Government & Politics

Local government meetings, elections, policy and civic updates

St. Augustine Wants a 5-0 Vote Before Any Conservation Land Can Be Paved

The City Commission gave first-reading approval to a charter change that would end simple-majority votes on Fish Island Preserve and the city's other protected parcels. One more vote makes it official.

Aug 153 min read

Government & Politics

County Commission Votes Tuesday on Putting a $100 Million Conservation Bond, and a Tax Hike, Before Voters

St. Johns County commissioners decide Tuesday morning whether to ask voters in November to borrow up to $100 million to buy land, repaid by a property tax of up to $15 a year per $100,000 in taxable value.

Aug 134 min read

Government & Politics

County Sets First Rules for Food Truck Parks, With Final Vote Aug. 18

St. Johns County planners unanimously backed a code rewrite that defines food truck parks for the first time, capping hours at 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and setting distance rules from homes. Commissioners take the final vote Aug. 18.

Aug 94 min read

Government & Politics

Early Voting Opens Saturday: St. Augustine's Seat 4 and Four County Offices Could Be Settled Aug. 18

Seven early voting sites open at 9 a.m. Saturday ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, which will decide two County Commission seats, a School Board seat and a circuit judge outright, plus St. Augustine's City Commission Seat 4 if anyone clears 50%.

Aug 54 min read

Government & Politics

Gun-Rights Group Sues St. Augustine Over 'No Firearms' Signs, Names Mayor and Three Commissioners Personally

Florida Carry Inc. wants a judge to order the city to strip firearm bans from signs at the Visitor Information Center and City Hall, and to fine five St. Augustine officials personally up to $5,000 each.

Aug 34 min read

Government & Politics

St. Augustine Shuts HOAs and CDDs Out of Its $3,000 Neighborhood Grants

City commissioners voted unanimously July 27 to make homeowners' associations and community development districts ineligible for the Neighborhood Grant Program, saying those groups can already tax their own residents. The change is in effect now, ahead of the October application window.

Jul 304 min read

Government & Politics

County Freezes Tax Rates in $1.46 Billion Budget, and Your Bill Still Goes Up

St. Johns County commissioners voted 3-2 to hold millage rates flat for next year, which puts the aggregate rate 2.06% above rolled-back. TRIM notices hit mailboxes Aug. 24, and residents get two shots at the microphone in September.

Jul 264 min read

Government & Politics

County Commission Votes No Confidence in Two Charged Colleagues, Asks DeSantis to Remove Them

In a 3-2 vote, the St. Johns County Commission denounced Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst — who face criminal charges over a 2024 "fake voter guide" — and asked the governor to remove them. Both say they won't resign.

Jul 244 min read

Government & Politics

'Uncharted Territory': St. Johns County Weighs Legal Options After State Law Fast-Tracks Thousands of Acres for Development

County commissioners are exploring how — and whether — they can push back against a new state law that could put more than 4,400 acres on a fast track for development, a decision that stands to reshape St. Johns County's roads, schools and neighborhoods.

Jul 223 min read

Government & Politics

With Lease Ending September 30, St. Augustine's Horse-Carriage Fight Roars Back at City Hall

A commissioner pushed back on activists who call carriage rides "barbaric" as Country Carriages counts down to a September deadline to vacate its city stable. Here's where the long-running downtown fight stands.

Jul 144 min read