Circuit Judge Raul A. Zambrano will assume his new role as Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit on July 1. As Chief Judge, Judge Zambrano will take on lead administrative duties for the circuit, which includes the courts of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.

St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections, Vicky C. Oakes, reported to Historic City News, that candidate qualifying just ended at noon for the regularly scheduled Town of Hastings General Election set for November 7th.

Tuesday will not be a good day for St Johns County Sheriff David B Shoar when he is scheduled to appear before the Board of County Commissioners to justify spending more than $5 million next year over the $67.18 million he spent last year — the records of which are not available for inspection.

Meredith Breidenstein, Director of Budget and Performance for the City of St Augustine, reported this year’s budget meeting calendar to Historic City News.  In the coming weeks, several special meetings of the city commission will lead to a final budget being in place by the start of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2017.

With Commissioner Leanna Freeman absent Monday night, the three attending commissioners approved a motion by Todd Neville to ignore nearly an hour of public comment dominated by speakers opposing the San Marco Hotel plans.