Governor appoints Alaimo to fill commission seat

The Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis reported to Historic City News yesterday that the governor has appointed local businessman Roy A Alaimo to fulfill the remaining term of the late St Johns County Commissioner Paul M Waldron.

For over a month, Historic City News has been pursuing a response from the governor’s appointments office to our yet unanswered public records request for applications received from other potential appointees.  We were made aware that St Augustine Beach Commissioner Undine George was actively seeking the appointment and two other residents.  Former Sheriff David B Shoar was rumored to be under consideration, but that won’t be corroborated until the appointment’s office responds to our overdue inquiry.

“I am honored and humbled to be appointed by Governor DeSantis to serve on the St Johns County Board of County Commissioners,” Alaimo told local reporters. “I am excited about the opportunity, and I look forward to serving the community.”

Alaimo is the recent outgoing chairman of the St Johns County Republican Executive Committee.  He worked on the DeSantis congressional campaign when he was president of the Young Republicans of St Johns County and, after DeSantis was elected, Alaimo was hired as a district representative for the United States House of Representatives, District 6.  He was previously appointed to the St Johns County Planning and Zoning Authority.

Waldron served as the District 3 County Commissioner until his death on October 18th.  Salaries for county commissioners, where the county is not governed by a charter, are set by statute according to population.  As a gubernatorial appointee, Alaimo will earn the same $81,928.91 annual salary, plus benefits, that was paid to Waldron and is paid to the other elected county commissioners.  The Alaimo appointment restores the Board to a full complement of five voting commissioners.

A press release on the governor’s website states that Alaimo is the Owner of Alaimo Strategies and that he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of North Florida. Previous reports and published comments from Alaimo indicated his full-time employment was at Dobbs Brothers and that he was an investor in a local ServiceMaster franchise.

Mr. Alaimo will take the ceremonial oath of office during the January 17, 2023 meeting. He will serve on the St Johns County Board of County Commissioners until the 2024 election.