of sentences from the Declaration of Independence.

The clips will be edited to make one big video, which I will post here at MyNassauSun.com.

If you or someone you know are interested in participating, contact me at wendi.zongker@mynassausun.com or 261-7606, ext. 6353.

I look forward to hearing from you!

by AMELIA A. HART

amelia.hart@mynassausun.com 

Lightning ignited three more wildfires yesterday in Nassau County, including a 25-acre fire in the Mizell Tract.

Firefighters also responded to a 3-acre “Hart Fire” off Kolars Ferry Road and the 1-acre “Yulee Powerline” fire at Interstate 95 and Florida A1A, the Division of Forestry reported today.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

The new blazes join three other active wildfires in Nassau, including the 105-acre Tiger Point fire which was started by lightning June 16.

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

A pair of night-vision goggles means Fernandina Beach Fire Chief Danny Leeper is now facing a July 7 deadline to either end his bid for the Nassau County Commission or step down as chief.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel ruled June 20 that Leeper is in violation of the federal Hatch Act because he is listed as a contact person on a 2007 grant application to the Department of Homeland Security for a night-vision kit and because he supervises the applicant, Deputy Chief Jeff Bunch.

The city was awarded the grant in December, but hasn’t yet gotten the goggles.

Leeper, 50, said he was disappointed in what he called a “shallow” interpretation of the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by local government employees whose work involves programs financed in whole or in part by federal loans and grants.

Leeper said he is researching his options in the wake of the ruling, including inquiring whether there’s any way to appeal.

Leeper already tendered his resignation earlier this month to comply with the state’s “Resign to Run” law. But that resignation was effective Nov. 3, the day before the general election.

According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Leeper now must either resign his job or withdraw his candidacy by July 7.

“I’ll meet the necessary deadline,” Leeper said.

By WENDI ZONGKER

wendi.zongker@mynassausun.com

FERNANDINA BEACH — Terri Evans thought she had beaten breast cancer.

March marked one year of remission from Stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma.

Her right breast was removed in June 2007, and doctors were scheduled to take the remaining one April 7.

But cancer got to it first.

On March 14, Evans, 47, was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in as many years.

"It has ravaged her body," said Sgt. Donna Montgomery, who has worked with Evans, a Nassau County Sheriff's Office detention deputy, since 2000.

The cancer has spread to both lungs, her pelvic bone and her right leg, close friend and colleague Kimberly Swafford said. On Thursday, doctors notified Evans' family the cancer spread to her brain.

The next day, Evans was admitted to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, where she was struggling to hang on Saturday as hundreds gathered at Peters Point here for a 90-mile motorcycle ride in her honor.

"It could be any day or any hour," before the cancer takes her life, Nassau County Sheriff Tommy Seagraves said Saturday.

He was right.

Evans died Sunday morning. 

People describe Evans as being upbeat with a steadfast faith in God.

Evans said it herself on her Web site:

"I refuse to be upset or disheartened," she wrote. "I have a gracious God who has seen me through this bad time and many, many friends and family praying for me and helping to take care of me."

Assistant Chief Hank Martinez said Evans is vibrant, feisty and funny. He said participating in Terri's Ride meant a lot to him.

"She has given so much to the community as a public servant, and now this community is giving back to her," he said.

LOG ON!

Visit MyNassauSun.com to view photos from Terri's Ride.

Terri Evans Fund

Anyone wishing to contribute to the Evan's family may do so by sending your donation to the Terri Evans Fund in care of Sheriff T.L. "Tommy" Seagraves Jr., Nassau County Sheriff's Office, 76001 Bobby Moore Circle, Yulee, FL 32097. 

On Aug. 26, several Nassau County residents will be vying in the county's primary elections to secure their place on the Nov. 4 general election's ballot. In order for residents to learn more about each candidate, My Nassau Sun will give each opposed candidate an opportunity to answer reader-submitted questions in a video that will be posted on MyNassauSun.com on Aug. 16. 

If you have a question for a candidate running for property appraiser, sheriff, county commissioner, school board, Amelia Island Mosquito Control, Ocean, Highway & Port Authority or the Soil and Water Conservation District, please e-mail it to Tracy.Jones@jacksonville.com by July 30. Questions must be specific to the elected position and not to the individual candidate.

The candidates competing in the primary are:

Property Appraiser, Republican party: Michael C. Franklin, Tammy Stiles, Larry Williams

Sheriff, Republican party: C.W. "Connie" Johnson, T.L. "Tommy" Seagraves Jr., Carlos E. Slay, Richard King

County commissioner, Republican party: District 1 – Danny Leeper, Jim B. Higginbotham; District 3 – Wynn Fendig, Grady Howard Wright, Stacy Johnson; District 5: Walter Boatright, Marianne Marshall

School Board: District 1 – Donna Martin, Dave Mazur

Amelia Island Mosquito Control: Group 1 – Clyde Goodbread, Ralph Jim Suarez

Ocean, Highway & Port Authority, Republican: District 1 – Melvin Usery, Peter Mallory; District 2 – Danny Fullwood, Jennifer Kelly-Sheffield; District 3 – Margie Gandy, Shirley Lear

Soil and Water Conservation District: Group 4 – Tom Ford, Dana R. Bell 

Unopposed candidates (goes straight to Nov. 4 election):

Clerk of Circuit Court: John A. Crawford (R)

Property Appraiser: Ray Harper (D)

Supervisor of elections: Vicki Peterson Cannon (R)

Sheriff: Jim Coe (D)

County commissioner: District 5 – Ramiro Palma

Superintendent of schools: John L. Ruis (R)

School Board: District 2 – Gail G. Cook; District 4 – Jim Adams

Tax Collector: John M. Drew (R)

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

FERNANDINA BEACH — A visiting Birmingham, Ala., woman apparently was bitten by a shark this morning in the ocean of Beach Access 39 opposite Ozell Avenue.

Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Bunch said the woman, identified in a Fernandina Beach Police press release as Jennifer Castion, told him she was wading about chest deep in the water around 11 a.m. when she felt something grab her leg.

After a struggle, it let her leg go, Bunch said. Once ashore, the woman’s husband wrapped her leg in a towel, took her to the nearby beach house where they were staying and called 911, he said.

Bunch said the woman never lost consciousness and was “remarkably calm.”

She was flown via air ambulance to Shands Jacksonville hospital, according to Bunch. Her condition was not available. A nursing supervisor said she wasn’t listed in the hospital’s system early Friday evening.

If confirmed, this would be only the third shark bite in the city since the 1890s, Bunch said. The second was a diver sometime in the 1960s.

Purple “Dangerous Marine Life” and red “Dangerous Conditions” warning flags have been posted at city beaches and lifeguards are advising visitors of the attack.

There was no evidence of sharks in the waters off Amelia Island in an aerial survey this afternoon, although the ocean water was relatively clear.

The Fernandina Beach Civil Air Patrol has been asked to keep an eye on the shoreline and to report any sightings throughout the weekend. Lifeguards also will monitor the water throughout the weekend and report any changes.