Congress does not support 450th Commemoration

Historic City News readers have been given every possible encouragement from Paul Williamson, Director of Public Affairs; Dana Ste Claire, Director of the 450th Commemoration; as well as outgoing mayor, Joe Boles, concerning the “overwhelming support” being shown for the 450th anniversary of the founding of St Augustine.

Recent discussions during workshops and commission meetings has falsely characterized that support, at least from a federal level. Although mayor Boles pushed the “450th can” down the proverbial road, until he was eventually thrown out of office, he never delivered half the support, financially, that he represented was always “right around the corner”.

One of the biggest jokes in the story of the 450th bank robbery, has to be the non-existent, federally funded St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission. Contained in an Act of congress, the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission Act of 2009, was a half-baked scheme to land treasure troves of federal dollars which could be spent on the whim of the powers that be.

That didn’t happen. The bill, introduced and sponsored in the US House of Representatives by our former congressman, John Mica, was introduced on January 13, 2009, but was not enacted. The bill went to the House Oversight and Government Reform; Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and the Census Committee. The committee chair never determined that the bill would move past the committee stage. There have been no votes related to this bill. The most recent scheduled meeting of the appointed and uncompensated commission was cancelled.

The recent election outcome, particularly the failed re-election bid by Joseph L. Boles, Jr., is testament to the fact that in the City of St Augustine, taxpayers are fed up with the extravagant wasteful and abusive spending on the multiyear fiasco. In the final chapter, it is entirely possible that the programs and activities that actually materialize to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, will come on a much smaller scale from the contributions and donations within the local community and its neighborhoods.