Nassau County and Firefighters Union Meet Monday on Policy Changes: What Impact Bargaining Means

YULEE, Fla. - Nassau County officials and firefighters union Local 3101 will meet Monday, Oct. 26, at 9 a.m. for negotiations involving possible changes to county policies that could affect their existing labor agreement. The meeting, called an impact bargaining session, will take place at the Nassau County Board Chambers in Yulee and will be open to the public. The county has not identified which specific policies are being considered for changes.

The negotiations involve Nassau County's bargaining team and the Nassau County Fire-Rescue Professionals, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3101. According to a public notice posted Oct. 22, the discussion concerns the amendment or modification of existing county policies that may affect the collective bargaining agreement. The notice does not describe the proposed changes or identify which provisions of the agreement might be affected.

The meeting comes about a year after Nassau County commissioners approved a three-year firefighters contract that increased starting pay and established annual raises through September 2028. That agreement remains the current contract between the county and the union. Monday's negotiations concern the possible effects of county policy changes rather than a complete renegotiation of that contract.

When and Where Is Monday's Meeting?

The impact bargaining session is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at the Nassau County Board Chambers. The meeting location is the James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097. Nassau County announced the session in a public notice dated Thursday, Oct. 22.

The meeting will be open for public observation, but officials will not take public comments during the session. Residents can attend to follow the discussion between the county bargaining team and union representatives. The county has not announced a specific policy change in its published meeting notice.

The notice identifies the union as Nassau County Fire-Rescue Professionals Local Union 3101. The negotiations will involve the county's bargaining representatives and members of the union. The stated purpose is to discuss changes to existing county policies that may have an impact on the collective bargaining agreement.

What Does Impact Bargaining Mean?

Impact bargaining is a form of labor negotiation that addresses how an employer's policy decision affects employees. When an employer makes a policy change that it has the authority to make, the union may negotiate over the effects of that change on workers. Those discussions can address how or when a policy is implemented rather than whether the employer has the authority to make the original decision.

This process differs from negotiating an entirely new collective bargaining agreement. The county and Local 3101 already have a contract covering the period from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028. Impact bargaining focuses on the effects of a policy change within an existing employment relationship, rather than automatically reopening every provision of the contract.

The Nassau County notice uses the phrase "amendment and/or modification of existing county policies that may impact the collective bargaining agreement." That description establishes the general purpose of Monday's negotiations but does not identify a particular proposal. Without additional details, it is not possible to determine the exact effects being discussed.

Why Is the Negotiation Open to the Public?

Florida law requires public-sector collective bargaining negotiations to take place in the sunshine. Section 447.605 of the Florida Statutes requires bargaining sessions between a public employer's chief executive officer, or representative, and a union to be open under Florida's Sunshine Law. That law is found in Section 286.011 of the Florida Statutes.

The requirement allows members of the public to observe negotiations involving government employers and certified employee bargaining representatives. Nassau County's announcement states that Monday's session will be open, although public comments will not be accepted. The public meeting notice is consistent with Florida's requirements for open collective bargaining negotiations.

Not every discussion related to collective bargaining must take place publicly. Section 447.605 allows private strategy discussions between a public employer's chief executive officer and its legislative body, which in this case is the county commission. The law also exempts certain work products prepared for bargaining from public-records disclosure.

Section 447.309 separately requires public employers and certified bargaining agents to negotiate in good faith over wages, hours and employment terms and conditions. It also requires the parties to meet at reasonable times and establishes requirements for written, signed and ratified agreements. Those provisions form part of the state legal framework governing negotiations between Nassau County and Local 3101.

What Is in the Current Firefighters Contract?

The current collective bargaining agreement runs from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028. Nassau County commissioners approved the three-year agreement in September 2025, according to Nassau NewsLine. The executed contract between the county commission and Nassau County Fire-Rescue Professionals, IAFF Local 3101, AFL-CIO, contains 69 pages.

One major provision increased starting firefighter pay from $14.76 an hour to $19.28 an hour. That represents a $4.52 hourly increase, or approximately 30.6%. The agreement also established general raises during each of its three fiscal years.

The agreement provides additional hourly compensation for emergency medical technician, paramedic and hazardous materials certifications. Paramedic supplemental compensation reaches $6 an hour by the end of the agreement. These provisions are part of the existing contract and should not be interpreted as subjects confirmed for Monday's impact bargaining session.

When commissioners approved the agreement, Assistant County Manager Marshall Eyerman said both negotiating sides had prioritized improving base firefighter pay. Commission Chairman Huppman also thanked county staff and Local 3101 representatives for their work on the agreement. Nassau NewsLine reported those comments in September 2025 as part of its coverage of the contract approval.

How Large Is Nassau County Fire Rescue?

Nassau County Fire Rescue's published department structure lists one fire chief, one assistant chief and one deputy chief who also serves as fire marshal. It also lists six battalion chiefs and nine captains. The department's structure includes 49 lieutenants, 72 engineers and 33 firefighters.

Together, the published figures total 163 employees in the captain, lieutenant, engineer and firefighter positions. That figure describes those four job classifications and does not establish how many people belong to IAFF Local 3101. The county's structure page also identifies two fire prevention officers, two logistics officers, one administrative coordinator and two administrative specialists.

The department lists 132 firefighter/paramedics and 30 firefighter/EMTs among its certifications. Its equipment includes eight advanced life support engines and nine advanced life support rescue units, along with five reserve engines and seven reserve rescue units. The county also lists two 100-foot aerial trucks, four brush trucks and four water tenders.

Other listed equipment includes two rigid inflatable boats, one aluminum boat and a beach utility vehicle. The county identifies nine fire stations numbered 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 71 and 90. The county.s fire stations page links a separate information sheet for each station.

What Do We Not Know About Monday's Talks?

The main unanswered question is which Nassau County policy officials want to amend or modify. The Oct. 22 notice does not name the policy or explain what specific employee impacts will be discussed. It also does not describe a proposed amendment to the current labor agreement.

The county's announcement identifies the participants, date, location and general purpose of the negotiations. It does not provide a detailed bargaining agenda explaining the underlying policy issue. Readers should not assume the talks involve any particular employment practice without supporting information.

The notice also does not identify a scheduled outcome or announce what will happen after Monday's session. The existence of impact bargaining does not establish that the county and union have already reached an agreement. Any conclusions about possible changes would depend on information developed through the negotiation process.

What Happens After the Negotiations?

The county's public notice does not provide a timeline for completing negotiations or identify another bargaining session. Generally, an agreement concerning the effects of a policy change would be documented in writing. Florida's public-sector labor laws establish requirements governing collective bargaining agreements and the parties' obligations.

Chapter 447 also provides an impasse process when a public employer and union cannot reach an agreement. That process can involve a special magistrate before the legislative body makes a decision. This is a general description of Florida law, not an indication that Monday's negotiations have reached an impasse.

The current collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to continue through Sept. 30, 2028. Monday's announced meeting is an opportunity for the county and union to discuss the effects of possible policy modifications under that existing agreement. The meeting notice does not establish whether the parties will resolve the matter during the session.

How Can Residents Attend or Read the Contract?

Residents who want to observe the negotiations can attend the 9 a.m. Monday session at the James S. Page Governmental Complex in Yulee. The Board Chambers are located at 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097. The public may attend, but the county has stated that no public comment will be taken.

Anyone requiring accommodations should contact the Nassau County Manager's Office at 904-530-6010 at least 72 hours before the meeting. The county's official meeting announcement is available at https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/3925. That notice provides the meeting's stated purpose, location and public access information.

The current executed labor agreement is available through the county at https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/DocumentCenter/View/26717/2025-2028-EXECUTED-AGREEMENT-W--LOCAL-3101-CBA. Residents can review the 69-page agreement for the existing contractual terms between Nassau County and Local 3101. The document covers the agreement scheduled to remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2028.

How We Did This

Jax Times based this report on Nassau County's Oct. 22, 2026, public meeting notice, the county's executed 2025-2028 collective bargaining agreement and its Fire Rescue department structure and equipment pages. Additional contract background came from Nassau NewsLine's Sept. 24, 2025, report on the agreement's approval. Explanations of public bargaining requirements and possible impasse procedures are based on Chapter 447 of the Florida Statutes, including Sections 447.309 and 447.605, available through the Florida Legislature's Online Sunshine website at https://www.leg.state.fl.us/.