Government

When questioned by members of the St Johns County Commission about his premature use of property owned by the county, peevish Sheriff David B Shoar did not attempt to discuss why he seemingly overstepped his authority to begin construction of a multi-million-dollar training complex; instead, he notified the county attorney that all further communications with him on the matter are to be sent to “Mr. Rutledge Liles and Mr. Michael Lee, both of The Liles Firm in Jacksonville, Florida”.

Historic City News readers are invited to attend Florida National Guard change of command ceremony at Camp Blanding this Saturday morning when Maj. Gen. James Eifert will assume command from Maj. Gen. Michael Calhoun.

At the conclusion of tonight’s meeting of the St Augustine Beach City Commission, Jim Wilson announced his resignation as City Attorney, effective May 1.  Wilson’s law firm, Coquina Law Group, which includes Jeremiah Mulligan, Ashby Underhill, and Cynthia Beissel, will take over Wilson’s responsibilities after May 1st.

Senate Joint Resolution 74, Single-subject Limitation for Constitution Revision Commission Proposals, by Senator Rob Bradley passed unanimously off the Senate Floor, according to a report from Florida Senator Travis Hutson (R) 7th District, received by Historic City News earlier today.

In just two years on the job, St. Johns County Property Appraiser Eddie Creamer, has earned his Certified Florida Appraiser designation. Creamer, who took the reins of the property appraiser’s office in January 2017, received the title after meeting all standards established by the International Association of Assessing Officers.

The deadline to apply for former Beach Commissioner Rich O’Brien’s seat was 4:00 p.m. Friday.  Historic City News was informed that a dozen applications were received to fill in for O’Brien until his seat comes up for re-election in November 2020.

To quote the band AC/DC, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.”

The St Augustine Police Department has long carried the stigma that came from a lack of accreditation.  The St Johns County Sheriff’s Office has national and state accreditation which it achieved under the watch of the late sheriff, Neil J. Perry.  The St Augustine Beach Police Department has state accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, which is less expensive, less demanding, and involves less scrutiny than national accreditation.

The St. Augustine City Commission convenes for a regular meeting on Monday, March 25th starting at 5:00 p.m. in The Alcazar Room at City Hall, located at 75 King Street in St Augustine.  Historic City News readers are encouraged to attend and participate.