Guest Column: Basic Beach Safety Tips
David B Shoar
St Johns County Sheriff
As our schools close for the summer and the price of gas continues to rise, many residents will not be traveling elsewhere for vacation; instead, they will enjoy the 42 miles of beaches St Johns County has to offer.
Letter: Taste of the Beach more than good food
Rachael L Bennett
St Augustine Beach, FL
Dear Editor:
I was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the 7th Annual Taste of the Beach on Sunday as a volunteer waitress for the judges’ table. I ran up and down those pavilion steps a hundred times; bringing samples for the judges to taste, but it was a lot of fun for a worthwhile cause that is close to me.
Guest Column: Time to break from tradition
Michael Isam
St Augustine, FL
It is not quite 10:00 am, and the sun has been warming a spot just for you. “Hurry up and wait” has been the order of the day. An hour spent just waiting for all the color guards to arrive and take their place in line. Some stand in their assigned spot, others, mostly elder veterans, lay their colors on the hedge lining the walkway and retire to the shade.
Everyone has seen them, the recreational boats that have three smokers aboard going out for a day of beer and fishing. Upon return, there are no empty beverage containers, cigarette butts, or single use plastic bags.
Certain members of the City of St Augustine staff, and some of its elected commissioners, have increasingly taken heat from the public about what, exactly, we taxpayers have to show for the hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars that have been thrown at what should have been a simple, economically realistic anniversary week, or even event.
Robert Hall has long been crusading to “get a handle on what will be allowed in St Augustine’s HP (Historic Preservation) districts.”
A bill filed in the state legislature in September of last year, approved by the House and Senate in the last session, and then signed by Governor Scott on Friday, will allow the naming and sponsorship of state greenways and trails — so maybe the “Ed Slavin Historical Park, Greenway and Coastal Trail” is in our future.
Vehicle Safety Issues
David B. Shoar
St. Johns County Sheriff
Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s motorists in Florida were required to have their vehicles inspected annually; however, as the state grew, it proved to be time consuming and motorists found themselves waiting in long lines to get their car or truck checked.
