about my county st johns county florida

The July 16, 2024, Board of County Commissioners’ meeting was a perfect example of how to waste time.

Three gentlemen, all fishing charter captains, spoke at the 11:30 public comment about the challenges they have with keeping their businesses afloat because they have been told that they are not allowed to use the public docks in St Johns County.

Apparently, there were several others prepared to speak, but the time-certain public comment session ran out of time.  While it would resume after the regular agenda was completed, a brief glance at the agenda made it clear that would be quite a bit later.  They left without having time to share very valid concerns from local businesses trying to succeed.

They ran out of time because the half hour time-certain public comments were taken up by political advertisements from several candidates and supporters who did nothing other than reiterate their disdain for four of the sitting commissioners.

This is disappointing but not unexpected.  Even when it is not campaign season, several people regularly appear at public comment to tell the Board of County Commission just how displeased they are by the decisions being made.

I may be wrong, but I think the Commissioners have gotten the message.  Much of what they have decided is unpopular with 10-12 people who regularly appear to protest.    

Now it is time to get back to work.  As I have watched Commissioners meeting over the past three years, that is what most of them come to do – work for the citizens of St Johns County.

That local businesspeople did not have the opportunity to share their concerns with the Commissioners because time was taken up with political campaigning is not fair.

Thankfully the Commissioners heard the issue raised by the 3 captains who spoke and are already taking action to help.

Desperation sets in

The 2024 commissioner candidate challengers are desperate for a platform to say how badly the four Commissioners are running the County. 

After the Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley Candidate Forum on July 11, these candidates and their supporters trashed the Forum Host, saying they had been muzzled because they couldn’t contradict the incumbents and refute what they were saying.

Given that the incumbents stated facts available on public record, the only way the candidates could have refuted the incumbents would have been through shifting the context of the responses to the questions and repeating their time-worn voting record mantra, which is already presented out of context for the shock-and-awe value it brings their cause.  Or they could lie.

Muzzled?  Unfair?

It is unfair that these candidates have created an atmosphere of anger and frustration with the intention of winning a majority on the Board of Commissioners to the point where Commissioner meetings have become a platform for politics rather than a forum for supporting the residents of the County.

What would happen should there be a majority of Commissioners who deny development because they (or others) don’t like it, they take up the charge for their own personal agendas rather than understand all of the stakeholders and promise what they are unable to achieve simply to get votes.

We deserve a Board of Commissioners that knows the law, knows the County, thinks beyond today and understands the scope and complexity of running a County as large as St Johns.  For the most part, we already have that.