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Amelia Island trustees vote to send county complaint over expanded beach driving
Summary
Trustees and residents unanimously approved a motion directing the president to draft a letter to Nassau County protesting recent expansion of beach driving onto a highly eroding section of Amelia Island. Speakers said the driving is harming dunes, nesting habitat and walkability and urged county officials to visit the site.
Amelia Island trustees voted unanimously to ask Nassau County to review its recent decision to extend driving access on a vulnerable stretch of beach, saying the move endangers dune vegetation, nesting wildlife and residents’ safety.
At the SAISA trustees meeting, George Dijanowski moved “that the president develop a letter … to address the issue of driving on the beach that impacts part of our area,” a motion seconded and approved without recorded opposition. Chair Terry Cole said the president will produce a draft within several days and circulate it to trustees for comment before sending it to county officials.
Residents and association representatives described large ruts, loosened sand and harassing behavior by drivers that reduce walking access and raise safety concerns. “There was never even notice given to SAISA,” one trustee said, criticizing the county for not consulting local stewards before moving the signs. Coastal engineer Al Browder cautioned that vehicle traffic “will stunt dune vegetation” and that the combination of narrowing beaches and driving makes coexistence with sea turtles and shorebirds more difficult even if it does not measurably change project-scale erosion.
Speakers asked the board to press the county to inspect the area in person. Several trustees recommended that the letter include photos and invite individual county commissioners and county managers to visit the site. Eric Schmidt urged the board to request a site visit so commissioners and county staff can see the damage directly.
Trustees also discussed the possibility of legal action already in progress: counsel for affected parties is pursuing an emergency injunction in court to restrict the new driving access, a trustee said, though litigation timing depends in part on seasonality and other legal considerations.
The board emphasized it supports continued renourishment but said the county’s decision that increases driving access should not shift the special-assessment burden only to oceanfront property owners. “If they’re going to open it to the county, then everybody should pay,” one resident said, echoing broader concerns about fairness in assessment funding.
Next steps: the president will circulate a draft letter summarizing the board’s concerns, attach photographs and invite county officials to inspect the site; the board will reconvene briefly to finalize and send the letter.
