About

Our Current Situation

Nassau County has made significant strides in recent years to become more financially sustainable, prosperous, and resilient to future economic downturns. The county’s financial outlook has been upgraded from stable to positive by Fitch Ratings, acknowledging its effective debt management and improved financial capacity. Long-range land-use planning has improved, as has the county’s budgetary structure and planning.

Economic growth and a broader and more diverse tax base have helped the county whittle away at its capital deficit, and long-desired road and park projects are finally being realized. However, after decades of poor planning and financial management, Nassau County’s improved situation didn’t happen overnight or by accident. 

We remain one of the fastest-growing counties in the state of Florida and the nation. While it was never a question whether Nassau County would grow, the way we plan for growth and our ability to attract high-quality growth and to appropriately finance the infrastructure required to accommodate that growth underscores how important leadership and a long-term commitment to financial sustainability matters.

The county has been able to make this substantial progress by updating the impact fees charged to builders after years of neglect, adopting multi-year budgeting, expanding its capital improvement plan, embarking on long-range planning to address deficiencies, and attracting private capital investment to the county – all of which Citizens for a Better Nassau County has advocated for since its formation.

It is also notable that the current county commission has stabilized property taxes, lowering the millage rate for three consecutive years. This would not have been possible without a broader tax base. 

    Our Guiding Principles

    Citizens for a Better Nassau County is committed to four primary guiding principles that comprise our mission:

    1. We believe integrity in all business dealings is of paramount importance, particularly relating to matters of the public trust.
    2. We promote fiscal prudence in all county government matters and the replacement of outdated finance methods with new efficiencies.
    3. We believe meaningful, long-term strategic programs must be initiated to drive private capital investment into the county that in turn bolsters recurring tax income and offsets residential taxpayer-funded capital investment.
    4. We encourage accountability from politicians and government employees and embrace transparency and fairness as fundamental to their service to our community.

    Our Vision

    While the county commission has made significant progress toward becoming more financially sustainable, it must remain disciplined and committed to the vision that formed this organization. The following is our vision to keep moving Nassau County forward:

    • Balanced, high-quality growth that pays for itself;
    • A continued commitment to create a much broader and more diverse tax base to significantly decrease the county’s dependence on residential property taxes as the primary source of county income;
    • A dedicated and measurable effort to move toward environmental sustainability as a practical means of attracting well-educated, productive residents who value the tangible benefits a holistic lifestyle offers and the corresponding high-wage jobs they bring;
    • The periodic study of impact fee ordinances on all new construction to help recover costs for the impacts of new development on public infrastructure; and
    • Responsibly financing the construction and maintenance of long-lived capital assets to prolong their life and ensure current and future taxpayers pay their fair share and get good value for their tax dollars.

    We are incredibly pleased with the substantial progress Nassau County is making, but there is always room for improvement. Our hope is that we continue to see a county commission-led commitment to improving the county’s fiscal future. 

     

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