On June 3, 2025 , organized money flexed its muscle and persuaded St. Johns County Commission to extend controversial County Administrator "JOY" ANDREWS' contract by an additional three (3) years, effective June 3, 2025, extending her current contract into 2030. The vote was 3-2.
As of September 17, 2025, some three months and thirteen days later (some 105 days later), there is still no proper performance appraisal by all County Commissioners of our County Administrator or County Attorney.
Wonder why?
Read my June 4, 2025 blog post, below:
County Administrator "JOY" ANDREWS has never had a proper performance appraisal. Only one in the file, filled out by her gal-pal, Commissioner SARAH ARNOLD, then-Chair. No other Commissioner was asked to evaluate her performance. Wonder why?
Records on Administrator ANDREWS, including her hiring a relative, have not been provided.
In a repeat of her dramatic performance last month, JOY ANDREWS prattled on about being a "single mom," and played for sympathy. "JOY" sticker buttons were part of a histrionic display of support for the County Administrator, which special interests supported and helped organize.
Unregistered lobbyists (not required to register as lobbyists in this lawless County) helped ANDREWS get three votes -- CHRISTIAN WHITEHURST, SARAH ARNOLD and CLAY MURPHY.
Unjust stewards, these two of these Commissioners once voted to move non-agenda public comment to the end of meetings at the behest of developers, making concerned citizens wait around all day. We see right through these superficial satraps.
Two reform St. Johns County Commissioners, Chair Krista Keating Joseph and Commissioner Ann Taylor, stood their ground and voted no, in the face of some truly dishonorable utterances, trite tropes and smarmy tributes and silly ukases from the likes of Commissioner CHRISTIAN WHITEHUST, JOY ANDREWS and a few others, who were demanding that people and "social media" stop criticizing Ms. ANDREWS. Their improper arguments treated legitimate debate in a democracy with disdain and disrespect. They were open and notoriously seeking to silence dissent.
Call them cat's paws for angry corporate oligarchs. Their arguments were angry and their logic case flawed. My grandmother would say "they're typical of their type."
Consider the perverse perorations when you watch the video. Commissioners WHITEHURST and ARNOLD and Establishment figures like business attorney RICHARD RUMRELL angrily attacked "social media." SARAH ARNOLD is married to business lawyer CASEY WILLIAM ARNOLD, who is a DeSANTIS appointee who sits on the Seventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, which recommends judicial candidates to the Governor.
Shrilly calling on concerned citizens to "stop" criticizing our government, while wearing sticker buttons with the word "JOY" on them was not a good look. It smacked of Europe in the 1930s. It was an overt and feckless, reckless intimidation tactic, attempting to quell Commissioners and citizens from doing their jobs. I've been reporting on governments since 1978. No amount of scorn, obloquy and mockery will deter me -- that's how God made me, my parents raised me, and my mentors taught me.
Authoritarians can't stand criticism. We, the People don't take you seriously. To the thin-skinned, I wear your scorn as a badge of honor.
One joyless wealthy wearer of one of the "JOY" sticker buttons actually proclaimed that he had consulted "God" and he arrogantly attacked "social media." What a lugubrious goober. Business lawyer RICHARD RUMRELL is the father of St. Augustine Beach Mayor DYLAN RUMRELL.
They were joined by some good people who said that Ms. ANDREWS was the best-ever County Administrator, and the only one who talked with civil rights groups.
Those were good people and true statements. I've lived here since 1999 and found prior County Administrators to be arrogant autocrats. In twelve (12) years as County Administrator, developer puppet MICHAEL DAVID WANCHICK never once returned one of my telephone calls. I called for his firing, but missed the day (November 19, 2019) when Commissioners unanimously fired the sexist, misogynist WANSHICK, expoed by the Roper report, but allowed to remain in office until he lied to Commissioners about other matters.
On June 3, 2025, the demand by self-descriveed "business owners" to hurry up and to extend ANDREWS' contract "bears watchin'," as they say in East Tennessee.
The good people supporting Ms. ANDREWS were joined by misguided former Commission Chair Isaac Henry Dean, developer cat's paws, and the usual assortment of Chamber of Commerce and developer interests, including former St. Johns County Commission candidate JERRY THOMAS CAMERON and millionaire St. Augustine Distillery owner PHIL McDANIEL
Special interests appear to have organized a crowd.
While St. Johns County Commissioners are often told by lawyers to ignore "the clamor of the crowd" when the "crowd" opposes overdevelopment, there was overbearing bitterness about ANDREWS being criticized at all.
I called their bluff, quoting Judge Murray Gurfein, whose first case after becoming a federal judge was in the Pentagon Papers case. A brand-new Nixon appointee, U.S. District Court Judge Murray Gurfein (later an appellate judge) famously wrote in The Pentagon Papers case, where the government sought prior restraint, "The security of the Nation is not at the ramparts alone. Security also lies in the value of our free institutions. A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know." United States v. N.Y. Times Co., 328 F. Supp. 324, 331 (S.D.N.Y. 1971), affirmed, New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971).
Or as the St. Augustine Record editorialized November 19, 2006 about City officials' anger and hostility toward me after we caught the City dumping a landfill in a lake, some of our St Johns County Commissioners need "thicker skins."
“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." See West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943).In the midst of World War II, our Supreme Court reversed an erroneous decision that let Jehovah's Witnesses children be punished for refusing to salute the flag
The decision was written by Justice Robert Houghwot Jackson, who was later our prosecutor at Nuremberg. One more time: “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein."
Overdevelopment is killing our trees, killing our wildlife, breeding mosquitoes, overcrowding our roads, overcrowding our schools and destroying what we know and love about this magical place, which we call "God's country." We moved here on November 5, 1999, more than 25 years ago.
Foreign investors purchase influence and clearcut entire forests, leaving flooding in some 33 communities.
The axis of overdevelopment does not give a tinker's dam about people like us. Or nature. But organized money abuses the trust of the people by manipulative unethical political campaigns. Yesterday, it manifested itself in a campaign to extend the County Administrator's contract outside the ordinary course of business. They did it because they can.
As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said 90 years ago, "“We know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.”
This is our time, and our country and our county: we can do better, we must do better and we all do better
o St. Johns County voters elected Ben Rich, Sr. and Joseph Kenneth Bryan as County Commissioners, to stand up to corruption and developer overreach.
o St. Augustine voters elected Mayor Nancy Shaver to stand up for the people against the powerful.
o St. John County voters elected three of five Commissioners for the rest of us, untainted by campaign contributors that fund clearcutting horrors.
"We will be heard," in the words of the abolitionists.
We need a lobbyist disclosure law, a County Ethics Commission, and investigations of the power of organized money here.
St. Johns County needs a strong tree protection law, like our City of St. Augustine.
7 comments:
Excellent post. The first sentence sums up quite well what happened yesterday. The electorate was asleep at the switch on this one, and they will pay the price for the next 3 years. Funny to hear the Joy fans criticize "social media" which included a former Growth Management Director who worked for Joy Andrews for 11 months, and quit in disgust over her incompetence. He was in a better position to evaluate her performance than any commenter in the room.
Thank you!
Here is the page one belated response from the Establishment'. The sere remnants of the St. Augustine Record, which no longer has an office or reporters here, or even a place for newspaper delivery people to use the bathroom, posted this in response to my reasoned and documented post about ANDREWS:
Shall we call it "Hick Hack Hagiography?"
From online edition, dated 6/4:
In contentious 3-2 vote, St. Johns County extends administrator Joy Andrews' contract:
In contentious 3-2 vote, St. Johns County extends administrator Joy Andr...
County Administrator Joy Andrews has her contract extended for three more years despite opposition from Board Ch...
In contentious 3-2 vote, St. Johns County extends administrator Joy Andrews' contract
Portrait of Lucia VitiLucia VitiSt. Augustine Record
Joy Andrews St. Johns County Administrator
St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews's contract was extended to 2030 after she withdrew her application for a similar position in Palm Beach County.
The extension vote followed public outcry and support for Andrews after Board Chair Krista Joseph initiated a vote of no confidence earlier this year.
The board ultimately voted 3-2 to extend Andrews' contract for three years with an annual salary of $285,000 plus cost of living increases.
The St. Johns County Commission on June 3 voted to extend the contract of County Administrator Joy Andrews until 2030.
Initiated as an Agenda Item by Commissioner Christian Whitehurst, the vote came on the heels of discovering that Andrews was among more than 200 applicants for a position as administrator for neighboring Palm Beach County.
Andrews withdrew the Palm Beach application after “careful consideration and deep reflection.”
“I've come to recognize how deeply rooted I am in Saint Johns County ― the community that I love, the community where my children were born and raised and where I feel I've been called to make a difference,” she wrote in a letter to the Palm Beach County Recruitment Board.
Describing her staff as family, Andrews reiterated her 100% commitment to the county she's called home for more than two decades. When confronted by the board, she said that she applied because of the uncertainty of her position based on feedback from the current commissioners.
In January, Board Chair Krista Joseph requested to vote Andrews out in a motion of “no confidence,” citing unsatisfactory leadership for hiring FCC Environmental Services for garbage removal last year and failing to adopt stricter tree-preservation guidelines.
Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Whitehurst, who said they were blindsided by the request, along with Commissioner Clay Murphy, voted against removing Andrews from her position.
Whitehurst said that his current motion to extend Andrews' contract by six years was made in the “interest of stability to get back to doing the work of the county” instead of being mired by the distraction of "ugly and vicious" social media insults hurled at Andrews.
"I am trying to get rid of the volatility and smother the vicious nature," he said.
Almost 50 residents, businesses owners, government officials, colleagues, associates and friends spoke in support of Andrews during a public comment period that lasted more than three hours.
More
Jane Evans, a board member for the Palm Valley Community Association, described Andrews as the “right” county administrator to maintain St. Johns County as one of the best counties in the country.
St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell described Andrews as a remarkable leader.
“For almost two decades, Joy has dedicated herself to serving this county with tireless commitment,” he said. “As our county administrator, she has been a steady hand through times of growth and change — always putting the needs of our families, our neighborhoods and our future first. Her leadership is rooted in hard work. Her commitment, integrity and an unshakable belief in public service is something all elected officials should strive for. Joy understands what makes this county special — not just the beauty of our surroundings, but the strength of our people. She listens. She leads. And most importantly, she cares.”
Irving Kass, chairman of St. Augustine’s Tourist Development Council, also expressed his support.
“Joy Andrews is without question the most effective forward thinking county administrator St. Johns County has ever had,” he said. “Over the course of nearly 19 years of dedicated public service, she has advanced through the organization with professionalism, integrity and a tireless commitment to her community.”
Greg White spoke positively of working with Andrews for projects within the West Augustine Community, including the Care Center, the CRA Steering Committee, the Weed and Seed Committee, Historic West Augustine and the West Augustine Health and Wellness Center.
Sherrie Province, the Limelight’s executive director, described Andrews as a good human being and the "first person to invite me to lunch."
“She needs to be shouted out for today,” she said.
Tony Sangri, vice president of the St. Johns County Professional Firefighter Association, thanked Andrews for her advocacy in securing $7.5 million from Tallahassee to build a dedicated training center.
“Administrator Andrews has earned the trust of those who serve and protect the county,” he said. “We urge you to provide her the stability she needs to continue the critical work. What you saw here today is not a coordinated campaign, it's a collaborative show of support from a broad range of citizens who recognize the importance of stable experienced leadership at the critical time our county is in. People aren't here because they were told to be, they are here because they choose to be. There is a difference between an election campaign and a community speaking with one voice. This is the latter, and dismissing that unity as manufactured or political is a disservice to the genuine concerns and priorities being expressed here today. Miss Joy and her staff, we thank you for your hard work and for the commissioners we appreciate your service, and we support all five of you and I wish we could all work together and show the other 66 counties what we are capable of doing.”
Philip McDaniel of the St. Augustine Distillery; Bill Dudley, chairman of the St. Johns County Veterans Association; Leonard Freeman, a farmer from Hastings; and former Commissioner Henry Dean also spoke in praise of Andrews.
And yet, despite the outpouring, Joseph didn’t budge.
“You’re getting better,” she told Andrews. “Get the FCC thing solved, we have hurricane season coming. You get this comp plan done, you get the tree code done, you get World Golf on the right track, maybe in September when these things are finished, I would be all for talking about this but right now, performance is more important than stability and stability comes with good performance.”
Arnold stepped in to “refute” Joseph’s claims by saying that Andrews had been performing for more than 20 years.
“I think this incredible outpouring of support is a testament to that,” she said. “Some of these perceived failures or performance issues are things that do not lie at the feet of Miss Andrews."
Joseph also took a swipe at Andrews for sharing her commitment to her two boys as a single mother.
"I was a single mom with three kids, and it was a hard job, but I didn't go tell everyone in the world about it," she said. "I just worked harder."
The board voted on a three-year extension, which passed 3-2. Andrews will receive $285,000 annually plus an annual cost of living increase.
Commissioner Ann Taylor, who voted with Joseph as a no, didn’t speak.
Two individuals spoke negatively of Andrews, including Ed Slavin, a community activist and twice disbarred lawyer who is present at almost every County Commission meeting.
Slavin accused the county of not fulfilling his requests to review Andrews' performance reviews. He then defended social media and the First Amendment.
"Obviously somebody can't stand criticism and, in a democracy, if you can't stand criticism, you know what Harry Truman said, get the out of the kitchen," he said. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Please defeat this motion, it's dumb, it's unconstitutional and its outrageous."
Andrews has served as the county administrator since the abrupt resignation Hunter Conrad in 2023.Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Ed Slavin
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
www.edslavin.com
http://www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
http://www.staugustgreen.com
(904) 377-4998
After City dumped a. landfill in. al lake, da November 19, 2025 St. Augustine Record editorial, "Always important to stick to you your guns," defended me against an attack by our local Establishment, again reminding everyone that I am a "disbarred lawyer." Here is that editorial:
St. Augustine Record
Editorial: Always important to stick to your guns
From Staff
Publication Date: 11/19/06
Soon-to-be-former-Mayor George Gardner let one rip at the St. Augustine City Commission meeting last week when he went after city gadfly Ed Slavin.
For those of you who don¹t know, Slavin is a regular at City Commission meetings. He is quick to point out what he thinks is wrong with city government, which is plenty.
Slavin is not subtle. If he thinks you¹re a crook, he¹ll tell you to your face.
And, yes, Hizzoner is correct that Slavin can be abrasive, although he¹s always polite when he calls us, even if he is questioning our competency, which means he¹s not always alone in his views.
Hizzoner pointed out that Slavin has asked the City Commission about 200 questions, which the mayor thinks is an abuse of the public comment section of its meetings.
And he went after Slavin, pointing out that he was disbarred in Tennessee in part because of his harassment and intimidation of officers of the court. Slavin questioned judges¹ competency in court and hurled insults at other lawyers.
Well, that¹s true.
It¹s also true that without Slavin the citizens of St Augustine would not have known the city was illegally dumping waste material in a borrow pit off Homes Boulevard.
After the mayor spoke, he got a standing ovation from almost everyone in the room. Only our reporter and Slavin remained seated.
We¹re here to tell you this. Ed Slavin is brilliant. Not just bright, brilliant. The Supreme Court of Tennessee, in finding fault with him, acknowledged his ³intellect and legal skills.
Here¹s some stuff you may not know about Slavin. As the editor of the Appalachian Observer in 1982, he filed a request to get some federal documents declassified. Because of his persistence, he found out and shared with the world that the Department of Energy Oak Ridge (Tenn.) Operations had ³lost¹¹ 2.4 million pounds of mercury in Oak Ridge. Later it turned out they had actually lost 4.2 million pounds of mercury.
His work discovered widespread DOE and contractor misconduct. That became a national story.
He went on to become a public interest attorney, armed with his view of never giving up because individuals can change history.
Yes, Slavin is persistent. Yes, he overplays his hand a lot. Yes, he can be obnoxious. And, yes, we would not want to be on the receiving end of Slavin¹s barbs any more than we already are.
But we¹re happy that there are gadflies like Slavin in our world. They add texture to our public forums and, as in the case of the illegal dumping, get it right sometimes.
So, to our public officials, we suggest you get thicker skins.
To those of you who stood up to applaud the mayor after he lambasted Slavin, shame on you for trying to stifle free speech. All of us should defend people¹s right to express their views, even when they are unpopular.
And to Slavin, you may want to soften your delivery, but don¹t be hushed. Remember that it¹s not important to be popular; it is important to stick to your guns.
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/111906/opinions_if83a3k.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
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