Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum agreed today to pay a $5,000 fine in a settlement reached with a state ethics-commission attorney, who agreed to drop four of five charges of ethics violations related to trips to Costa Rica and New York, a boat ride around the Statue of Liberty and a ticket to the Broadway hit, “Hamilton”.

Come early to get a seat. We need you to speak to the commissioners during public comments (the first piece of business) in support of preserving the Ladies Memorial Association’s 1879 cenotaph.

Racked by increasing levels of nuisance flooding, St Augustine’s fountain of half-baked and overpriced plans hopes that a “retaining wall” will help minimize impacts of rising tides in certain parts of town.  Right.

Historic City News readers interested in the proposed development of a 99-acre parcel within the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve learned yesterday that the St Johns County Board of Commissioners, defendants in a civil suit filed by the Ponte Vedra Corporation, a subsidiary of GATE Petroleum Company, unanimously approved a settlement agreement with the property owners.

This week Historic City News learned that a sixty-second radio spot began airing on local radio station WSOS announcing to “Menorcans, veterans, and proud residents of St Augustine” that City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline is wavering in her support for veterans of all wars.

If you owe your Uncle Sam any money, be sure the postmark has today’s date or you can expect an argument from customer service at the Internal Revenue Service when you get dinged for a late filing fee and try to get it waived.

Voters statewide could soon vote on whether eight-year term limits should be imposed on Florida county school boards, a policy Historic City News has advocated for all local political offices.

St. Johns County Republican Senator Travis Hutson wants to be Senate president, but he’s got to beat Sen. Kathleen Passidomo to do it.  The Hutson-Passidomo contest has lacked much in the way of public pyrotechnics, but not in the way of fundraising.