Editorial: 414 for the 450th

Last week, the City of St Augustine threw another lavish party in the name of the 450th Commemoration; this time they celebrated spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring the world a three-month glimpse of the new Visitor Information Center and 39 artistic pieces created by Pablo Picasso.

At last count, more than 13,000 residents pay taxes to the City of St Augustine; yet only an elite 207 recipients of city, county and federal handouts, politicians, employees of the city and county, political powerbrokers, debutantes and potentates gathered with their wives, husbands, or “significant others” on the lanai at the VIC to toast their “arrival” into St Augustine high-society; while the rest of the 13,000 taxpayers picked up the tab.

In case you didn’t know whose blood is blue enough to be invited, these are the upper-crust recipients of invitations courtesy of the City of St Augustine:

Dr and Mrs William Abare, Mr Scott Adkins, Mr and Mrs Daniel Alexander, Mr and Mrs Mark Alexander, Mr and Mrs Clark Alger, Mrs Marion Almy, Ms Nikole S Alvarez, Mr and Mrs John Arbizzani, Mr and Mrs Mike Arnold, Ms Irene Arriola, Mr and Mrs Jim Babcock, Mr Mark Bailey, Mr and Mrs John Bailey, Mr and Mrs Greg Baker, Mr and Mrs Scott Bartosch, Dr and Mrs Todd Batenhorst, Ms Rachel Bennett, Mr and Mrs Tommy Bledsoe, Mrs Maurine Boles, Mr and Mrs Joseph Boles, Mr and Mrs Brian Bosley, Ms Lettie Bozard, Mr Bo Bozard, Ms Diane L Bradley, Ms Susan Bradshaw, Mr Dave Brezing, Mr Barry Broudy, Mr and Mrs Alvin Brown, Ms Nettie Ruth Brown, Mr Ronald W Brown, Ms Stella Brown, Mr and Mrs James Browning, Mr Timothy Burchfield, Mr and Mrs Brooks Burkhardt, Mr and Mrs Peter Burkhardt, Mr and Mrs Warren Butler, Mr and Mrs Jerry Cameron, Mr and Mrs Patrick Canan, Mr and Mrs Steve Chapman, Mr Dave Chatterton, Mr and Mrs Bill Coleman, Chris Conlon, Mr and Mrs Jim Conzemius, Ms Jackie Cornelius, Mr Charles Cox, Mr and Mrs Fred Cozby, Mr Don Crichlow, Mr and Mrs Patrick Croce, Ms Maria Del Carmen D’Adamo, Mr and Mrs Heinz Dauth, Mr and Mrs Ron Davidson, Mr and Mrs Mike Davis, Mr and Mrs Ron Desantis, Secretary and Mrs Ken Detzner, Dr Doug Dew, Mr and Mrs Mike Diaz, Katherine and David Dickinson, Mr Jerry Dixon, Linda and Husband Dixon, Ms Eva Doolittle, Duane Draper, Mr and Mrs David Drysdale, Mr and Mrs Peter Ellis, Bishop Esteves, Mrs Kathy Fleming, Mr Graham W Fountain, Mr and Mrs John Fraser, Ms Elaine Fraser, Mr and Mrs Bryan Fraser, Mr and Mrs George Gardner, Mr and Mrs Gerald Garrett, Dr & Mrs James Glenos, Mr and Mrs Richard Goldman, Mr Rick Gonzales, Dr and Mrs Jeremy Gordon, Mr and Mrs Joe Gordy, Mr and Mrs Joe Graham, Sen and Mrs Bob Graham, Mr and Mrs Norman Gregory, Mr and Mrs Peter Guinta, Mr and Mrs Fred Halback, Dr & Mrs Pat Hale, Mrs Mimi Reid Hardman, Mr and Mrs Robert Harper, Mr and Mrs Glenn Hastings, Mr Terry Healy, Mr and Mrs Rick Hensler, Mr Henry Hird, Dr Adam J Hirsch, Mr Bert Hodge, Mr Hal Holton, Roxanne Horvath, Mr and Mrs Bill Hughes, Mr Roy Hunt, Mr JT Johnson, Mr and Mrs Errol Jones, John M Joyce, Dr & Mrs Joseph Joyner, Mr and Mrs Irving Kass, Robert Kenny, Mr Richard Kessler, Mr and Mrs Shad Khan, Ms Kim Kiff, Mr and Mrs Jeff King, Ms Lynda Kirker, Mr and Mrs Jay Kislack, Mr Mark Knight, Mr and Mrs Mark Lamping, Mr and Mrs Allan Lastinger, Mr and Mrs Anthony Lazarra, Mr and Mrs Bill Leary, Dr William B Lees, Mr and Mrs Charles Lipi, Mr and Mrs Mark Litzinger, Mr and Mrs Loran Lueders, Dr Badri Mahrotra, Mr and Mrs Fred Mann, Dr Sam Marathe, Mr and Mrs Otis Mason, Mr Mark Nolan and Ms Jan Masters, Ms Jan Matthews, Mr and Mrs Ray Matuza, Mr and Mrs Bill McClure, Mr and Mrs James McCune, Mr and Mrs Phil McDaniel, Mr and Mrs Thom McDonald, Mr and Mrs AJ McGuinness, Mr and Mrs Paul McGuire, Mr Andy McLeod, Mr and Mrs Ron Mickler, Mr and Mrs Jay Morris, Mr and Mrs Pat Morrisey, Mr Ryan Murphy, Sen and Mrs Bill Nelson, Ms Nancy Noyes, Mr and Mrs Richard O’Brien, Mitch Owens, Mr Rhey Palmer, Mr and Mrs Stanley Paris, Ms Susan Parker, Mr and Mrs Leonard Pellicer, Mr Gabe Pellicier, Mr and Mrs Bill Pence, Mr and Mrs Jack Peter, Ramelle Petroglou, Mr and Mrs James Piggott, Mr Benjamin L Platt, Mr and Mrs Alyn Pope, Mr and Mrs Ed Poppell, Ms Rachel Porter, Ms Kerrie Post, Mr and Mrs John Prager, Dr Jeanne and Dr Hugh Prickett, Mr and Mrs William Proctor, Mr and Mrs Jack Ratkovic, Mr and Mrs John Regan, Ms Cece Reigle, Representative Doc Renuart, Ms Lucille R Rights, Mr and Mrs Randy Ringhaver, Senator and Mrs Marco Rubio, Sec and Mrs Ken Salazar, Mr Emilio Sanchez, Mr and Mrs Ron Sanchez, Ms Stacey Sather, Ms Melissa Schechter, Governor and Mrs Rick Scott, Mr and Mrs Joe Segal, Mr and Mrs Tony Seraphin, Mr and Mrs Charlie Seraphin, Dr and Mrs Graig Shaak, Ms Cinda Sherman, Mr and Mrs David Shoar, Mr and Mrs Roger Kline, Mr and Mrs Bruce Smathers, Mr and Mrs Gary Snodgrass, Mr and Mrs John Stavely, Mr and Mrs Dana Ste Claire, Mr and Mrs Henry Stevenson, Mr and Mrs Dan Sullivan, Mr and Mrs Ed Swift, Mark Thoman, Mr and Mrs Les Thomas, Ms Rayma Thomas, Mr Paul Thompson, Mr and Mrs Pierre Thompson, Sen and Mrs John Thrasher, Mr and Mrs Joseph Tiberio, General and Mrs Titshaw, Mr and Mrs Len Tucker, Mr Sam Turner, Mr and Mrs Michael J Turwitt, Ms Wendy Tyson, Ms Ellen Uguccioni, Mr and Mrs Tracy Upchurch, Ms Judith R Urquiza, Mr John Valdes, Mr and Mrs Michael Wanchick, Mr and Mrs Len Weeks, Mr Kirk Wendland, Mr Robert A White, Mr and Mrs Herbie Wiles, Mr and Mrs Morton Williams, Mr and Mrs Paul Williamson, Very Rev Tom Willis, Mr and Mrs Andy Witt, Mr and Mrs Dan Zuberer