EcoAction Alert

ATTENTION: Nassau County Members of FNPS

Please support land conservation in Nassau County by voting YES on the ballot measure to approve the purchase of general obligation bonds to fund the protection of environmentally sensitive lands and water resources.

The Florida Native Plant Society has long recognized that the most effective strategy for conserving our native plants and native plant communities is to conserve the natural areas where they occur! However, the rapid pace of land development in Florida means we are locked in an ongoing race against the bulldozers. Voters in Nassau County now have a special opportunity to support funding for the Conservation Land Acquisition and Management (CLAM) program by “yes” on the ballot measure when they go to the polls on November 8.

This ballot measure would authorize Nassau County to issue general obligation bonds worth up to $30 million in order to fund the (CLAM) program. The County created CLAM and appointed a committee of qualified members to evaluate lands nominated by the public for conservation. They also prioritized properties based on their contributions to: improving water quality in rivers, creeks, and drinking water sources; protecting natural areas, beaches and the St. Mary’s, Nassau and Amelia Rivers; reducing flooding; conserving wildlife habitat; and providing outdoor recreation.

With voter approval, the ad valorem assessment on a typical single-family home in Nassau County would pay about $35 a year (0.171 mils), or less than $3 a month, to retire the bonds. All CLAM spending would be restricted solely to the purposes specified in the measure and would be fully disclosed to the public.

Additional information about the program and the ballot measure is available at https://protectnassau.org/. Please vote “yes” in support of land conservation and water protection whether you are voting via mail, early voting, or voting on election day – November 8. Early voting in Nassau County runs from October 26-November 5, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Information on early voting locations is available at https://www.votenassaufl.gov/early-voting. The ballot will be long, and local referenda are placed at the very end, so please do not overlook it!

Thanks for everything you do to support native plant conservation in Florida!