Commissioners approve Northeast Florida Utility Authority framework and special utility fund

The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 14 approved a resolution to establish a special revenue fund for utility-sourced revenues and adopted an ordinance to create the Northeast Florida Utility Authority, a dependent special district intended to coordinate utility development, grant authority to manage restricted funds and assist municipalities with utility projects.

Utility Authority executive director Colin Groff told commissioners: "We are asking tonight for your consideration of an ordinance to set up a special dependent district." Groff said the authority is modeled on a prior American Beach Utility District and will provide a framework to coordinate providers, phase projects and seek funding, including grant opportunities.

Board action: The ordinance (2026-057) creating the authority and the resolution establishing the restricted Northeast Florida Utility Fund were approved by a 5–0 vote. Staff said the fund will collect utility-sourced revenues and that funds will be restricted to eligible utility uses as identified by the board.

Implications: Staff said the authority and fund are intended to streamline coordination of utilities countywide as growth continues and to provide a funding mechanism for infrastructure projects such as undergrounding for resilience and rights-of-way improvements.