Former Mayor George Gardner's St. Augustine Report on Returning Buskers to Our Historic Downtown Streets With Sensible Regulations

2003 proposal rekindled as performer ban is increased One commissioner hesitated, another stated, "There's not one member of this commission who would not favor entertainment on St. George Street if we could regulate it," and two residents cited a 2003 proposal for regulation. But in the end, St. Augustine's City Commission Monday unanimously extended a street performer ban along Hypolita Street. Commissioner Leanna Freeman said, "I've always felt there should be a better way to regulate it," and Commissioner Don Crichlow, who served on the commission from 2002 to 2010 and is now filling in for retired Bill Leary, noted, "We're just not allowed to pick the entertainment." Residents Ed Slavin and Mark Fraser both cited a 2003 proposal by then Mayor George Gardner including controls on numbers and locations of street entertainers (buskers) and a citizen Busker Board to oversee the program. That proposal is carried on Slavin's blogspot and on the city website. The complete text is here. Commenting in Slavin's blogspot, former street entertainer and organizer Roger Jolley wrote, "The main difference is our non-profit Street Art's Guild would have operated independently, under a contract with the city so it would not use city ordinances with a criminal process of law for those who violate a non-criminal city ordinance. "Our organization worked more with the carrot and less with the stick."