On May 15, 2013, Historic City News reported on a “Lunch-n-Learn” held to inform the Lincolnville Community of the City of St Augustine’s intent to relocate horse stables adjacent to the north end of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. As a result of that meeting staff decided the plan should be scrapped and other alternatives be evaluated.

Tourist Development Council member Scott M. Bartosch of St Augustine has served as an un-compensated representative responsible for developing tourism in St Johns County since the TDC was reconstituted by the Board of Commissioners in 2010.

The regular meeting of the St Johns County Board of Commissioners was held Tuesday July 16, 2013, in the County Auditorium in the St Johns County Administration Palace located at 500 San Sebastian View in St Augustine.

In what turned out to be a “darts and laurels” letter submitted to St Johns County Tourist Development Council Executive Director, Glenn Hastings, the St Augustine Beach Civic Association has questioned the rationale used to reduce bed tax funding of its “Music by the Sea Concert Series” by 20 percent, and to deny bed tax funding to the City of St Augustine Beach for its annual “Beach Blast Off” event.

Diane Bradley, president of the St Augustine Art Association, is not happy with the way the Category II funding panel, under the direction of the St Johns Cultural Council, and its new director, Andy Witt, have handled the 54-year-old, local non-profit organization’s application for bed-tax funding for the 48th Annual St Augustine Art and Craft Festival.

At the St Johns County commission meeting today, two agenda items concerned requests from the City of St Augustine for their September Gentlemen of the Road concert event; they consumed the morning session with mixed public comment but unanimous commission support.

A day after Tony Bennett resigned as Commissioner of Education; Historic City News was notified that members of the Florida Board of Education had selected 60-year-old Pamela L. Stewart of St Augustine, by unanimous vote, to serve as interim education commissioner while it recruits Bennett’s replacement.

Although it was not released to the public prior to the last City Commission meeting, Comptroller Mark Litzinger included a breakdown of spending categories with his final request to the St Johns County Board of Commissioners for payment of $129,485 from bed tax funds for transportation of the 25,000 Mumford and Sons concertgoers.