During Monday evening’s regular business meeting of the commission for the City of St Augustine Beach, commissioner Andrea Samuels was chosen to serve as mayor; making her the first woman to hold that office in the incorporated beach community.

Historic City News learned from local Associated Press reports that a group of Christians celebrated the placement of a Nativity scene in Florida’s state capitol rotunda yesterday as a means of combating what they called persistent efforts to drive religion from public life.

By the close of business Friday, Historic City News learned that elections officials around the state were scratching their heads as they read a directive distributed by Secretary of State Ken Detzner which has a direct impact on how St Johns County voters cast their absentee ballots in the upcoming 2014 elections.

Offices of the City of St. Augustine will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

All departments of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, St. Johns County Administrative offices, branches of the Public Library, and the Pet Center will be closed Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29, in observance of Thanksgiving.

Historic City News was notified that city staff will survey and devise a management plan for future use of the public beach property at Lighthouse Park; including the posting of public areas, connecting beach areas with public streets, and designing an area to be used for regulated boat storage.

After two prior workshops reported by Historic City News, the St Augustine city commission took an additional step during its regular meeting last week towards getting the city’s visioning initiative off the ground.