Update from St Johns County District 2

Update from St Johns County District 2

Ron Sanchez
District 2
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners

Of the five county commission districts, District 2 is the largest in area. My wife, Kathy, and I have lived in this district for almost 14 years and I have served the people of our county for over seven years. I have enjoyed doing so and am honored to represent the residents of District 2 and St. Johns County.

Our county is very diverse and it is a real challenge solving problems for our citizens, but that is one reason I love the job. We have such a great staff that once you have relayed a situation to them; you know it will be taken care of to the best of our ability.

Sometimes, issues are more involved with the state and federal government than with us, and other times we are all involved. We all work together on behalf of our residents to identify a solution.

My first project when I took office was to keep the St. Augustine Amphitheatre under county management, and that has been a huge success. I later worked with The Carlisle (Tensolite) Company to keep them in our county and help with the expansion of their company. That was very important to our county and fit right in with our soon to become priority – Economic Development. The increase of business development has been unprecedented, with the most recent accomplishment being the expansion of Northrop Grumman at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport. They will be hiring for over four hundred new positions.

In addition, I have always worked with and on behalf of our farmers. Not just because I like to eat, but because my wife is from a farming family and I appreciate what they go through to bring food to the community. When asked where food comes from, most children today will answer “the grocery store.” That is true, but we have so many things grown right here in my district that it is amazing to me. Tours are available at certain times of the year if you are interested.

Within my district we also have The Town of Hastings, which is closely involved in the farming community, and Flagler Estates which is a taxing district set up by the state many years ago. One thing needed in this area is a new library to replace the current one. In the World Golf Village area we are in serious need of recreation fields. They also need a library, but this would need to be a larger one according to state guidelines.

We have a great county, after all we are rated number five in the nation as the “Best Place to Live and Work”, but there is always something else we can work on to make it a little better. I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to email your thoughts, questions, and comments to me at bccd2@sjcfl.us.