A Missing Amelia Island Trail Link Is on the Table. The Route Is Still Up for Debate.

Nassau County is asking residents to examine a preferred route for the next trail segment before the plan moves forward. The public meeting is November 17; written comments are due December 2.

By Amelia Undertow · Published October 28, 2026 · Records checked October 28, 2026

A gap in Amelia Island’s trail network is moving from a study toward a public route discussion. In an October 28 announcement, Nassau County described Phase 5 as a proposed connection between the Amelia Island Parkway Trail near South 8th Street and the South 14th Street Shared Use Path. The county is inviting the public to review its preferred route, ask questions and comment. A preferred route is a proposal, not a finished trail or a construction approval.

What the county has decided—and what it has not

The county commission approved a $224,828.18 contract for a Phase 5 feasibility study at its November 10, 2025 meeting. That was spending for a study, not a construction award. An August 2023 county project sheet listed design and construction costs and dates as undetermined; its old planning map should not be read as the route the county will present in November.

The October 28 announcement does not give a current construction price, a start date or a completed route drawing. Those remain questions for the project team at the public meeting. The county’s October 19 meeting notice also makes clear that commissioners who attend will take no vote there.

When residents can weigh in

The county’s public meeting is Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at the Peck Community Center, Peck Auditorium, 516 S. 10th St., Fernandina Beach. Its October 28 schedule lists an open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m., followed by a presentation and comment period at 6 p.m. An earlier formal notice gives the broader gathering window as 4 to 7 p.m.

The county says written comments may be submitted at the meeting or sent to project contact George Murray by December 2, 2026 to enter the public meeting record. The county announcement provides his email and mailing details.

Questions to put on the record

• Where exactly would the preferred route run, and where would people cross South 8th Street and other busy roads?
• What changes would nearby residents, businesses and people with disabilities see along the route?
• What would design, construction and future maintenance cost, and which funds are available?
• When would the county make a final route and construction decision?

Those questions are not resolved by the two October announcements. The immediate public decision is whether to review the preferred route and submit comments while the county is still seeking them.