PAGE 1 NIKKI MAIN/NEWS-LEADER Dogwood, a 3-month-old male kitten, cuddles up to Nassau County Animal Services Kennel Supervisor Cassie Kozerski. r r n r n nn  n A civil rights attorney from Jacksonville filed a class-action lawsuit against Nassau County, com plaining that the county jail’s condi tions were deplorable.May 8, 1996 r n n rrnnrn  r The Florida First Amendment Foundation, a nonprofit created in 1984 to protect open government, has accused Nassau County School District’s superintendent and board of violating Florida’s Sunshine Laws. The school board and superintendent denied the accusation through their attorney. On April 29, the First Amendment Foundation distributed a news release to media outlets, in which it “denounces Sunshine Law violations” by the school board. The First Amendment Foundation is led by Pamela Marsh, a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. It is located in Tallahassee. Earlier this year, the Nassau County School District board and the Nassau Teachers’ Association reached an agreement on teacher salary increases. “During negotiations, the School Board engaged in nontransparent practices that likely constitute violations of Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law,” the news release said. The news release said a “concerned citi zen” of Nassau County contacted the First Amendment Foundation “about multiple non transparent, closed-door meetings.” According to the school district’s admin istrative rules, the news release said, “(T)he Superintendent is responsible for rep nnn Tiny balls of fluff are taking over Nassau County as kitten season approaches. Rescue centers and shelters are filling up as litters of kittens – and adult cats – are brought in for a second chance at life. Nassau County Animal Services is hosting events in the coming weeks to promote the influx of kittens that are brought into shelters, and they are encouraging residents to adopt. The price for kittens through animal services is $25, and the cost to adopt an adult cat is $9. Nassau County Animal Services Kennel Supervisor Cassie Kozerski said they sometimes promote a buy-one, get-one deal to adopt, if the influx of kit tens is too high, but there is currently a quick turnaround rate for adult cats and kittens. She said animal services recently received about four litters of kittens in three days, but most are with foster families because they can’t bring kit tens younger than 8 weeks old into the shelter. The majority of the cats brought in are strays or were found around residents’ homes, so adult cats can sometimes be sick, she said. The kittens have weak immune systems when they’re young, and they run the risk of catching viruses other cats might carry. There are about 50 kittens in foster homes right now, Kozerski said, and some are almost ready to return to the shelter for adoption. Although she said many cats are adopted quickly, animal services has one longer term resident, Fluffy. The shelter has been trying to find Fluffy the best home since she arrived four months ago, but their Facebook posts haven’t had much success. The feisty, declawed feline was described in an nnn The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau’s approved the redistri bution of $7,563 raised during the pilot program of the Amelia Island Foundation, according to a news release distributed Monday. The foundation faced backlash from residents in March, after working with Sliders Seaside Grill to add a 1% donation fee to customers’ checks. The donation was intended to help the Amelia Island tourism industry and to “strengthen key assets of the island,” the news release said. The nonprofit ceased operations in April, and said there were no plans to reactivate the foundation. Maurie Dugger – who was hired by Amelia n Thanks to the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council, the Nao Santa Maria, a full-scale replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship when he sailed to North America, will visit the Fernandina Harbor Marina. Work to bring the ship to Fernandina Beach began when the St. Marys Tall Ship Alliance reached out to Kevin McCarthy, former chairman of the Marina Advisory Board and owner of Amelia River Cruises, which operates out of the city-owned marina. The ship was scheduled to be at the marina last year during the annual Shrimp Festival, but the event was canceled due to COVID-19. At the April Marine Advisory Board meet ing, McCarthy talked about a potential visit by the Nao Santa Maria, which is owned by the Nao Victoria Foundation, a nonprofit entity specializing in pro moting and spreading historical events that is supported by the construction of historical ships (the Nao Victoria, El Galeón and the Nao Santa María) sailed throughout the world’s ports. Amelia Island Tourist Development Council President Gil Langley said the organization had agreed to pay the dock space rental for the ship last year before Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival was canceled and was glad to agree to do so again this year. “It is a unique opportunity to bring a diverse event here,” Langley said. “We believe it is important for the n On Monday, Gov. DeSantis signed executive orders and legislation his office says is “aimed at stemming the tide of local and state government overreach.” However, Fernandina Beach officials are divided – some say the legislation is state government overreach, while some sup port the governor’s actions. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the City Commission has extend ed, on a monthly basis, an ordinance requiring masks be worn by people 16 years and older in indoor private spaces. The vote to extend the ordinance has not been unanimous since the election of com missioners Bradley Bean (an opponent of the mandate) and David Sturges (who has voted both for and against the extension). An extension of the ordinance was on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. The mandate is not legally enforce able, due to actions of the governor that supersede the local ordinance, but com missioners have said they believe it is important for local government to do what it can to slow the spread of the virus. Senate Bill 2006 will ensure neither the state nor local governments can close n nnn n­€n n€‚rƒ„…€†‡nn­ n€‚ˆrn  Burns VIOLATION Continued on 9A DONATIONS Continued on 9A CITY Continued on 9A VISIT Continued on 6A n   Q ‰‰ ­€­‚ƒ„ „„ƒ­­‚…†„‡   ˆ CATS Continued on 9A DeSantis PAGE 2 In a story in the April 30 edition about a Fernandina Beach man charged with illegally entering during the U.S. Capitol Building riot, it incorrectly stated five people died in the unsuc-cessful bid to overturn the election. Four people died during or near the riot. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the riot, died of natural causes, according to an autopsy released in April. In the April 30 edition, it was reported that Don Domingo Fernandez is buried in Bosque Bello and is the oldest grave in the cemetery. The oldest burial in Bosque Bello is that of Peter Bouissou de Nicar. The News-Leader regrets the errors. The News-Leader strives for accuracy. We will promptly correct all factual errors. Please notify the editor of errors at sjbryan@fbnewsleader.com or call 904-261-3696. r NEWS DEADLINESCommunity News: Wednesday, Noon Letters to the editor: Monday, Noon Wednesday, NoonChurch Notes: Tuesday, 5 p.m. People and Places: Wednesday, 3 p.m. AD DEADLINES .................. WEDNESDAY EDITION ........ FRIDAY EDITION Classified Ads: .................. Monday, 5:00 p.m.* ................ Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. Classified Display: ............ Friday, 3 p.m. ......................... Tuesday, 5 p.m. Legal Notices: ................... Friday, noon ...........................N/A Retail Advertising: ............ Friday, 3 p.m. ......................... 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