Cash-Strapped Fernandina Beach Faces Potential $380,000 Bill for Airport Soccer Fields

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH – Already grappling with budget pressures and major capital needs, the City of Fernandina Beach may soon face a new annual expense of nearly $380,000 if it wants to continue using the Ybor Alvarez soccer fields at the municipal airport.

The issue surfaced Tuesday during public comments at the City Commission meeting when Amelia Island Youth Soccer President Scott Lomond warned that growing demand for youth sports facilities is colliding with a shortage of available fields across Nassau County.

Lomond told commissioners that despite discussions with Nassau County that began more than a year ago, the county recently allocated limited field space in Yulee to YMCA programs, leaving little room for expansion of youth soccer on the east side of the county.

"As a result, there's not enough space to support expanding soccer program in the area," Lomond said, adding that delays in the opening of the Yulee Sports Complex have further complicated the situation.

The comments prompted Commissioner Genece Minshew to ask City Manager Sarah Campbell for an update on the city's ongoing discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the Ybor Alvarez fields, which sit on airport property.

Campbell said the city is continuing to pursue a plan that would relocate aviation-related uses to the adjacent softball field area, a concept currently being designed by Passero Associates. The proposal would then be submitted to the FAA for review.

More significantly, Campbell revealed that the FAA has indicated it expects the city to begin paying for use of the soccer fields in the near future.

"As a reminder, the city does not own that land," Campbell told commissioners. "However, the FAA has indicated strongly that lease payments will begin soon, that we will have to start paying for those fields very soon."

According to Campbell, the cost would be approximately $380,000 annually, or roughly $32,000 per month.

The city is also exploring a lease-to-own arrangement that could eventually allow Fernandina Beach to acquire the property. Campbell said FAA officials have expressed openness to that concept, but the city must first submit a formal proposal outlining how such an agreement would work.

The potential financial obligation arrives as city officials continue to wrestle with competing priorities, including infrastructure needs, waterfront projects, park improvements and long-term recreational planning.

The future of the Ybor Alvarez fields has been a recurring concern for city leaders. The fields have long served as a centerpiece for youth soccer on Amelia Island, but because they are located on federally obligated airport property, the city has faced increasing pressure from the FAA to ensure the land is being used in a manner consistent with airport requirements.

As previously reported by the Fernandina Observer, city officials have been evaluating options ranging from relocating athletic activities to reconfiguring airport property in a way that preserves youth soccer while satisfying FAA concerns.

Tuesday's discussion highlighted the growing urgency of the issue. While Amelia Island Youth Soccer continues to report strong participation and increasing demand, local governments have yet to identify sufficient additional field capacity to accommodate future growth.

Lomond urged the city and county to work together on a long-term solution.

"Youth sports is one of the most powerful ways the community comes together," Lomond said. "We owe it to the next generation to ensure that we have access to these opportunities."

For now, city officials are awaiting completion of the airport design work before returning to the FAA with a proposal. Whether that results in a purchase agreement, a lease arrangement, or another solution remains unclear.

What is clear is that if the FAA begins requiring lease payments before a permanent solution is reached, Fernandina Beach could be facing a new six-figure annual expense at a time when recreational field demand is increasing and available funding remains limited.

During previous discussions regarding the future of the Ybor Alvarez complex, Airport Manager Nathan Coyle told city commissioners that at one time the city was paying the FAA for the use of the property. Coyle said for some undisclosed reason the city stopped making lease payments about 10 years ago and the FAA never followed up on the matter.

Previous discussions with the FAA have placed the purchase price for the Ybor Alvarez property at approximately $5.5 million, with Nassau County offering to contribute $1 million toward the acquisition. If the FAA rejects the proposed land swap and requires the soccer fields to be relocated, the city could face not only the cost of purchasing or leasing the existing property, but also millions of dollars in additional expenses to construct replacement athletic fields elsewhere. City officials have previously estimated that developing new soccer fields, along with the necessary infrastructure, could cost several million dollars, potentially making preservation of the existing complex the least expensive long-term option.