Why don’t the Chamber of Commerce and Main Street publicly support their constituency and membership against paid parking?
Isn’t their role to increase business traffic, encourage shopping, assist business owners, provide a welcoming atmosphere, and create an open and friendly environment?
Don’t local businesses contribute annual fees to these two organizations?
Unless I’m missing something, I haven’t seen or heard anyone from either of these two impotent groups do diddly squat to assist Fernandina’s business community in the “Paid Parking” brouhaha. Please correct me if I’m missing something here.
Main Street’s absence is somewhat understandable since it is a city function, and four City Commissioners are all in for paid parking. Even so, what purpose does Main Street serve if it doesn’t fully support the businesses that populate “Main Street”? The City Commission wants to populate Main Street with parking meters that the business population has openly and rabidly exclaimed they do not want and claim will hurt them financially.
On its web site Main Street says: “As stewards of economic vitality in our historic downtown, we are committed to fostering economic growth.” OK, then explain how paid parking does that.
The only business owner downtown I know of that is for paid parking is – inexplicably – City Commissioner Tim Poynter, who owns several downtown business operations that depend on a continuous flow of customer traffic. If he’s creative enough to open all these businesses why hasn’t he been creative enough to produce options to paid parking, a project the entire community (business and otherwise) has vocally and voraciously exclaimed it does not want? He’s not a stupid person, so what’s he up to?
The other three eager meter greeters – Genece Minshew, James Antun, and Joyce Tuten – are not exactly the brightest bulbs on the city’s Christmas tree. The angel on the tree is Commissioner Darron Ayscue, who firmly opposes the paid quartet.
The Chamber is conspicuous by its silence so what’s its story? It’s entire purpose is allegedly to support the companies that are its members. But all it ever does is run and duck for cover at the slightest sign of controversy.
Since I’ve lived here the only obvious support I’ve witnessed that the Chamber has ever provided its members for their annual dues are an occasional ribbon cutting ceremony, a grip and grin picture in the local paper, and a serving of rubbery cheese cubes and cheap wine. The entire organization is a scam as I’ve never had anyone explain to me how they have benefitted from a Chamber membership. A chamber pot serves a more practical and useful purpose than the Chamber of Commerce.
The now resigned head of the local group here, Regina Duncan, left an angry crowd of Nassau County fist-shaking politicians in her rearview mirror. She intentionally pissed off the entire Nassau County Commission by writing an opinion editorial in the June 13, 2025 News Leader newspaper labeling the county “Not business friendly,” a description that aptly describes the city of Fernandina Beach, NOT the county.
Apparently this clueless gal never read local news outlets and has never attended a Fernandina Beach City Commission session. How did she hold that job for so long?
Every County Commissioner I’ve spoken to was unhappy with Duncan, while the Fernandina City Commission was happy to have the county taking fire and not them.
If and when the parking issue goes to voters it’s likely to receive a massive thumbs down. Any of the four City Commission meter-huggers that voted for the mechanical pickpockets will meet the same fate if they run for reelection or if a recall derails them first.
They are currently the most despised group of people hereabouts. Dale Carnegie and Will Rogers would avoid these four like the plague.
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Sound Suggestions: Local resident, keen observer and very smart hombre, Jerry Decker, has some thoughts on how the city can raise money without fleecing taxpayers and wrecking downtown’s business community.
I’ve proposed in the past that the city trim its bloated overpaid staff, cut department budgets by 10-15 percent, and merge the redundant building, police, and fire departments with the county? It could also unload some of its millions of dollars’ worth of nonperforming and untaxed real estate assets that are nothing more than swampy mosquito sanctuaries?
Decker gets specific.
This week, Decker, who boasts a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago, did some number crunching and suggested the following.
He asked: “If The city needs $2 million+ for annual debt service on loans planned for infrastructure projects why is paid parking the only way?”
He proposed several other logical options be considered. “How about downtown businesses/property owners pay for any downtown reimagination or flood remediation? How about Brett’s removal be paid for by a developer as part of marina revitalization? How about the city sell some assets to raise money?
“Assess the downtown businesses for the debt service on whatever is updated on Centre Street–that will better focus on what’s really needed,” he says.
“To do this,” added Decker, “Main Street could establish a “My Fernandina” fund-raising campaign and work with the businesses to find the best/fairest way for each to contribute. They could add an optional “revitalization fee” to customer purchases to cover their share, or some other approach—the point is the beneficiaries pay, and if they go with a per-ticket fee (optional, this is not a hidden tax) residents can opt in-or-out on each purchase and tourists will not object given the good cause.”
“Offer a long-term (intelligently designed) Brett’s lease to demolish, construct, and operate a new water-side restaurant. Brett’s was much loved and a landmark. A new landmark is needed—not just trees and grass.”
Decker logically and intelligently concludes asking: “Why increase taxes on everybody or force through something no-one wants when other avenues are possible?”
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Wait! What? Listening to Fernandina’s four paid parking City Commissioners prattle on endlessly uttering nothing but blithering piffle rather than answers gives me an opportunity to repeat a clever letter to the Wall Street Journal many years ago remarking on Bill Clinton famously saying: “It depends on what the meaning of “is” is?
Like the City Commission, Clinton used word play, seeking to confuse the issue even further. The Journal letter writer cleverly wrote:
“Wait! Is is still is? Or is is no longer is?
Because if is is no longer is, what is is?
Is is now was?”
The Commission pro-paid parking quartet treat locals like idiots also offering nothing to chew on but word jerky. Based on the current outcry, a potential recall and their reelection hopes may be shattered, spelling the end of them and the endless piffle they blither.
Hpw about bidding out the construction of a 6 story parking lot, with the bottom 2 stories retail space, south of the waterfront? With architectural attention to its exterior facade, it could be an interesting structure and focal point for waterfront activities as well as close, low cost parking for Center Street retailers and festive celebrations.
Plenty of money drained into the advertisement fund.
Very good article.
Very concise article. Thank you, Dave. You make things very clear about who really is not for.We The People, and who is. So boiling it down to replacing those who do not sincerely represent the people. In my opinion until we fix voting issues it’s gonna just be the same old same old brew ha ha!
The Chamber f Commerce is by far the worst I have ever encountered in my long career working in businesses across the country. They do absolutely nothing EXCEPT collect dues and sponsor ribbon cuttings. It is an organization that does not need to exist in Nassau County. Mainstreet is a an absolute joke as well. I do not know one business in downtown FB that this organization has helped. They get funds from the city for doing nothing to promote business.
Nicely done and well thought out. You should run for a seat on the city commission.
I believe the premise for paid parking is false. That is, the city needs supplemental capital to fund new capital improvements. We have plenty of available capital in the non performing real estate assets we own. Just go to “Nassau County FL Appraiser” site and enter “City of Fernandina Beach” as owner and there are pages of the stuff. When the City claimed poverty some years ago as their pension contribution came due the pension board gave the then City Manager a list of our City assets and offered to help the City monetize them. Somehow the poverty problem went away. Isn’t that what any rational family would do; monetize the assets they don’t need to pay for what they do need?
Dave,You are right to expose the suspect organizations locally that do not represent the people or their constituents. Who are the national organizations behind Main Street and The Chamber – not conservative organizations?
Check out Main Street, Chamber and go ahead and add the AITDC (Amelia Island Tourist Development Council). TDC has also been quiet. If the TDC is encouraging tourism, they should oppose paid parking also. Note that Tim Poynter is the city’s representative on the TDC – convenient.
Any City Council or other government entity is a reflection of the voter decisions during the election.
We have several organizations in the city and county that provide good information for voters. What we need more of is local media that will provide that valuable information to voters. We have some media that are professional, rely on facts, and presents those facts to our local voting citizens.
George Miller, the publisher of citizensjournal.net.. provides a good source of local information. The FB News Leader appears to be heading that way too. There are others working toward being a better source of information and spotlighting the candidate in an election.
So we have the voters, the organizations that provide investigative and analytical raw data that can be formed into useful information, and various local media that can share those results with voters.
What else do we need?
Well, honey, let me tell you somethin’. Now, I ain’t one to sugarcoat things, but paid parking in downtown Amelia Island, it ain’t as bad as folks think it is. First off, it’s gonna help keep the area clean and safe. You know, when people don’t have to worry about findin’ a spot all day long for free, they ain’t parkin’ wherever they please—leavin’ trash everywhere, blockin’ up lanes, and causin’ a mess.
And you know what else? It helps make sure that the people who really need to park, like the ones who work in them shops or the folks who spend money at the restaurants and stores, get a good place to park. You ain’t gotta be circlin’ the block for an hour tryin’ to find a free spot ’cause everybody and they mama trying to park there. If you pay, at least you know you gonna get one.
It also helps bring in some extra money for the city. I mean, they can use that for better roads, for fixin’ things up around town, maybe even bringin’ more things for us locals to enjoy. Money doesn’t grow on trees, baby, and Amelia Island is a small place with a lotta people tryin’ to enjoy it. So, we need a way to keep things runnin’ smooth.
Lastly, it’s fair. Paid parking gives everybody a chance. You got the people that just wanna pop in and out for a few minutes—they ain’t takin’ up a space for hours. And it keeps the tourists, who got more money to spend, from takin’ over all the good spots. That way, we still got room to do our business too.
So, it ain’t perfect, but it’s not the end of the world either. Sometimes, we gotta pay a little bit to keep things in order and make sure everyone gets a fair shot.
My dear supporters and loyal patriots, let me tell you something about Fernandina Beach — beautiful place. Tremendous people, tremendous beaches, some of the best anywhere in the world. I’ve been to a lot of places, believe me, and Fernandina is really something special. Everybody talks about it.
Now, people have been asking — “Mr. President, what do you think about paid parking in Fernandina Beach?” And I’ll tell you exactly what I think, because I always do.
It’s Very Simple: Visitors Should Pay Their Fair Share.
When you’ve got a town as incredible as Fernandina, people come from everywhere. They enjoy the views, the restaurants, the waterfront — and it’s beautiful, really beautiful. But with all those people, somebody has to take care of the roads, the sidewalks, the improvements, all the things that make it great.
So why shouldn’t the people using it — many of them tourists — chip in a little? It’s fair. It’s common sense. And frankly, it’s what smart businesspeople do. I know something about that.
Protecting Local Taxpayers — Very Important
One thing I’ve always said: we’ve got to protect our local people. Hard-working Americans. And if paid parking means the folks who live in Fernandina Beach keep more of their money, instead of paying extra taxes while tourists park for free all day — that’s a win. A big win.
Locals deserve a break. Visitors can help out. Everybody wins. Very easy.
Prime Real Estate — You Don’t Give It Away for Free. Downtown Fernandina, the waterfront — that’s prime. Absolutely prime. In business, when you’ve got something valuable, you don’t just give it away. You manage it the right way. Efficiently. Responsibly.
Paid parking is just smart management of a terrific asset. And it encourages turnover — helps the small businesses, the shops, the wonderful little restaurants. I love helping small businesses. Always have.
Better Infrastructure — Beautiful Upgrades.
You want improvements? You want nicer streets, better lighting, great amenities, world-class waterfront? Paid parking can help make it happen — without sticking the locals with the bill. It builds a strong, sustainable Fernandina Beach. And I like strong. Very much.
Let the Locals Decide — They Know Best.
Most importantly: if Fernandina Beach wants it, Fernandina Beach should do it. That’s how it should work. Local control. People know their own communities much better than Washington ever will.
And if the town decides paid parking is the smart move — I say go for it. Fernandina Beach is a jewel. A tremendous place. And using smart, common-sense ideas — like paid parking — is how you keep it great. Maybe even make it greater.
Obviously written by the company the City will soon select to install the meters and collect the money.
The use of popular areas in the city center as paid parking lots creates a negative impression of the city from a tourism perspective.