Comm'r SAMUELS; 'My 17 police officers?!" HOW REVEALING! HOW REVOLTING

It happened in America.

On Tuesday July 26, 2016, only FOUR (4) DAYS after charges were dismissed against First Amendment hero William Rosenstock on July 21, 2016, ANDREA SAMUELS -- controversial St. Augustine Beach Commissioner and ex-Mayor -- publicly placed a partisan proprietary pall upon the professionalism of St. Augustine Beach Police, whose actions were at issue in the Rosenstock case.

Appearing before  St. Johns County Commission on July 26, 2016, SAMUELS candidly referred to SAPBD as being "my 17 police officers."

Yes, she did.

That's some admission -- next stop, federal court?

Left to right: Three First Amendment violators: St. Augustine Beach Civic Association (SABCA) President WILLIAM JONES, Commissioner ANDREA SAMUELS, et ux, SABCA VP ROBERT SAMUELS.

St. Augustine Beach meeting to cover debt, parking
Posted: July 31, 2016 - 11:07pm
By SHELDON GARDNER
sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com
St. Augustine Beach commissioners could move forward with a debt plan, and are also expected to discuss the county’s new parking plan at tonight’s meeting.

The meeting, at 6 p.m. at St. Augustine Beach City Hall, will cover a number of topics including a resolution to allow the city to get a loan worth millions of dollars from the Florida Municipal Loan Council, according to the agenda. The loan could be up to more than $7.5 million but is expected to be $4.5 million.

That will allow the city to pay off $3 million still owed for the purchase of former Maratea subdivision property, which is now Ocean Hammock Park.

The loan will also allow the city to repay itself $1.5 million that it took from savings to make the initial payment for that property.

The last commission meeting covered the tentative millage rate and other budget matters, and backup materials outlined the plan for the debt. That includes keeping the debt millage rate at .50 mills.

“From the revenue provided by the 0.50 mills, the City would then pay $248,126 to the League [for the new loan] each year and put the rest of the money in a reserve account.

That saved money then will be available to pay the bond debt for the years between 2028, when the citizen-authorized levy of 0.50 mills will expire, and 2036 or 2046, when the terms of the bonds would expire,” according to a memo from City Manager Max Royle.

Parking is another issue that will likely affect the city.

The St. Johns County Commission recently got an update from its consultant who produced a plan for charging for off-beach parking and increasing on-beach parking fees.

The County Commission voted to go forward with the plan but to make sure that county residents will not be charged more for parking, and that veterans and seniors will get a discount regardless of where they live.

The plan supported by the commission recommends charging noncounty residents $5 daily and $50 for an annual permit for off-beach parking.

The revenue from the plan as proposed was estimated to be about $1.6 million without the changes for residents, so the revenue will not be as much as anticipated.

St. Augustine Beach Commissioner Andrea Samuels spoke to the County Commission on Tuesday about the possible impact to beach residents of more people trying to find parking in neighborhoods.

“There is one small thing that you didn’t consider with your motion,” she said. “And that is the cost to my residents of the city of St. Augustine Beach that are now going to have to look to policing what you’ve just done. ... Is the county willing to subsidize my 17 police officers to monitor the parking issue that you’re going to create for my city? You really need to think about that.”

County Administrator Michael Wanchick said the county plans to use the parking plan funding for a shortfall in the beach services budget.

He also said details about the plan need to be worked out, and it could be implemented by early 2017.

***

If you go

What: St. Augustine Beach City Commission meeting

When: 6 p.m. today

Where: St. Augustine Beach City Hall, 2200 State Road A1A South, St. Augustine Beach

COMMENTS
Thomas Francis Reynolds

Thomas Francis Reynolds 08/01/16 - 06:10 am 52There is no free parking, the residents are paying !
First of all Criminal/Unethical Commissioner Andrea Samuels has no business calling St Augustine Beach Residents "my" . I am not a resident of Commissioner Criminal/Unethical Andrea Samuels (my) City. Commissioner Samuels is nothing more than an Elected Commissioner who will be voted out in November. The Police Officers in St Augustine Beach are not Criminal/Unethical Andrea Samuels Police Officers as Criminal/Unethical Andrea Samuels said. The Police Officers in St Augustine Beach are St Augustine Beach Police Officers and VERY GOOD ONES. Although I have never asked them, I doubt they would say they are Andrea Samuels Police Officers. Criminal/Unethical Commissioner Andrea Samuels might think she owns the City of St Augustine Beach because she says things like "my residents" and "my police officers", but she DOES NOT. As a resident of St Augustine Beach who attended the County meeting on parking, Criminal/Unethical Commissioner Andrea Samuels was an EMBARRASSMENT to the residents of our great City of St Augustine Beach. Commissioner Criminal/Unethical Andrea Samuels currently has 3 Florida Ethics Commission complaints pending, one First Degree misdemeanor Florida Election Commission charge pending, and an open investigation for alcohol state law violations in reguards to laws being broken in CITY HALL BY HER and the Beach Civic Assocation, which might be Felonies. Finally, there is no free parking, we are paying one way or another.The Presentation was seriously FLAWED and typical of County Administrator Michel Wanchick. The study did not even ask for imput from the City of St Augustine Beach. County Administrator Michael Wanchick refered to Samuels as Mayor and she is not. That showed how clueless he is and added to his already completely out of touch reputation. We are in need of a new County Administrator as well as new Elected St Augustine Beach Commissioners.

sponger2 08/01/16 - 08:15 am 31Shouldn't and won't pay a penny.
This is already ours, and only the commission in it's seemingly endless ignorance has made the situation critical by jamming more and more housing down our throats thereby creating a problem that they wish to solve by punishing us, the people who pay their salaries and benefits. As usual.


mach12.1e 08/01/16 - 09:42 am 32Another fundraiser.
Another by-product of unplanned over development, they rely on the tried and true remedy to charge us yet again, for services we already pay for, and tell us to like it.

Flori-DUH Reduces Water Pollution Enforcement: Only State Adopting "Probablistic" Standards

This is so wrong -- bad policy at the wrong time in the wrong place.

Anger, suspicions remain after water vote

 Jeff Burlew, Democrat senior writer1:32 p.m. EDT July 30, 2016

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(Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

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People suspicious of Gov. Rick Scott’s environmental agenda were hardly surprised last week when the Environmental Regulation Commission signed off on controversial new limits for toxic compounds that can go into Florida’s surface waters.

They say the deck was stacked when the Department of Environmental Protection took the standards to the commission for approval, the latest step in a years-long effort to modernize out-of-date limits under the federal Clean Water Act.

The agency sought approval from the seven-member board at a time when its governor-appointed ranks were down two people. Seats set aside for local government and the environmental community were empty when the ERC voted 3-2 to OK the standards.

“The whole thing stinks,” said Dr. Ray Bellamy, a Tallahassee surgeon who served on the commission in the 1980s under Democratic and Republican governors. “But so does just about everything else this administration does in relation to the environment.”

But members of the commission — including those who voted against the plan — say there was no grand conspiracy to take advantage of the vacancies and push the new regulations through. They say they made a good-faith effort to act in Florida’s best interests while weighing a highly complicated and technical proposal.

“A lot of people are disappointed with our action,” said Cari Roth, a Tallahassee attorney who chairs the commission and voted in favor of the proposal. “And I struggled with it mightily because it’s not like I was unaware of how controversial it was and how passionately people felt about their concerns.”

DEP’s plan would put regulations on nearly 40 dangerous chemical compounds for the first time. But it also would allow higher amounts of nearly two dozen others, including known carcinogens.

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Democrats in Congress blast DEP water plan

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

ERC chair: New water rules complex and conservative

State statutes say the governor “shall provide reasonable representation from all sections of the state” on the commission, including members who represent agriculture, development, local government, the environmental community, lay citizens and science.

At the time of the commission vote Tuesday, the environmental seat had been vacant for more than a year. The local government seat had been empty since February.

Gov. Scott’s most recent appointee to the ERC sits in the “lay person” chair but is in fact an agency insider. Craig Varn of Tallahassee served as DEP’s general counsel from February 2015 to April 2016 before joining the commission in May, around the time the department rolled out its new standards.

Varn voted in favor of the new standards, noting at the time that both industry and environmentalists had problems with it. Sarah Walton, a Pensacola attorney, also voted for the plan.

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Rudloe: Gov. Scott puts Floridians at risk for cancer

Voting against it were Adam Gelber, a Miami Beach biologist and senior project manager for Atkins North America, and Joe Joyce, director of the Center for Leadership at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Linda Young, executive director of the Florida Clean Water Network, said the outcome of the vote probably would have been different had the commission been operating with all seven members.

“I’m feeling like that was deliberate, to have those seats empty,” she said. “People not only feel like their waters are being threatened but also that that’s not democracy. That’s not what we expect from our government. And people are mad.”

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People listen to Tom Frick, DEP director of Environmental Assessment and Restoration during a meeting of the Environmental Regulation Commission Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, issued a statement last week calling the standards “indefensible” and noting new limits on some compounds would increase by more than 1,000 percent.

“I cannot help but think that the vote would have not been 3-2 in favor, but 4-3 against, had a full commission been given the chance to vote on this proposal,” he said.

The Governor’s Office responded to questions about the vacancies by inviting people to apply for them online. Asked about the new limits, the Governor’s Office said it has worked alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen water-quality standards.

“Our No. 1 priority is the safety of the families and visitors in our state and ensuring the highest water-quality standards,” said Lauren Schenone, the governor’s press secretary.

‘Very good progress’

Florida last updated its human health criteria for surface waters in 1992. DEP took new standards to the ERC in 2013, but the board tabled them in part over questions about fish consumption data used to calculate limits.

Under current standards, Floridians have a one in a million greater risk of getting cancer from exposure to the chemicals through seafood or water. Under the new ones, average Floridians still would have a one in a million risk. But others who weigh less than average or eat more seafood would have higher risks. Chances would go up to around one in 100,000 for people more exposed and around one in 10,000 for subsistence fishermen, DEP says.

The department arrived at its new limits using a probabilistic approach, a complicated methodology not used by any other state. DEP says its method better protects all Floridians from cancer. But critics deride it as Florida’s “cancer lottery.”

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Public blasts DEP over new water toxics limits

Roth, who represents the development community, said she never would have voted for the new standards if she thought they would increase cancer risks. The former general counsel for the Department of Community Affairs is a breast cancer survivor herself.

She said the new numbers were built on conservative assumptions that err on the side of protecting human health. The department assumed all fish Floridians eat comes from Florida and all waters are polluted at maximum levels, neither of which is the case. She also said DEP staff assured the commission that regulated entities would not increase polluted discharges into the water.

“So, we could have done nothing again on Tuesday and study it for another decade,” she said in an email. “Or put it in place, with 39 new pollutants now regulated and keep refining as we learn more. But after almost 25 years, it was time to make progress, and I'm certain it is good progress. Very good progress.”

‘Not an easy decision’

Walton, who cast the deciding yes vote, declined to publicly discuss her rationale from the dais. However, she told the Tallahassee Democrat in a subsequent email she voted for the proposal because of the science presented by DEP.

“This is a positive move in the right direction,” she said. “Although it was not enough for some and was too much for others, the standards needed to be updated. This was not an easy decision. I thought about it carefully and considered everything presented.”

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Joe Joyce listens during a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Gelber said he voted no because he wasn’t confident the data used for fish consumption and other factors were specific enough to Florida, a state with unique, karst geology and numerous water bodies. He said he applauds DEP for its efforts.

“Although I voted against the regulations, I feel that there are benefits that resulted from setting criteria on Tuesday,” he said. “We’ve set criteria for previously unregulated chemicals. We’ve reduced other criteria. And I would hope that the department would develop more Florida-based data during future reviews to address the citizens’ concerns for the chemicals that increased.”

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

DEP defends water pollution standards

The new standards must be reviewed and approved by the EPA before they become final. Young, of the Clean Water Network, said she plans to ask the EPA to hold public hearings in Florida before approving the limits. If the federal agency approves the state plan, litigation could ensue.

“I’m hoping EPA will say no,” Young said. “But if they don’t, it depends on how they justify and how they explain their decision. There’s a steep hill to climb to have a good legal basis for suing EPA over something like this. But I am not at all convinced that these criteria even meet EPA’s bare minimum standards.”

Environmental Regulation Commission members

Adam Gelber is a Miami Beach biologist and senior project manager for Atkins North America. He manages a variety of environmental projects and contracts, including one with the National Parks Service serving 38 states. His projects include wetlands remediation and coral reef restoration.

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Adam Gelber listens in during a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Joe Joyce has held a number of positions at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Gainesville, including his current post as director of the IFAS Center for Leadership. He served 32 years in the U.S. Army reserves, retiring in 2004 as a brigadier general.

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Joe Joyce talks with his fellow commissioners before a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Cari Roth is a Tallahassee attorney and shareholder with Dean Mead whose practice focuses on land use, environmental law and intergovernmental relations.She spent four years at the Department of Community Affairs, serving as general counsel and assistant secretary.

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Chair Cari Roth listens in during a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Craig Varn is a Tallahassee attorney and shareholder with Manson Bolves Donaldson Varn. He served more than a year as DEP's general counsel before his appointment to the ERC. Varn, who has a degree in civil engineering, designed stormwater facilities before he became a lawyer.

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Craig Varn listens in during a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Sarah Walton is a Pensacola attorney who focuses on creditor's rights, including bankruptcy and commercial litigation. She mentors former female felons through a U.S. District Court re-entry program. She said she has never represented industry or environmental groups or oil companies.

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Environmental Regulation Commissioner Sarah Walton listens in during a meeting at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection building Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

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HUD CDBG Application Up For Discussion

St. Augustine Beach City Manager MAX ROYLE once actually told SAB Commissioners there were no low-income people in SAB. Sad.


St. Johns County Commission to consider application for HUD grant; 4 projects identified
Posted: July 30, 2016 - 10:49pm | Updated: July 31, 2016 - 8:25am

By JAKE MARTIN
jake.martin@staugustine.com
St. Johns County commissioners on Tuesday will consider the county’s application for nearly $800,000 in initial funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Community Development Block Grant Entitlement program.

HUD determined last year that St. Johns County meets the population requirement to qualify for urban county status, which opened the door for the CDBG funding. The program provides annual grants on a formula basis to entitled cities and counties to develop viable urban communities, principally for low- and moderate-income residents.

Shawna Novak, director of Health and Human Services, told The Record on Friday the difference between this funding and other HUD money received in the past through the Small Cities CDBG program is that it is non-competitive rather than doled out on a project-by-project basis.

“This is an entitlement,” she said. “Once we get through this process, then we’re good. We can expect these funds to come in annually for as long as the federal government decides this is a program they want to fund.”

Pending approval by commissioners, the county will proceed with submitting the 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan for the upcoming fiscal year through HUD. The deadline for submission is Aug. 16, after which HUD has 45 days to review the plans and approve or disapprove them. If approved by HUD and accepted by the commission, the funding would be available starting Oct. 1.

The estimated initial funding allocation for St. Johns County is $799,754, with an estimated $3,199,016 to be made available over the subsequent four years of the five-year Consolidated Plan. The county would also have to leverage CDBG funds with other state, federal, and local funds to complete projects as outlined in the plans.

The county currently funds homeless prevention and rapid re-housing activities through its Social Services Division. The Social Services Division also receives and matches Emergency Solution Grant (ESG), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Challenge grant funds to aid in the prevention of homelessness. Meanwhile, the Housing and Community Development Division receives State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds to produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multi-family housing for low to moderate income persons.

The Annual Action Plan identifies four projects to be funded by CDBG funding, all of which must be completed within the first program year, no later than Sept. 30, 2017.

“We’re working on a timeline,” Novak said. “It was very important that proposed projects were going to be ready to go because next year we would have to furnish an evaluation of our performance on the previous year’s activities. Timeliness is essential.”

A home repair and rehabilitation project to benefit about 13 homes scattered throughout the county and St. Augustine Beach will receive an estimated $208,000. According to the Annual Action Plan, this project will assist low-income households, particularly those of residents who are elderly, disabled and/or veterans.

West Augustine drainage improvements stand to receive about $300,402 in CDBG funding. According to the plan, this project includes replacement of failing drainage infrastructure that will benefit about 350 households of which 90 percent are occupied by low- to moderate-income residents. The location description places this project between Francis Street and North Volusia Street.

Meanwhile, education assistance and after-school programs in West Augustine would be funded to the tune of about $40,740. According to the plan, school tutoring, homework assistance and mentoring would be made available to about 30 eligible school-aged children in three different site. Funding would cover the salaries of three tutors, four hours per day, supplies, and administrative costs.

A housing rehabilitation project in St. Augustine would receive $90,661 toward the conversion of five homeless housing structures on Chapin Street to permanent affordable housing for homeless families with children. According to the plan, these houses were built in 1925 and need renovation and refurbishment to bring them up to code.

“We’re still evaluating some of these proposed projects,” Novak said, adding some projects might be carried out by outside agencies or completed in-house.

“One of the next steps, assuming the board approves, will be developing a process to determine how those sites are selected and who the providers actually completing these projects are going to be,” she said.

The four projects on the list were narrowed down from five goals identified by the county in its application. Affordable rental housing was taken off the list, at least for the initial year, because there were no projects submitted fitting that category.



Numbers speak volumes

The short-term and long-term challenges are many, as indicated in numerous data sets provided over the course of 195 pages of backup documents attached to the agenda item, including both the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan. Much of the information included in the documents was provided by HUD and largely came from the U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Surveys, but that a lot of the data only goes up to 2012.

Still, Novak said the data — combined with feedback from residents and community agencies — helped staff narrow their focus. She said public input was garnered through surveys, several community meetings across the county, and applications for program funding received from various local agencies serving low- and moderate-income residents.

Major categories of priority needs identified in the Consolidated Plan include affordable housing, homelessness, housing and home repairs for people with special needs, public services, public facilities and improvement activities, as well as economic development. All of this is against a backdrop of sustained population growth in the county over the past decade.

“St. Johns County residents pay more for home ownership and rentals than other parts of the state,” Novak said. “Our housing stock is relatively new, so it’s important that we’re able to rehabilitate our existing affordable stock.”

As described in the Consolidated Plan, the lack of affordable housing units contributes to the most prevalent housing problem faced by county residents — housing cost burden. Census information indicates about 34 percent of renters and 18 percent of homeowners are cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of income on housing costs. Meanwhile, 82 percent of renters that represent the very low- to low-income population are severely housing cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 50 percent of income on housing costs.

Of the estimated 82,815 total units located within the county’s jurisdiction, only about 2.5 percent are affordable to families at or below the average median income, per federal and state definitions of affordability.

“The cost of housing is increasing at a rate that the median income rates in this county aren’t able to meet,” Novak said.

According to 2008-2012 American Community Survey data, the county’s median home value increased by nearly 62 percent while median contract value of rent increased by about 44 percent since 2000. Over the same stretch, the median income only increased by 28 percent.

“When examining the population growth, rise in home value, lack of median income keeping pace with rise of home values, consideration should be given to the creation of affordable rental units,” the Consolidated Plan said. “The data continues to reflect a serious need for affordable housing. Consideration should be given to developing relationships with builders and lenders that are interested in building affordable housing for individuals and families with low to moderate income.”

Where there is lack of affordable housing, there is also homelessness.

The county’s 2016 Point-In-Time count indicated 1,064 people were homeless on Jan. 28, with 809 of those individuals unsheltered and 255 sheltered. While homeless persons are scattered throughout the County, the majority of homeless are located in or near the city of St. Augustine.

Other data sets looked at housing conditions, employment and economic development, public housing as well as facilities and services for homeless and special needs populations.

Conflict of Interest: SJR Water Board Chair MIKLOS

Ethics complaint filed against Miklos for role in DeBary land deal

Tuesday

Posted May 3, 2016 at 7:12 PMUpdated May 4, 2016 at 10:45 AM

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By Dinah Voyles Pulverdinah.pulver@news-jrnl.com

A Deltona resident has asked the Florida Commission on Ethics to look into the actions of John Miklos, an environmental consultant who serves as board chairman of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Donald Mair is among many who have expressed concern because Miklos and his company, Bio-Tech Consulting Inc., represent the city of DeBary in its effort to acquire 102 acres of conservation land from the water district.

His DeBary work is one of dozens of times that Miklos' company has negotiated permit applications for clients since he was appointed to the board in March 2010, a News-Journal examination of records has found. 

The city hired Miklos' company to evaluate the land near Gemini Springs last year. Then in April, the City Council approved a second contract with its engineering consultant, with Bio-Tech as a subcontractor to try to acquire the permits needed from the water district, state and federal governments to use the land for a transit-oriented development near the SunRail station. Of the $40,000 total contract, $38,500 was earmarked for Bio-Tech, including a rate of $155 an hour for Miklos.

“That's 100 percent a conflict of interest,” said Mair, a former DeBary resident, who reported he mailed the complaint to the ethics commission Tuesday.

Miklos did not respond to an email seeking comment. He has previously stated his role is ethical and within the law. He said he's "not precluded from doing anything," including negotiating among parties to try to get the best deal for the environment.

But Mair is incensed a board member responsible for protecting conservation land would be involved in a deal to give some of it away. “This is just government corruption,” he said. “If we citizens don't stand up and address it, they're just going to keep doing it.”

Miklos is "in a position of public trust with a duty to care for and manage lands of environmental importance," Mair wrote in his complaint to the commission. 

Records show Miklos attended a meeting with the city staff and the district staff about the land deal last year, representing the district. Although district staff said they told the city the land should be their last resort, at least three city officials said they were later assured by Bio-Tech staff that the city's proposal to acquire the land in exchange for cleaning up DeBary Bayou could be approved.

Miklos said that was a miscommunication.

But the entire arrangement has prompted numerous questions about Miklos' work representing his company's clients before district staff while serving as board chairman, including the inherent conflicts in having consultants serve on the boards of the state's five water management districts, whether Miklos' position puts him at an unfair advantage over other consultants in recruiting clients and whether his role in DeBary is a violation of ethics or even federal law. 

A News-Journal search of the district's online permitting system showed that Bio-Tech has represented clients in at least 33 cases since Miklos was appointed to the board in March 2010, with 22 coming since he became board chairman. Of those 22 applications, nine were approved, three did not require a permit and 10 were withdrawn.

However, a more in-depth search by district staff reported late Tuesday that the company has been listed as the agent, consultant or applicant on a total of 118 projects since January 2010. 

Former board members and others say Miklos as chairman wields undue influence over the staff, who they also say are operating in a culture of fear because of numerous firings and forced resignations over the past year.

Miklos and the district's executive director, Ann Shortelle, dispute that allegation. Miklos has, however, been involved in a push by the board to dramatically reduce the turnaround time on all permit applications, after numerous complaints by the development community and local governments about unreasonable delays and requests by staff for additional information.

Board members are only required to declare a conflict of interest when an item comes before the board for a vote. Miklos has declared a conflict nine times since March 2012, more than any of the other currently serving board members.

However, most permit applications never make it to the board, say former board members and other observers. Over the past eight years, the governing board has gradually turned over more authority to the executive director, meaning most permit decisions aren't made in public meetings, said Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida.

That's the real issue, said Lee. When an environmental consultant serves on a governing board and has clients coming in front of the district, Lee isn't sure whether it rises to the level of unethical or illegal, but, he said it's “an inherently unhealthy situation.”

The trend to “take things away from governing boards and to shove them into the dark recesses of staff decisions” started in about 2009, pushed by developers who weren't happy when citizens showed up at board meetings and were able to get the boards to overturn staff recommendations, said Lee. “The voice of the public in front of the board on individual wetland permits has been taken away.”

“As these things recede into the woodwork, the likelihood of bad deals gets more prevalent,” said Lee. “It clearly disadvantages the general public and it places that person in line to do a special type of marketing to clients to say 'Hey, I'm on the governing board.' “

“As a matter of policy, if you are an advocate for clients, you should not be on the governing board of a district that is reviewing the applications of those clients," Lee said. 

There's no way a permitting director can “build a strong enough fire wall,” to prevent giving special consideration to a permit application from a consulting firm owned by a board member, said Lee. “It doesn't mean the people who are doing it now are unethical or doing anything wrong."

“It's not that they say anything to staff," he said. "It's a matter of human nature. The staff knows when an application from a consulting firm is affiliated with or owned by a board member.”

Search a database of all permit applications to the St. Johns River Water Management District involving Bio-Tech Consulting Inc.

Editor's Note:This story has been corrected to show the district records were received on Tuesday.

Watch Maynard vs. Shoar Debate, August 3, 2016: League of Women Voters (LWV)

Watch August 3 and vote on or before August 30 as St. Johns County Republican Primary challenger Debra Maynard debates controversial three-term incumbent Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR." Ask questions. Demand answers. Expect democracy.




Come to the St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium, 7-9 PM, Wednesday, August 3, 2016 for a hot debate.

St. Johns County Sheriff candidate Debra Maynard vs. three-term incumbent Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR."

St. Johns County Clerk of Court candidates: George Lareau, longtime career deputy, vs. GOVERNOR RICHARD LYNN SCOTT"s handpicked hobbledehoy, HUNTER CONRAD.

On succeeding Wednesdays, there will be debates for other races. Same time, same place -- at the TAJ MAHAL.

Making park from mosquito control HQ property

Excellent St. Augustine Record editorial -- I couldn't agree more. Kudos to citizen Thomas Francis Reynolds for speaking out and pointing us in the right direction. Thank you.

Editorial: Mosquito land belongs to us, not the district
Posted: July 29, 2016 - 12:10am | Updated: July 30, 2016 - 7:47am
St. Augustine Record

The Anastasia Mosquito Control District is meeting in mid-August to hash out the future of its former property on Old Beach Road. Board members are talking about a sale of the 2.6-acre parcel. They’re 180 degrees off on that one. More about that in a moment.

The piece of property is unique. There’s a run-down shed-like structure which would go away no matter what the future use might be. But surrounding the structure the lot is a rare chunk of maritime hardwood hammock, or maritime forest. In case you were wondering, they just don’t make that stuff anywhere — anymore.

The deed is held by the mosquito board, but includes a reverter clause. The city sold it to the district in 1970. But the district agreed that if it ever vacated, the land would be deeded to a public entity for public use. It can’t be sold to a private buyer/developer. Kudos to the city fathers for the foresight 40-odd years ago.

There’s an appraisal we haven’t seen, but heard of. Most agree the value is around $700,000. The mosquito board seems determined to sell it. That’s probably because members used the resale of the land as an argument for doubling the district taxes in 2014 in order to build a new facility which it moved into this year.

The sale of the land was to draw down the price tag of the new digs. We’ve heard rumblings that some mosquito board members might be asking St. Augustine to eat the reverter clause so the land can go on the open market for private development.

That could happen ... in their dreams.

The piece of land is uniquely situated. It borders on county-owned land (but within St. Augustine Beach city limits) in the pretty Ron Parker Park. The beach owns the land to the south. Anastasia State Park is state-owned and abuts the mosquito parcel to the east ... but that portion of the state park is within St. Augustine city limits.

So the mosquito land represents kind of a hub in a municipal wheel. And that would seem to open up many different scenarios of opportunity for a cooperative effort there in restoring the property for viable public use.

That could actually be the easy part. The devil, as always, would be in the details. There are already whispers of a skate park, off-beach parking, expansion of Ron Parker, and more. But, from where we sit, the unique environmental aspects of the property demand it inherits a mellower afterlife, nestled in those coastal hardwoods.

But first things first.

The Anastasia Mosquito Control District needs to give the land back, plain and simple. No sale. No charge. It is not the district’s land. It was bought and paid for by taxpayers — you and me.

It should be returned to the public.

The district spent $1.5 million of our money buying the new land and $4-plus million building its new facility. Give us some return on investment, how about it?

But ... let’s be fair about this. Taxpayers did buy the land and, perhaps, shouldn’t be on the hook for that initial investment. So the district can charge the $6,250 original sales price to the City/County/Beach for the land.

But the hard truth is, the mosquito district has no option but to sell the land to one — or all — of them. It can sell to no one else. So, with a mutual agreement /understanding between the State, County, Beach and City, an offer of $1 for the property is $1 more than the mosquito board will receive by any other means. Something about that scenario just feels right.

COMMENTS

sponger2 07/30/16 - 08:55 am 20Hope that happens, but I doubt it.
It makes too much sense and lacks the corruption we have grown so accustomed to. A hotel will probably end up on the property.

Maynard v. Shoar Sheriff Debate August 8th

Watch August 8 and vote on or before August 30 as St. Johns County Republican Primary challenger Debra Maynard debates controversial three-term incumbent Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR." Ask questions. Demand answers. Expect democracy.



Monday night, August 8, 2016
6:30 p.m. social & potluck, 7:00 program

The Republican Club of Greater St. Augustine (RCGSA) is hosting a candidate forum at its upcoming monthly meeting on Monday, August 8. Both Republican candidates for the office of St. Johns County Sheriff will participate (incumbent David Shoar and challenger Debra Maynard).

This is your chance to meet these candidates and hear their positions before the August 30 primary.

Also: We will hear from Nick Lauritsen, Regional Field Director of the St. Johns County Republican Party on the strategy to help WIN the 2016 Presidential election and how you can help.

Attendees are encouraged to bring food to share. Guests are always welcome.

Location: The Shriners Club, 250 Brainard Drive, St. Augustine (one block east of Rt. 1 South)

See you there!

Ann Doyle, Secretary
Republican Club of Greater St. Augustine

www.RepublicanClubGSA.com

SAB's Harassing "Stalking" Charge Dismissed

St. Augustine Beach stalking case to be dismissed
Posted: July 28, 2016 - 12:06am | Updated: July 28, 2016 - 4:48am

By SHELDON GARDNER
sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com


A 2015 stalking charge in a St. Augustine Beach case will be dismissed once a deferred prosecution agreement is completed, according to a court document.

The St. Augustine Beach Police Department arrested Bill Rosenstock in August 2015. According to the police report, someone said Rosenstock circulated false information about a man who sold food at St. Augustine Beach’s Pier Park events.

One person complained about Rosenstock spreading information about the man being a sexual offender, information that was not true, according to the police report. The man has a name similar to a registered sex offender but is a different person, the report said.

Also, Rosenstock said the man was in violation of his food-vending permit. State investigators didn’t find a violation with his operation.

Also, the vendor contacted the police after he saw Rosenstock at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, and he said he thought Rosenstock was searching for him. While he didn’t feel threatened, he said he was aggravated by the situation.

The deferred prosecution agreement, signed on July 22, says that the case will be dismissed if Rosenstock has no direct or indirect with the “alleged victim” for 12 months.

A motion to dismiss the case was filed in April, which the judge denied. It said no criminal activity occurred in the case — and that the case “boils down to” Rosenstock making allegations to officials. It also says that “the decision to arrest Mr. Rosenstock for exercising Constitutionally protected activities such as these, was an error.”

The motion was filed by Rosentock’s attorney, Thomas Cushman, who declined to comment on the case.

Rosenstock appeared frequently at government meetings and spoke out in 2015 against the county’s use of a “free speech area” sign at Pier Park — an activity that is unrelated to the arrest. The sign was used to designate a space for protests or other First Amendment related activities should there not be enough space in the rest of the pier lot at busy times.

However, the sign was met with criticism from people who said it was unconstitutional. The County Commission voted to take it down.


COMMENTS
Thomas Francis Reynolds 07/28/16 - 09:16 am 00The definition of a Judicial False Arrest
This case is not over. It is now time to have all involved in this false arrest of a 74 year old man looked at. Starting with the Judge who signed the warrant down to false complainant. The Judicial Misconduct is what sickens me the most. The Florida State Supreme Court will thoroughly Investigate the Formal Complaint against the Judge. The other culprits are William "Bill" Jones, Robert "Booby" Samuels, and Andrea Samuels, who are all currently under criminal investigation for crimes commited at St Augustine Beach City Hall. Commissioner Andrea Samuels currently has three Florida Ethics Commission Complaints and a First Degree Misdemeanor charges pending. I do not fault the Police Department for doing their job. The PD had to take the complaint and turn it over to the State Attorneys Office. The misconduct and false charge starts with the Beach Civic Assocation and the dislike they have for anyone who dares ask them to obey the laws. The Police had to bring the case to the State Attorney because of the allege accusation. That is where the 2nd half of misconduct starts. The next steps to clear the False Charge has begun and as we all know, TRUE JUSTICE IS SLOW !