Residents vow to continue protest of 7-Eleven

Although the City of St Augustine has approved plans to issue a building permit to construct a convenience store and 12-pump gas station on the long-vacant property at the intersection of May Street and San Marco Avenue, the residents say that will not weaken their resolve to protest the store that they say will cause the intrusion of hundreds of cars through their neighborhood daily.

Nelmar Terrace, Miramar, and Magnolia Estates residents have had to deal with cut-through traffic for years because the streets connect in a grid pattern. Locals know they can avoid the traffic lights and congestion of the May Street and San Marco Avenue intersection by turning down any of the intersecting streets. That traffic could increase exponentially with the attraction of 7-Eleven.

There was a rally along the public sidewalk where protesters carried picket signs opposing the new store yesterday afternoon. The rally started at 4:00 p.m. and soon grew to more than 30 participants. The protesters wore bright yellow shirts with a pair of dice on the front showing a 7 and an 11 on the sides and the message “Nobody Wins”.

Signs were critical, direct, and not inviting for the convenience store Goliath. Some read:

• Evacuation Nightmare
• Choose another location
• Whose interests are being served?
• Stay Out
• Honk for No 7-Eleven
• Who was paid off?
• Stop 7-11
• Got Traffic?
• Boycott 7-Eleven
• I see a park
• Welcome to the new Newark NJ
• Go away 7-Eleven

Former mayor George Gardner, local attorney John Morris, Jacksonville Fire-Rescue battalion chief Neal White, community activist Terry Buckenmeyer, St Augustine Street Tree Advisory Committeewoman Gina Burrell, community association leader Melinda Rakoncay, and dozens more during the course of the demonstration, each took positions; waiving homemade signs, speaking to media representatives from Historic City News, WJXT in Jacksonville, and the St Augustine Record.

Before the protesters returned to their homes after an hour or more in the hot afternoon sun, they were also visited by officers from the St Augustine Police Department. One supervisor in a Tahoe parked across the street in the parking lot of the former Cortesse’s Bistro. A patrolman parked his vehicle on the sidewalk, east of the demonstrators. They remained in their vehicles and observed the crowd for several minutes before leaving. Neither officer got out of their car or made contact with any of those involved in the rally.

Photo credits: © 2014 Historic City News staff photographer