Abolish City of St. Augustine Beach? So Says Republican Pat Greenfield, Sheriff DAVID SHOAR Supporter

St. Johns County Sheriff DAVID SHOAR is still angry of the November 8, 2016 defeat of his endorsed candidate for St. Augustine Beach City Commission, unctuous two term incumbent ANDREA SAMUELS, whom he illegally endorsed on SJSO letterhead and gave a $500 contribution.   Now that reformers have "breathing space," the Establishment is in panic mode.
What is to be done?
Developers, schnooks and big shot crooks are angry about free speech at St. Augustine Beach.
Imagine: several Commissioners actually seek to do their jobs without fear or favor.

St. Augustine Beach's governmental dishonesty is now being tested by democracy on the march, which developer-direced DAVID SHOAR would naturally abhor. Thus, a threatened county takeover of St. Augustine Beachy could be just a calculated political move to silence dissenting government officials.

Sort of like SHOAR's libelous and potentially criminal attacks on FDLE Special Agent Rusty Ray Rodgers, revealed in a page one article and four inside pages in the New York Times?

One of Sheriff DAVID SHOAR's supporters responded in the Sunday, June 18th St. Augustine Record with an jeremiad, containing oceans of emotions, but unfortunately unencumbered by the facts: abolish the City of St. Augustine Beach, with a provocative proposal to dissolve the City government. If the City of St. Augustine Beach ceases to exist Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR" will control policing and Sheriff SHOAR's developer pals will control development.

Beach residents retained their police department when SHOAR tried to take it over.

Empowered by citizen watchdogs and investigative reporting, residents have a constitutional right to be heard in "our village." as Henry Dean said as a thought leader member of the Charter Revision Commission. (Mr. Dean is now County Commission Vice Chair and lives at St. Augustine Beach, and is the former Chair of the St. Johns River Water Management District who supports national park and seashore protection for our government-owned beaches and forests).

Let's hope more residents speak out, even when they'e not fully informed.

Here's retired teacher, great-grandmother, local Republican club officer and Sheriff DAVID SHOAR supporter, Ms. Peg Greenfield, offering a pejorative harsh trial ballon on abolishing an itty-bitty city, unadorned by any appreciation of the nature, structure and performance of city vs. county government:

Posted June 18, 2017 12:01 am
Time to turn the Beach over to county control?

Pat Greenfield
St. Augustine Beach

I have been a resident of this city for over 20 years. When arriving, my husband and I felt that it was unnecessary for this very small area (4 square miles at the time) to be incorporated with extra manpower and extra taxes to protect the few residents versus the whole population of St. Johns County.

We were told that it was to maintain the “small town” atmosphere and to prevent our small town from becoming “another Daytona Beach” with huge hotels and businesses ruining our beaches by then-Mayor Pacetti.

However, since then, it has become patently clear that all the commissions since have incrementally moved us in that direction and now we have a 45-foot hotel at the entrance of our city and the Mayor’s monstrosities on F Street, both under construction.

,,,Now these “ladies and gentlemen” want a gigantic boost in their income — actually just about doubling it, or a 100 percent pay raise.

Again, when first moving here the commission was purely voluntary. Now again they have incrementally snuck (sic) in pay for themselves and raised it to $7,600 for Mayor and now want to double it in one stroke. Amazing!

Provide them with full insurance coverage? Preposterous. They are not full time, and to say they work 30 hours per week is really stretching it. Like the letter to the editor said — “prove it.” Keep a time chit for six months and show how much actual time you work.

Most have fulltime (sic) jobs of 40 hours per week, so if they put in another 30 hours on commission business, they are working 70 hours per week — a really phenomenal workload. How do they ever have time for their families and their personal business?

Maybe its (sic) time to dissolve our city charter and become a part of St. Johns County — saving this pay raise, and all the extra taxes for the various needs of being a tiny city.

Citizens, consider these questions: What is the benefit to having a city? How do we profit from having this city?

Closer public meetings, yes — but they ignore what we ask them to do anyway.

Ask yourself those very pertinent questions and ponder whether it is worthwhile to pay these folks to keep raising their pay and making our city just another Daytona Beach.