Taco Pope, County Manager, Nassau County
Taco Pope, County Manager of Nassau County, sat down with Invest: to discuss the developments that will help ensure the county grows responsibly for years to come. He also talked about projects and strategic planning in place, how tourism has evolved, and more. “Businesses want to locate where people want to live,” he said.
What growth are you seeing in Nassau County, and what is behind it?
Quality of life. Nassau has the 3rd highest ranked school district in the State, one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, a robust public park system, low crime rates, well maintained public infrastructure, and access to world-class healthcare, shopping, and an international airport. High quality of life not only attracts people, it also attracts business and economic investment. It’s simple, businesses want to locate where people want to live. All other things equal, a business owner is going to locate their company somewhere their employees want to live. With quality of life being the driving factor, County officials are actively facilitating a citizen-driven county-wide visioning exercise, Nassau Florida 2050 Vision, to prepare for a population expansion that is projected to more than double over the next 25 years. As such, focus will be on attracting new high-wage and skilled labor jobs, maintaining a healthy jobs to housing ratio, and preserving quality of life. One infrastructure project that has potential to attract regional scale economic investment is the construction of a new interchange on I-95 in Nassau County. The new interchange will be the second interchange in the State of Florida when traveling south on I-95. The completion of the interchange has the potential to open 10,000-15,000 acres of land for economic expansion with direct access to I-95. When coupled with currently emerging industrial and commerce centers within the county, Nassau has the ability to grow intentionally and be an economic powerhouse of the future.
How has your team become more intentional in industry clustering?
From a county-wide planning standpoint, yes, Nassau is being very intentional about where future growth centers are to be located. County officials have invested significant resources into facilitating balanced growth that is intentional. Nassau County has existed for 200 years, and it’s a safe bet the County will exist for at least another 200 years. As such, it is imperative County officials establish an infrastructure and land use framework that can effectively facilitate communal life on a generational scale.
What tourism opportunities are under development?
Amelia Island is a jewel, but there are amazing opportunities on the mainland of Nassau as well. County officials are actively pursuing an initiative to expand the tourist development district county-wide and spread the economic benefits of the tourism industry While the beaches of Amelia Island get all the attention, Nassau has amazing riverine systems and natural areas complimented with a budding rural event venue industry that can facilitate high-end, yet rustic events of various scales. There are two large landowners in the county with existing development entitlements that will facilitate the construction of multiple large scale riverfront resorts that are comparable in size and scale to resorts on Amelia Island.
How are you working to preserve Nassau County’s charm as it grows?
County officials facilitated a citizen driven, multi-year initiative to establish consensus around shared vision for the more rural areas of Nassau County, the Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Project. The Project acknowledged that growth was coming irrespective of desire simply due to proximity with Duval, being part of one of the fastest growing MSAs in the country, and the high quality of life Nassau residents enjoy. This shared vision has helped elected officials promote public policy that preserves quality of place and quality of life. Nassau has also created a land acquisition program that includes the acquisition of agricultural and working land for the purpose of preserving the agricultural activities. Further, County officials have to be very strategic in directing growth in a manner that preserves quality of life while also facilitating economic expansion. In many parts of Florida, maintaining a rural aesthetic and sense of community is a key contributor to quality of life.
Nassau County has identified areas around existing municipalities and locations in proximity to Duval and I-95 that will eventually become urban centers. In exchange, the County is proactively striving to preserve large swaths of land along the St. Marys River and other high-yield agricultural and working lands.
Lastly, Nassau County has a robust capital program in relation to its size. Many times, private investment follows public investment in critical infrastructure. As such, the County is being intentional about the type, location and quality of infrastructure being delivered as part of the County’s capital program. If the County is building a new road, the project will be executed at a standard that includes street trees, trails, decorative lighting, and underground utilities as a catalyst for high quality private investment.
How is the county set financially to meet the demands of future growth?
Nassau County is well positioned financially to meet and exceed demands. County leadership has prioritized fiscal sustainability and a proactive approach to ensuring the long-term fiscal health of the County. Nassau has cured deferred maintenance realized during the great recession, adopted a robust capital program to meet new demands, and improved its credit rating while simultaneously reducing the property tax rate for four consecutive years thus attracting new private investments.
