St. Augustine Beach City Hall

City of St. Augustine Beach May Newsletter 2017

We had an amazing Arbor Day event!!

I would like to thank all 20 of the environmental, educational and

local businesses that participated. We brought a

beautiful, fun, interactive and secretly education event!!!

We gave away native trees so people can plant and create a

healthy and beautiful environment. Kids got to pet a live alligator, Hold baby birds, watch

Live bees in a demonstration hive, live butterflies, live Ladybugs, and

make bird and butterfly houses with Home Depot staff!!

To the left you will see some of the images we captured at the event.

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CITY HALL UPDATE

The St. Augustine Beach City Commission met on Monday, April 3, 2017. Here is a summary of the Commission’s actions:

1, Decided not to adopt a resolution changing public comments at meetings. Persons can continue to speak for three minutes on each agenda topic and under the section of the agenda titled Public Comments. The City Attorney and the City Manager are to work on suggestions that will help the Commission accomplish more of the public’s business at its meetings.

2. Approved a proclamation declaring April 21, 2017, as Arbor Day in the City.

3. Approved renewing the three-year terms of three members of the Code Enforcement Board.

4. Reviewed the Beautification Advisory Committee’s proposed Good, Better and Best beautification plans, andselected the Good plan. The Public Works Director is to work with the Committee on the details of implementing the Good plan. Money for the plan will be proposed in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

5. Approved two amendments to the contract with the City’s civil engineering consultant, Stone Engineering, to dotechnical work on a grant application for a drainage improvement grant concerning the City’s Mizell Road retention pond and the canal that connects the pond to the Intracoastal Waterway marsh.

6. Approved a settlement agreement with the owner of the commercial properties north and south of Versaggi Drive.The agreement allows for an entrance-only driveway to the property on the south side of Versaggi and requires payment of $29,500 to the owner by the City’s liability insurer. The agreement also allows the owner to apply in 2 ½ years from the agreement’s date for a driveway to the property north of Versaggi Drive.

7. Approved two bids: the first to the lowest bidder, A.W.A. Contracting, for parking improvements along 16th Street,east and west of the Boulevard, for $56,725. On the east side, paver blocks will be put in the right-of-way along the north side of 16th adjacent to the Pier Point South condos. West of the Boulevard, paver blocks will be put along the north side of 16th west of the area where paver blocks were put over a year ago. The second bid for $292,386 was also awarded to A.W.C. Contracting, again the lowest bidder, to replace a drainage ditch along the east side of the Ocean Woods subdivision with a pipe. The piping of the ditch is part of the City’s master drainage plan.

8. Approved, subject to revisions, a five-year agreement with Advanced Disposal for the picking up of recyclables inthe City. The revised agreement will be brought back to the Commission for review and approval at its May 1st meeting.

City Hall April Update

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MAX’S CORNER

Information from the St. Augustine Beach City Manager, Max Royle, about various matters...

TRANSITION  

My  minimus  opus  this  past  March  was  a  blessedly  brief  essay  titled  “Between,”  in  which  I  opined  while  supine  (though  it’s  difficult  to  use  this  keyboard  while  lying  down)  some  observations  about  the  state  of  our  fair  city  between  the  man-­‐made  and  natural  worlds.  During  an  evening  walk  recently,  more  thoughts  on  a  similar  theme  intruded,  and  as  I’m  always  desirous  of  dazzling  my  dear  readers  with  sagacious  insights  of  sublime  mental  acuity,  I  thought  that  you’d  like  me  to  share  those  thoughts.  Or  maybe  not.  

Anyway,  our  city  is  in  a  state  of  transition.  You  who  know  the  city’s  history  will  say  that’s  nothing  new.  Change  has  always  part  of  the  city’s  life.  New  subdivisions  were  platted  and  new  homes  built  long  before  the  city  was  incorporated  in  1959;  and  there  was  always  commercial  construction  of  some  kind  going  on.  Then  there  was  the  condo  building  craze  in  the  1970s  and  ‘80s;  and  starting  in  the  1990s,  the  new  hotel/motel  bubble,  which  continues  to  the  present.  While  the  city’s  infrastructure  (roads,  parks,  city  buildings)  was  largely  unchanged  between  1960  and  1990,  in  the  early  ‘90s,  the  city’s  foresighted  elected  leaders  embarked  on  a  major  construction  program  to  repair,  replace,  or  enhance  the  infrastructure  and  thus  prepare  the  city  for  its  future.  Those  infrastructure  improvements  included  sidewalks,  drainage  projects,  a  new  public  works  facility,  city  hall  and  police  station.  And  thanks  to  city  and  county  officials,  and  a  wonderful  lady,  Tillie  Fowler,  who  represented  our  area  in  the  U.S.  House  in  the  early  1990s,  the  city’s  beach  was  restored  and  subsequent  renourishments  have  kept  it  restored.      

Click  on  the  link  to  read  this  article  in  its  entirety:  http://www.sabevents.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2017/04/2017mr05.pdf  

City Manager

Mr. Max Royle

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Joe Howell

Mr. Joe Howell gives us a peek into Public Works. Here are some of the highlights this month:

Parking,  Parking,  Parking.    Everyone  has  an  opinion,  it  just  depends  on  what  side  of  the  issue  you’re  on  as  to  where  that  opinion  comes  down.    If  you’re  trying  to  get  to  the  beach  for  a  relaxing  day  in  the  sun  and  sand  you’re  probably  of  the  opinion  that  the  City  should  do  more  to  facilitate  parking,  and  of  course  it  should  be  free.    We’ve  even  been  told  that  we  should  construct  a  restroom  and  beach  shower  at  the  end  of  all  of  the  streets  from  16th  Street  south  to  F  Street.    If  you  already  live  at  the  beach,  especially  if  you  live  east  of  A1A  Beach  Boulevard  you  may  have  a  different  view  of  beach  access  parking,  a  generally  more  restrictive  view,  possibly  even  to  the  point  that  there  should  be  no  parking  allowed  on  your  street.    Where  the  argument  gets  interesting  is  when  you  consider  that  the  legal  intent  of  the  public  Right-­‐of-­‐Way  (R/W)  is  for  the  general  use  of  the  public.    So  let’s  define  the  R/W,  and  for  the  purpose  of  this  article  let’s  just  focus  on  the  street  ends  east  of  Beach  Boulevard.    The  streets  east  of  boulevard  were  laid  out  long  before  St.  Augustine  Beach  became  a  city,  generally  between  1913  and  1930.    The  actual  width  of  the  asphalt  pavement  is  generally  between  18’  and  22’,  with  most  of  the  streets  being  approximately  20’  wide.    The  width  of  the  publically  owned  R/W  is  between  40’  to  60’  wide.    So  generally  speaking,  that  leaves  an  area  ten  or  more  feet  in  width  on  either  side  of  the  pavement  that  most  people  consider  part  of  their  front  yard  that  is  actually  public  property.  

Click on the link to read this article in its entirety: http://www.sabevents.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2017/04/2017jh05.pdf

Public Works Department Director

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★To protect and Serve from our Police Department★

While  visiting  our  beautiful  sandy  beaches  and  enjoying  the  sun,  sand  and  surf  please  recognize  the  threat  of  theft.  During  the  warmer  months,  St.  Augustine  Beach  experiences  an  increase  in  visitors,  many  who  are  excited  to  leave  behind  the  stress  of  daily  life  and  tend  to  leave  wallets,  cell  phones,  cameras  and  other  large  or  small  valuables  around,  unsecured.  Many  visitors  and  locals  alike  think  they  do  not  have  a  choice  but  to  leave  their  items  while  they  go  for  a  swim.  Some  try  to  be  clever  and  hide  an  item  under  a  blanket,  however  this  is  not  enough  to  deter  thieves  who  are  there  to  take  advantage  of  others.    

 

The  beach  is  a  great  opportunity  for  thieves.  Many  will  target  areas  with  large  crowds  as  people  are  often  away  from  their  valuables  while  out  enjoying  themselves.  While  the  number  one  solution  to  prevent  beach  thefts  is  to  leave  your  valuable  at  home,  this  is  not  always  practical.  So,  to  give  you  some  peace  of  mind  please  check  out  these  useful  tips:  

 

• You  could  store  small  necessary  items  inside  a  waterproof  pouch  and  carry  with  you  while  enjoying  the  beach.    

• There  are  specialty  bags  that  can  be  locked  or  secured  to  stationary  items  such  as  a  beach  chair,  umbrella  or  cooler.    It  would  be  much  more  obvious  and  noticeable  if  a  thief  were  to  walk  off  with  an  entire  beach  chair!  

• Try  to  set  up  your  beach  towels  and  other  items  near  a  life  guard  stand.  Make  small  talk  with  a  family  set  up  nearby  you  to  possibly  give  the  appearance  to  thieves  scoping  out  the  area  that  you  are  not  alone.    

• If  you  see  something  suspicious  call  the  Police.  If  it  is  an  emergency  dial  911.  If  it  is  not  an  emergency,  please  call  (904)824-­‐8304.    

• Lock  your  vehicle  when  parking  to  visit  the  beach.  Remove  any  valuables  from  plain  sight  in  your  vehicle  or  in  the  bed  of  a  truck.    

 

The  St.  Augustine  Beach  Police  Department  is  working  hard  to  protect  our  citizens  and  visitors.  We  are  on  patrol  24  hours  a  day  and  will  periodically  conduct  operations  to  catch  thieves  preying  on  our  residents  and  visitors.  

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CITY COMMISSION AND ST. JOHNS COUNTY JOINT MEETING:

The City of St. Augustine Beach City Commission and St. Johns County Board of Commissioners will hold a joint meeting on Monday, May 1st, 2017 at 9:00 am at St. Johns County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, FL. This is a public meeting, and the public is invited to attend.

CITY COMMISSION: It will hold its regular monthly meeting on Monday, May 1ST, 2017 the Commission meeting room at City Hall, 2200 A1A South. The starting time will be 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

BEAUTIFICATION ADVISORY COMMITTE:

The City of St. Augustine Beach Beautification Advisory Committee/Tree Board will hold a regular scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 11th, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room at City Hall. This is a public meeting and the public is invited to attend.

Memorial Day: Date: Monday, May 29th, 2017 All City offices will be closed in observation of Memorial Day Holiday. Sanitation will be collected, thanks to the dedication of our Public Works Department.

City of St. Augustine Beach, City Hall 2200 A1A South City of St. Augustine Beach, FL, 32080

Message from our City Clerk:

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH’S FUN FACT OF THE MONTH

“St. Augustine has been attacked numerous times. Like everywhere they landed, the Spanish at St. Augustine constantly clashed with the local Native Americans, who once purportedly set the city’s fort on fire with flaming arrows. Just as these skirmishes were finally dying down, English privateer Sir Francis Drake arrived in 1586 with 2,000 men. As the residents of St. Augustine hid in the woods nearby, Drake’s force burned their houses and crops, took whatever plunder they could find and then sailed away. English buccaneers ransacked the city again in 1665, and in 1702 and 1740 it survived destructive sieges initiated by the governors of Carolina and Georgia, respectively. Yet another incursion took place in 1812, when a band of militiamen arrived as part of an ill-conceived bid to annex Florida to the United States. A half-century later, during the early stages of the Civil War, St. Augustine surrendered peacefully to the Union navy.”

This was written by Jesse Greenspan on 9/8/2015 in the article “8 Things You May Not Know About St. Augustine, Florida.” I will continue the story in next month’s newsletter.

Beverly Raddatz, MMC, City Clerk

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