Nassau Could Put Sponsor Names on Parks. Here’s Who Decides.
The county has adopted a sponsorship program, but a park cannot simply be renamed by a donor. Commissioners must first designate eligible facilities, then publicly vote on each deal.
A name on a public park or facility can last longer than a donation campaign. Residents have a say before commissioners approve a specific sponsorship, and the terms will determine how much public recognition a donor receives and what the county gets in return.
Nassau County has already opened the door to sponsored names on county facilities. Ordinance 2026-008, adopted April 13 and now in the county code, allows individuals and organizations to seek naming sponsorships in exchange for money or other valuable consideration. Its definition of “facility” covers parks, buildings, boat ramps, recreational spaces and parts of them, such as benches or walkways. Roads are handled under a different section of county law.
The program is adopted, but no particular park name follows automatically. Section 7-199 requires commissioners to pass another resolution listing the facilities available for sponsorship. Only a facility on that list can be offered. Under sections 7-200 and 7-201, county staff and the attorney review an application and proposed agreement; commissioners then hear public comment and vote to approve, deny or delay it. The price, duration, size and placement of recognition are negotiated case by case, with final commission approval.
Why Westside Regional Park came up
At a February 26 county workshop, Strategic Advancement Director Brandy Carvalho connected the naming proposal to Imagine Nassau, the county-led nonprofit that raises money for parks, fire rescue, animal services and land conservation. The draft minutes say she identified Westside Regional Park as the first campaign focus. Commissioners agreed to advance criteria, but that workshop discussion did not itself approve a park sponsorship or a sponsor's name. The ordinance was adopted later in April.
Imagine Nassau says county dollars cover its operations, services and staff salaries so donated money can go to a chosen service area or its discretionary general fund. The county's fiscal 2025 audited report includes the nonprofit as a blended county unit and records $4,055 in revenue in its fund that year. That historical amount does not show how much has been raised in fiscal 2026 or what a future naming agreement might bring in.
What residents can still ask
Before a public place carries a sponsor's name, residents can ask which facilities commissioners have designated, how a proposed donor was selected, the cash or in-kind value, the term, and whether the original public name remains visible. We have not verified a later facility-list resolution or a signed naming agreement, and the available notice does not say that a sponsorship vote is scheduled.
The county has noticed an Imagine Nassau board meeting for Thursday, November 12, from noon to 1 p.m. in the commission chambers at 96135 Nassau Place in Yulee. The public may attend. The notice calls it a meeting for nonprofit business; it does not identify a naming decision on the agenda. Any county facility designation or sponsorship agreement still requires the separate commission steps in the ordinance.
Primary sources
- Nassau County Code, Article XII, sections 7-191 through 7-201, reflecting Ordinance 2026-008 adopted April 13, 2026; checked November 6.
- Nassau County February 26, 2026, workshop draft minutes; checked November 6.
- Imagine Nassau organization and funding description; checked November 6.
- Nassau County fiscal 2025 annual comprehensive financial report, notes and Imagine Nassau fund schedule; checked November 6.
- Nassau County public notice of November 12 Imagine Nassau board meeting, posted November 2, 2026; checked November 6.
Still to verify: The current list, if any, of facilities designated for sponsorship; signed deals; fiscal 2026 donations and county support costs. A public notice of a nonprofit board meeting is not a notice of a commission vote on a facility name.