Let disabled pay to get pushed? "Celebrate 450!" Disabled ADA Questions Raised By HEATHER NEVILLE's Facebook Posting (Below)

Pre-ADA Protest at Greyhound 

Wheelchair protest outside Metropolitan Opera in NYC re: Klinghoffer opera







St. Augustine's outspoken representative to the Northeast Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Ms. HEATHER NEVILLE, had hearts aflutter this week with her seeming insensitivity to the disabled, and her seemingly purporting to speak for the City of St. Augustine on 450th celebration reasonable accommodations under our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), adopted unanimously by Congress in 1990 (25 years ago) and signed into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Self-described "volunteer" Ms. HEATHER NEVILLE wrote to a critic on Facebook (Denise, surname redacted) about the planned status of bicycles and wheelchairs during performances at after 5 PM on September 4-6, 2015 downtown during the City's "Celebrate 450!" Denise (surname redacted) asked questions, noting the "stupidity" of not allowing bicycles to cross the Bridge of Lions after 5 PM due to erection of a stage right in front of the Bridge, and raising concerns about access for persons in wheelchairs.

In response to my e-mail, HEATHER NEVILLE authenticated (below) that she wrote as follows:

Denise maybe you could run a little business with some wheelchairs pushing those who aren't able to walk over the bridge? There was a nice suggestion on a few options to get those with disabilities over the bridge via various non motorized ways. Bikes and pedestrians don't mix just like cars and bikes don't mix, not having them together is a good idea since there will be no where to park bikes since the stage is at the end of the east side. I'm not sure why everything is such a nasty negative thing. I'll leave this thread now. The info is out there (sic) and it's good (sic). Is it ideal? Prob not but it's not without quality thought and consideration by the police, fire, and EMT. If it's such a bad thing for you personally, then I certainly suggest staying far away and let everyone else who makes a personal choice to attend, do so. Traffic may be the pits, but considering just how many vehicles there have been in town for large events over the decades I would say we are doing a good job attracting nice people to our city when 60,000 people can come into a tiny town designed for horses and foot traffic and leave without serious incident other then some traffic.

In my Open Records requests numbered 2015-244 and 2015-246, I have asked the City of St. Augustine to provide documents.

I also asked the City to answer questions and to make ADA plans for the 450th.

I also asked the City to take affirmative actions to prevent Ms. HEATHER NEVILLE's odd remarks from possibly subjecting the City to potential liability and embarrassment.

Finally, I suggested that the Council on Aging Sunshine Bus might provide shuttles across the closed Bridge of Lions and from the Parking Garage.  Ms. NEVILLE's ill-advised remarks remind me of a cross between Marie Antoinette ("Let 'em eat cake") and the character of Cruella DeVille in Disney's 101 Dalmations.  The notion of a City Commissioner's wife and City representative to TPO making such rash statements is a stench in the nostrils of Our Nation's Oldest City.  She must apologize or resign from TPO.  Now.

Our complete e-mail exchange follows (no response as of 7:22 PM to my 4:47 PM e-mail):

-----Original Message-----
From: easlavin
To: director

Sent: Wed, Jul 15, 2015 4:47 pm
Subject: Re: Request No. 2015-244: City of St. Augustine, St. Johns County/Sunshine Bus Company/COA contacts re: ADA accommodations for 450th celebration

Dear Heather:
1. Do you speak for our City, or not?
2. For what group do you contend that are you a "volunteer?"
3. What is your title?
4. What is your authority?
5. Who granted it?
6. Please respond to my questions.
7. It appears that you may have blocked my ability to read your posts on the FB site. I will read the full text when you unblock me.
WIth kindest regards,
Ed Slavin
904-377-4998

-----Original Message-----
From: Heather Neville
To: easlavin
Sent: Wed, Jul 15, 2015 2:28 pm
Subject: Re: Request No. 2015-244: City of St. Augustine, St. Johns County/Sunshine Bus Company/COA contacts re: ADA accommodations for 450th celebration

Ed,

I am sorry to hear you took what I said as insensitive. I have been diligently working on a solution specifically for those with disabilities. I am glad to see that the entire comment was posted at the bottom of your email which shows that the comments regarding "stay away" was a suggestion to someone as a supportive comment since they posted they were staying away themselves, and that that person also commented later that they are not handicap (sic). I will say that no where (sic) did I comment for anyone to "pay to get pushed" (sic)("start a business") nor any hostility towards ADA requirements. This conversation goes on to discuss Ms. [surname redacted] offering some volunteering to make it even more (sic) hospitable.

You will be happy to know that as of this morning we (sic) have successfully secured an additional free service to transport those with disabilities to the event site. By we, I mean committed volunteers to our community who are ensuring success of this event since it is a reflection on all of us who live here. I have been working on this for a couple of weeks, as a volunteer, when I saw a request pop up on 2 separate Facebook group sites and after reviewing the road closure maps that were recently released, decided to reach out and see what options there could be.


Thank you for being so concerned. Again I am sorry if you did not have a chance to read the posts in the (sic) entirety and felt I was being anything other then (sic) very sincere. But now you have all (sic) the facts (sic) and information (sic) from me.

HN

On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 12:28 PM, wrote:
Dear Mayor Shaver, Vice Mayor Horvath, Commissioners, Messrs. Regan, Lueders, Grant and Fricke, and Ms. Diaz and Messrs Andrews, McCormack and Wanchick:
1. Please send me any memos re: contacts or contracts with Sunshine Bus Company et al. to provide 450th shuttle service from the parking garage and Bridge of Lions eastern terminus for disabled people and bicyclists.
2. Please send me any memos, plans or contracts to provide ADA-accessible rest rooms for the 450th.
3. The reason I ask is that Ms. Heather Neville, city representative to the Northeast Florida Transportation Planning Organization has recently stated on Facebook her hostility to 450th ADA requirements (e.g., let them "pay to get pushed" or "stay far way")
4. Does the City's TPO representative, Ms. Heather Neville, married to Commissioner Todd Neville, purport to speak for our City? If not, please so state in writing by way of a disclaimer.
5. Ms. Neville's remarks (below) about wheelchair reasonable accommodations (let them pay to get pushed, go start a business or stay away) are unprecedented.
6. Ms. Neville's remarks could subject our City to an ADA investigation and litigation before the 450th, and adverse publicity worldwide afterwards.
7. Ms. Neville's deeply insensitive hurtful words toward our seniors and the disabled are a stench in the nostrils of Our Nation's Oldest City. She must apologize or resign from TPO.
8. Will you please assure reasonable accommodations on mobility and bathrooms for the 450th, notwithstanding Ms. Neville's uncouth, unkind and louche words?
9. Will you please make this right, to avoid an international incident and ADA liability ?
10. The whole world is watching. Do not let anti-disabled animus embarrass our City.
Thank you.
Cordially,
Ed Slavin
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
904-377-4998

Denise [redacted] Hmmmm..........not enough planning for H/C parking. If you want to go to the "main" stage area's (Plaza area) and are H/C, you have to park in the parking garage and get your self downtown to the Plaza area somehow. Makes no sense for those that cannot walk that far.
July 12 at 10:07pm · Like · 1

Denise [surname redacted] If you live on Davis Shores & want to not deal with the traffic gridlock and lack of downtown parking spaces, now you cannot ride your bike across BOL? What kind of stupidity is that?
July 12 at 10:09pm · Unlike · 2

Heather Neville Denise maybe you could run a little business with some wheelchairs pushing those who aren't able to walk over the bridge? There was a nice suggestion on a few options to get those with disabilities over the bridge via various non motorized ways. Bikes and pedestrians don't mix just like cars and bikes don't mix, not having them together is a good idea since there will be no where to park bikes since the stage is at the end of the east side. I'm not sure why everything is such a nasty negative thing. I'll leave this thread now. The info is out there and it's good. Is it ideal? Prob not but it's not without quality thought and consideration by the police, fire, and EMT. If it's such a bad thing for you personally, then I certainly suggest staying far away and let everyone else who makes a personal choice to attend, do so. Traffic may be the pits, but considering just how many vehicles there have been in town for large events over the decades I would say we are doing a good job attracting nice people to our city when 60,000 people can come into a tiny town designed for horses and foot traffic and leave without serious incident other then some traffic.
Yesterday at 5:41am · Like · 3
--
Sincerely,
Heather Neville
Founder, President
e Director@velofest.org
c (904) 509 6895
Velo Fest Community Initiative
P.O. Box 1718
Saint Augustine, Florida 32085


VELO FEST COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PRESIDENT HEATHER NEVILLE and City of St. Augustine CITY COMMISSIONER TODD NEVILLE, C.P.A. (right) at a Flagler Health Care Foundation Gala
(Ex-Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, JR. was the officiant at the NEVILLES' wedding and arranged to put Ms. Neville on the Northeast Florida Transportation Planning Organization, or TPO).




GLENN CLOSE as "CRUELLA DeVILLE in "101 Dalmatians"