Legislature in session: Hang on to your wallet

St Augustine Mayor, Nancy Shaver, went to Tallahassee this week; she tells Historic City News that she went to secure support for issues important to St. Augustine and St. Johns County.

Shaver’s visit, accompanied by City Manager John Regan, was in support of two prior legislative visits this session; one by Nancy Sikes-Kline and another by Todd Neville.

The mayor and city manager were admitted to the gallery of the Florida House for Representative Ronald “Doc” Renuart’s final session. They were recognized from the floor by Renuart, who is concluding seven years of service. Renuart was required to resign his seat in the House in order to run for the Senate seat vacated by John Thrasher. However, Renuart was defeated by Representative Travis Hutson in the Special Primary Election.

“I believe that over the past few days, the Florida House took positive steps towards improving higher education, implementing the Water and Land Conservation constitutional amendment, cutting taxes, and passing the state budget,” Representative Travis Hutson told Historic City News as this 60-day legislative session officially passed the halfway mark.

Not exactly what the City has on their wish list, however, the results of the city’s lobbying efforts will not be fully known until later in the session. Shaver told local news reporters that the City is looking for funding assistance for the West Augustine sewer and historic preservation projects.

West Augustine Sewer Expansion

One of the foremost topics the mayor and city manager had on their list is the on-going efforts by elected officials and staff from both the city and St. Johns County to secure funds for the West Augustine Sewer Expansion.

The project, which would bring sewer service to a large areas of West Augustine, relieving the area from dependence on septic tanks, carries a price tag of $7M, of which the city is looking to the Legislature for $6M. Additionally, St. Johns County has applied for a Community Development Block Grant for other improvements in the area including drainage, paving streets and to provide assistance to those in need to facilitate connections to the new sewer line.

Historic Preservation

The visit also included the important task of advocacy encouraging full-funding for historic preservation grants. Each year the Legislature provides support for historic preservation projects, but receipt of funds depends on each project’s ranking by the Florida Historical Commission; a high ranking project is more likely to receive funding than one ranked lower.

The city’s grant application for continued rehabilitation of the Waterworks Building, which has received a high ranking, is just one of the projects in St. Augustine and St. Johns County which would benefit by the legislature’s full-funding. Others projects of the city’s include a survey update for the Town Plan National Register Historic District, expansion of the city’s way-finding sign program, and conversion of City Hall lobby space into an archaeological exhibit identifying how the colonial city evolved from the 16th century through 1763.

Shaver did see one of her priorities accomplished. The House considered, and passed without opposition, a resolution (HR 9063) recognizing September 8, 2015 as “Founder’s Day in the State of Florida”. The designation has been commemorated each year in St. Augustine for generations, but for the city’s 450th anniversary, the designation will be statewide. The Senate considered, and passed, a companion resolution for Founder’s Day (SR 1620).

On Thursday, the House passed a $76.2 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2015-16; but there are additional local projects competing for limited state funds. They include the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, St. Johns County, Trinity Episcopal Church of St. Augustine, Flagler College, the Sisters of St. Joseph, Inc., Forward March, Inc., and the Town of Hastings.

“In my opinion, the House has once again put forward a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that prioritizes the needs of the state and lowers the tax burden on our families and businesses, while leaving $3.1 billion in reserves to prepare for any potential future economic uncertainties,” Representative Hutson reported. “With this budget, we have the opportunity to provide the highest per-student funding ever and set aside $690 million in broad-based tax relief for Florida families and businesses.”