Nassau County commissioners approved a tentative $452.8 million budget Monday, Sept. 14, that closes the Bryceville library, trims Fernandina Beach library hours and eliminates all county funding for nonprofits.

Eight residents spoke against the cuts at the hearing, Nassau NewsLine reported. The budget is not final.

The fiscal year 2026-27 plan lowers the countywide millage rate to 6.5178 from 6.7457. County Manager Taco Pope told the board that marks a sixth straight year of millage reductions and a second consecutive year the general fund has shrunk, with staffing cuts for the second year running.

Library Hours Reduced Across Three Branches

To balance the books, the budget closes the Bryceville branch outright and formalizes the Yulee branch's reduction to three days a week, in effect since July 1, down from five. The Fernandina Beach branch drops from six days to five, according to a Florida NewsLine report published Sept. 11. All county nonprofit funding is eliminated, and funding to the Economic Development Board is reduced. Roadside mowing is cut nearly in half, and drainage maintenance drops 50%.

Residents Warn Cuts Will Hurt Community

Angie Hall, president of the Friends of the Bryceville Branch Library, told commissioners that Bryceville's circulation is up 90% over three years and visits have jumped 431%. The library, Hall said, "is more than just books. It is the living room, the classroom and the technological lifeline for our community."

Janice Ancrum, president and chief executive officer of the Nassau County Council on Aging, said the organization uses county dollars "to feed, to bathe, and to help seniors" and provide caregiver support. She asked commissioners to reconsider nonprofit funding if a November ballot measure fails. The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted Tuesday, Sept. 15, to add $25,000 from its contingency fund for the Council on Aging after city commissioners said the county had cut the nonprofit's funding.

Tax Amendment Could Force Further Cuts

Assistant County Manager Marshall Eyerman said the cuts to services funded by property taxes, including libraries and nonprofits, may be revisited depending on the outcome of Florida's Amendment 3 in November. That measure would raise the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000. Eyerman said it could reduce Nassau County's property tax revenue by as much as 33% within two years.

Commissioner Klynt Farmer told library and nonprofit advocates the board heard their concerns, adding that any changes depend on the November ballot measure's outcome.

Commissioners Approve Other Spending, Set Next Hearing

The board also authorized up to $4.3 million in tourist development tax funds for Fernandina Beach's beachfront branding and Seaside Park improvement project and approved annual assessment resolutions for the South Amelia Island Shore Stabilization beach renourishment area.

Commissioners set the final public hearing for Monday, Sept. 28, at 5:01 p.m. at the James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee. Each speaker gets three minutes.