The June 20 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners was another long one. This appears to be the norm recently, perhaps a reflection of the needs of a rapidly growing county!
There were once again technical difficulties with broadcasting the livestream on GTV so the video was created “old school” with a camera in the back of the room, thus you won’t see close-ups and there is no closed captioning provided for the meeting video. Even for those in the room there are often difficulties hearing what is being said. Hopefully the new Communications Director will be addressing these difficulties and improving the viewing and listening experience.
The meeting started with a highly positive moment as two outstanding young men in the county were recognized for their acts of bravery and heroism in April of this year. Gabriel Caez and Kyle Atwater were awarded a Fire Rescue Citizen Commendation Recognition. These two young men came up on a multi-vehicle accident on International Golf Parkway with multiple occupants injured. Gabriel and Kyle acted selflessly to assist the occupants. Here’s the description from the St. Johns County Fire Rescue Department:
On April 21, 2023, Gabriel Caez and Kyle Atwater were driving on International Golf Parkway when they came upon a multi-vehicle accident with multiple occupants injured. One vehicle was on fire and a second vehicle had rolled over.
Without hesitation, Gabriel and Kyle rushed to the vehicles and provided assistance, helping the occupants get out. The vehicle which had overturned had caused one patient to become trapped. Gabriel and Kyle assisted in lifting and rolling the vehicle over to give access and help get the accident victim out so medical care could be initiated. Their quick thinking and selfless acts of courage were done without concern for their own safety and reflected the character these two young men possess.
What an inspiring start to the day!
Commissioner Whitehurst presented a Proclamation designating July as Parks and Recreation Month. St. Johns County has 7,300 acres of land dedicated to Parks and Recreation, including 56 parks, 41 miles of coastline, 14 boat ramps and a golf course.
While on the topic of parks, there was a Hall of Fame Dedication for the Parks and Recreation Hall of Fame. The 2nd inductee to the Hall of Fame was Eddie Vickers.
Mr. Vickers was a World War II veteran, civil rights activist in St. Augustine, and youth recreation leader in St. Johns County for five decades. He passed away in 1998.
Public Safety Update
During the Public Safety Update, Fire and Rescue Chief Bullard recognized the 22 newest hires for the Fire and Recuse department, Recruit Class 1-23.
Director Russ Martin from the Sheriff’s office talked about the increase in 911 calls recently and that many are attributed to accidental calls. He asked that if residents do make an accidental call to 911, please don’t hang up. Explain to the dispatcher what happened so they can clear the call. If we hang up, dispatch must call us back and confirm there is no emergency that they need to respond to. That ties up resources, so let’s own up to our “butt dials.”
Commissioner Joseph inquired of Director Martin if there is anything that can be done about the large parties occurring on the beaches in District 4. SJSO Director Scott Beaver advised that they have been breaking up these parties when called and have even made some arrests. He noted that the biggest thing that would help law enforcement would be for parents to step up and take responsibility for their teens behavior.
Clerk of Courts Report
Clerk of the Court, Brandon Patty introduced the new Inspector General, David McClintock. Mr. McClintock previously served as an Inspector General in Maryland and Louisiana. He is an attorney and previously worked in law enforcement.
Agenda Item 1 was a review of the budget requests from the Clerk of the Court and the Property Appraiser.
Their budget presentations are at this link: Budget Reports
Agenda Item 2
Agenda Item 2 was a presentation from Brigadier General Mike Fleming about the role of Fire Watch in Northeast Florida.
Highlights included:
- 42 Veteran suicides in Northeast Florida in 2021, a reduction from 2019
- Vision of Fire Watch is to “End Veteran Suicide by Preventing Veteran Suicide
- Watch Stander Program is to engage the community to take training to understand military veteran’s lives and recognize the signs of crisis. Over 4300 people have been trained to date with a goal of 10,000.
You can watch the video here: Fire Watch Presentation
You can read the presentation here: Agenda Item 2
Commissioner Joseph shared that if you are a veteran and need to talk to someone, 988 is the suicide hotline and veterans will be directed to a Veteran specific program. Calling 211 connects veterans to Mission United, a joint effort with the United Way of Northeast Florida. They can connect veterans to case managers who have specific expertise for helping veterans
Agenda Item 3
The Mivo Multi-Family Development in Agenda Item 3 was in response to an appeal from a previous hearing where the development was denied because of a tie vote. If there is a tie vote, it is a technical denial.
This proposed development is a 204 unit multi-family residential development on property located southwest of the US 1 South and Watson Road Intersection. Details about the presentation are here: Agenda Item 3 – Mivo Development
After the presentation by the attorney representing the developer and much public comment in opposition to the development, it was denied 5-0.
General Public Comment
During Time Certain Public Comment, Al Abbiatello who leads the Bartram Trail Scenic Highway Preservation group spoke about concerns from Fruit Cove area residents related to the development of property on State Road 13. This property is owned by First Coast Energy and they are now intending to build office space on the property. This property had previously been approved by the LAMP Board and the Commissioners as property that could be purchased by the county and possibly turned into a passive park. Unfortunately, the property was never offered for sale by First Coast Energy.
Commissioner Whitehurst asked Growth Management Director Mike Roberson to meet with the community and continue to work with the builder on how best to preserve trees and the beauty of this location while not infringing on the rights of the property owner to develop under the current zoning restrictions.
There were several other items of low impact to the county at large that were heard during the afternoon.
Agenda Item 11 – Workforce Housing Land Development Amendment. This had been deferred from the June 6 meeting to allow staff time to address confusion over the documents that had been included in the June 6 package. At the June 20 meeting, suggested revisions were added:
- Imposing maximum rental rates with no increase for 2 years
- Demographic information to be collected in 6 years on the sales price and # of people being served and similar demographics on the rental units. This does not impact who can apply for these units; it just allows for reporting to determine if the intended audience is being served.
- Modified the AMI for rental units to 70%
Bob Porter of D. R. Horton thanked the Board for the work on this project and noted that 24 units in Ravenswood are under construction and they will begin offering these units for sale to First Responders as early as the coming weekend and to the general public “a couple of weeks” after that.
This was approved 5-0
Agenda Item 12 – Public Hearing and Adoption of Final Schedule of Water, Wastewater, and Reclaimed Water Rates, Deposits, Charges, Fees, and Costs for Fiscal Year 2023 for the Main and Ponte Vedra Systems
Recommended a 3% reduction across the main systems and an 8 ½% reduction in the top tier pricing for the system.
These two separate systems were consolidated in 2016 and they have been moving towards equalizing the rates between the two systems.
About 50,000 customers will see a decrease in their bill, the rest will see their bill go up “a little bit.”
Video to hear the explanation is here: Agenda Item 12
Details can be found here:Agenda Item 12 presentation
Agenda Item 13 – The first reading of the Floating Structure Ordinance. This ordinance was proposed because of concerns raised around floating structures, not boats, in the St. Johns County Waters that are creating disturbances for residents along the water. There has been some concern that this is overreach. You can read the Ordinance here. Agenda Item 13 – Floating Structures
Commissioner’s Reports
Commissioner Joseph had a shout-out to her parents celebrating their 65th Anniversary and watching from Phoenix, AZ.
Commissioner Alaimo put forward a resolution to close the Rock Springs Farm Park until the park ownership is transferred back to the County. This was approved.
Commissioner Dean brought up an emergency item related to the Embassy Suites in St. Augustine Beach. They sustained major damage in the last several hurricanes including during Hurricane Ian when the sea wall was damaged. They need access from Pope Road to complete their repairs. This was approved 5-0
Commissioner Arnold – This was the most interesting report from the Commissioners and two items she raised deserve some consideration from the public.
She expressed appreciation for support her family had received in recent weeks from Fire Rescue and from Animal Control. Both were very positive experiences for her family.
She also asked if the County should consider impact of Juneteenth on the staff. This is a national Holiday now and there are associated celebrations. If the County is open, how does the County accommodate needs for staff to participate in the community events.
The last item raised was a concern about morale and culture in the County staff. I would encourage residents to watch the video to hear the concerns directly and the response from the County Administrator. Commissioner Arnold Comments on Employee Culture
Specific concerns were raised that some members of staff have indicated there is a culture of fear and distrust amongst the county employees. They have been told to immediately report communications from Commissioners to the Administrator. This serves to limit interactions with the Commissioners. Concerns were raised that some employees in the past have been directed to conceal items from the Commissioners.
Commissioner Arnold is quite concerned about the working environment this is creating for county employees as well as the limitations placed on communication with the Commissioners. She inquired of her fellow Commissioners if they are hearing the same concerns.
Commissioner Whitehurst gave Administrator Conrad an opportunity to respond to the concerns. The response was defensive of any actions taken by Administrator Conrad, emphasizing that he can call meetings or give directives as he sees fit. He felt this should have been addressed privately and referenced personality conflicts.
Commissioner Whitehurst asked if there had been a directive about communications with the Commissioners. Administrator Conrad noted there was a new directive coming forward about when Directors could be available for meetings. He indicated this is an intent to make things better, not worse.
Each Commissioner noted that they valued and desired open and transparent communications with the staff.
It was a very concerning discussion.
Do watch the video.
Do ask questions.
County Administrator’s Report
During the County Administrator’s Report, Administrator Conrad presented Captain Scott Bullard for confirmation as the St. Johns County Fire Rescue Chief. Chief Bullard noted: “Not many people get to do the job that I have dreamed of. It is a privilege. This is a new beginning for me even though I am a 21-career veteran with the County.”
If you are finding value in these updates, please subscribe to my blog so you get notifications when I publish an update. Feel free to share with others who may find value in the content.
Beth Tate 