Historic City News has learned that the Board of St Johns County Commissioners will have to “reconsider” a key part of the expansion of SilverLeaf development approved on December 21, 2021. The approval came after a 4-1 split vote with Commissioner Paul Waldron dissenting.
Historic City News wanted to know what Scott Maynard had to say about economic development and the challenges to St Johns County residents and tourists looking forward. Maynard is the economic development director for the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.
Read More “Chamber of Commerce wants continued growth in a way that doesn’t “overwhelm county”” »
City of St. Augustine Beach public information officer Melinda Conlon reported to Historic City News Monday afternoon that effective January 31st, St. Augustine Beach Commissioner Ernesto Juan Torres-Perez has resigned after a police report alleged that he berated and tried to use his elected position to gain favor with local officers during his wife’s arrest for driving under the influence and refusing to take a breath-alcohol test when stopped, just before midnight on Saturday, January 22, 2022.
Read More “When elected officials resign mid-term it is important for voters to find out why” »
Florida Department of Transportation Community Outreach Specialist Allen Nelson has updated Historic City News with the weekly lane closure report containing information regarding ongoing construction projects and traffic impacts for the coming week. Our readers and subscribers will be updated every Friday by 5:00 p.m., with some unavoidable exceptions and state holidays.
Read More “FDOT Northeast Florida Road and Lane Closures Weekly Report” »
Historic City News learned that a vacation rental home outside of St Augustine Beach became a crime scene Saturday night after residents reported hearing gunshots at 5318 A1A South in Anastasia Hills. Detectives with the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the discovery of two Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies found dead inside.
Read More “Beach vacation rental becomes the scene of a believed murder-suicide” »
On Friday, January 21, 2022, St Johns County Civic Roundtable Chairman Jim McLane provided Historic City News with a copy of 35 suggestions for how to better handle growth in St Johns County, as submitted to the Board of County Commissioners. The purpose of the Roundtable is to preserve and improve the quality of life in St Johns County, and to that end, they spoke with various stakeholders to solicit their ideas.
In 1973, the Florida Legislature enacted the Municipal Home Rules Power Act, giving cities and counties the power to enact their own laws — unless state law overrides them. This legislative override, or “preemption”, is either the trampling upon local rights – or – a bulwark against a patchwork of parochial laws, depending on who you ask.
Read More “Will fiscal impact statements help businesses hold local government accountable?” »
The annual assault on Florida’s popular open government laws continues this legislative session. Even as the public clamors for greater transparency and access to their elected officials and government, our own Representative, Cyndi Stevenson, has added to the problem by introducing a bill that would hide voter registration records from media and members of the public.
Read More “Lawmakers grapple with the cost of our obsession with privacy” »
