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The Yulee News
June 16, 2022
Buzz around Town Public Safety Announcement Razor Blades were found north/main beach area by Reefer Road. A citizen has informed The Yulee News that she was approached by a gentleman on the beach with a metal detector who had found around 20 razor blades sticking out of the sand, someone having intentionally placed them there. She quoted, “I don’t know who would do this, but they’re obviously messed up. Just wanted everyone to be aware of their surroundings when walking on our beaches. Keep your eyes peeled folks and stay safe!”
State Budget for Fiscal Year Approved for 2022-2023! A Message from Janice Ancrum, President & CEO I am very happy to report that we made it through Governor Ron DeSantis’s approved state budget for Fiscal Year 20222023! NCCOA’s Fernandina Beach Senior Life Center at 1901 Island Walk Way will receive a $1.3 million appropriation for interior and exterior safety-related renovations. These include parking lot repair and resurfacing, streamlined updating for the AC and heating system, restroom upgrades and outdoor green space for post-COVID activities. As you may know, the state’s approved $109.9 billion budget included
more than $3.13 billion in vetoed spending. However, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Sen. Aaron Bean (D-4), President Pro Tempore and Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, and newly appointed Secretary of State and former Rep. Cord Byrd (D-11), NCCOA’s Life Center will be even more safe and secure for Nassau County seniors. Our Westside Senior Life Center benefited from renovation- and repair-related updates during the 2020 and 2021 state budget appropriation process. Since the grand opening in 2018, our Fernandina Beach facility has welcomed thousands and thousands of seniors. Parts of the campus are now in desperate need of maintenance and repair work. This recent appropriation will go a long way to enable us in providing continued safety and security for our members and guests. Gov. DeSantis, Sen. Bean and Sec.
Byrd, you have our endless gratitude! In other news, we hosted a very special guest at the Fernandina Beach Senior Life Center in late May. Michelle L. Branham, Secretary, Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA), stopped by to see our operation for herself and discuss issues affecting Northeast Florida seniors. (See article in this issue.) The Florida DOEA is the primary state agency responsible for administering human services programs for the elderly and for developing policy recommendations for long-term care. In so many ways, NCCOA and Florida DOEA share the same mission of helping to ensure quality of life for Nassau County seniors. Needless to say, Sec. Branham was extremely impressed and promised her continuing support. Thank you for your support of our programs, our services and our seniors!
Passion and Purpose Drive Nassau County Young Republicans Nassau County has a unique appeal to those not native to the area with what seems to be a county that is especially hospitable to diversity and outsiders. The days of everyone being born and raised here are gone. Now, we have a community of people who perhaps weren’t born and raised here but instead are made to feel as if they were. Since the 50s, the Florida Federation of Young Republicans has been an organization full of passionate, competent people who want to serve and better their community. To me, this local charter of the FFYR acts as a beacon of hope, doing an excellent job of bringing people together. The first time I went to an NCYR meeting, I immediately felt a connection. I was greeted by strangers and was instantly welcomed into the community despite not being a native. The leadership of the club listened to the members, not dictating the meeting. They were able to guide conversations while agreeing, without taking control. I believe their leadership style is why the club is continuing to blossom. After several meetings and discussions, I began to find a role inside the club overseeing the social media operations. At our May meeting, we had the
pleasure of hosting Senator Aaron Bean. Senator Bean is one of those souls that remembers the people he interacts with. He went above and beyond to join our family of motivated members. He remembers the stories of my father who was a career firefighter. My father died in 2013 from work-related cancer that wasn’t recognized at the time. The good senator recalled with me the images I shared with him years ago of my father’s struggles. What makes Senator Bean relevant to this is that he is a deep thinker and considerate of the dynamic within the club that he feels a relation to. Our senior leadership served in the military, and it is obvious that the senator appreciates the struggles they must have faced. This leadership is operated by two brothers - chairman and vice chairman of the club - who both served as Marines in Iraq. Senator Bean recognized that and emboldened the club by it with his open arms and proud affiliation. These are characteristics of people that need to be advertised. After just one single in depth conversation with either of these brothers on the topic of your choice, you will suddenly realize that they are the patriots to surround yourself with when getting involved in politics. They don’t point out their glory but instead illustrate it through action. These are the things that I look for when knowing who to associate with. Politics will always be politics. I will never agree with one elected official on every single issue. However, I look for their heart and
motives. You can tell when a person is authentic. It’s natural. There is no such thing as a perfect person, let alone a perfect politician. You just must find the ones that want to serve and listen at the same time. In this rare case, I’ve found that they include those who want to serve without being politicians, who I greatly admire. At our May meeting, candidates were there to give their heartfelt testimonies of why they are passionate about running. Candidates who are involved in the same race sat in the same room with respect and care for their opponents. This is what makes the Nassau County Young Republicans so special. We are a family that truly respects each other, even if we disagree on policy issues. We can disagree but understand the heart behind why each person feels the way they do. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to candidates share why they are running. Then, I look at their actions. Have they only showed during election cycle? Have they been someone who’s active with the people and consistently served no matter the time period? Voting is such a sacred honor and responsibility of us that recognize those that bled and died for, and I encourage each voter to research the candidates they believe is the best person for the job. You will never agree with one single candidate 100% of the time, but you can at least discern who is most likely to listen and take your issues to heart. I, for one, will never forget when Senator Bean showed up as we were fighting for certain cancers to
be recognized as a health-related illness for firefighters. I also encourage people to show up and be passionate about the people they support. If there is a club to be a part of, it’s this one hand down. The leadership seems to be most concerned with national level issues but especially allows their platform to be used for local issues. It is why they have asked me to write this article knowing and considering my argument of how equally important local issues are. Be an informed voter on the data, but don’t forget to look at the heart of the candidates. Get to know them and see if you truly feel like they listen. If they currently serve, think about their track record. Have they been available for you to ask questions? Did they listen to your concerns and act on them? At the end of the day, I want to be a part of organizations that can come together to promote a healthy collaborative community. The Nassau County Young Republicans is a great example of like minded Americans that truly care about each other and their community. We are looking forward to our June meeting on the 21st at Gator’s Dockside in Yulee, at 7 PM. We will have guest speaker Sheriff Bill Leeper to give us words of wisdom and encouragement in these hard times. Aside from having the good sheriff do us this honor, we will also be allowing all interested candidates to be video interviewed for our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing many new faces! Please bring your A game as the patriots will be present.
