2. Greedy hoteliers wanna make it MORE of a party town?
3. Thanks to government watchdog Tom Reynolds for raising consciousness on this issue--Tom was longtime Food and Beverage manager and knows what he's talking about.
4. SAB never reviewed "lessons learned" from prior Beach Blast Off! events
5. They include:
A. Fireworks caused a fire on County-owned Pier
B. Stolen $1000 Pier bench
C. CFO Melissa Burns' alleged confiscation/peculation of money from volunteer tip jars on December 31, 2016--revealed by a Commission vacancy applicant 12/4/17--currently under investigation by FDLE and SABPD Chief Robert Hardwick. CFO Burns was AWOL during week of 12/17 event----Why?
D. Failure to perform adequate background investigations on volunteers.
E. Parking & traffic tie-ups
F. Insurance: alcohol, bounce house and rock climbing wall liability issues
G. Security: With gigantic new Embassy Suites Hotel due to open, with windows directly facing our St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier Park, a copycat AR-15 shooter could easily rent a hotel room and replicate Las Vegas massacre in SAB. Would Embassy Suites agree NOT to rent rooms 12/31/18 on its south side? Otherwise, hotel location is a "clear and present danger" to public safety that cannot be mitigated except by massive security. Who pays for that? Who wants a massacre here?
6. Where's benefit in a 25,000-person, alcohol-fueled New Year's Eve event in family-oriented vacation town? You tell me.
7. I agree with SABPD Chief Hardwick's concerns, expressed at Commission meeting -- no more large public events at Pier Park, please.
St. Augustine Beach Commissions must decide on this issue, in a virtually data-free environment, because City "Manager" BRUCE MAX ROYLE is withholding information from Commissioners AGAIN.
Concerns raised about Beach Blast Off
By Sheldon Gardner
Posted Mar 4, 2018 at 6:28 AM
Updated at 6:23 AM
St. Augustine Record
St. Augustine Beach officials are asking commissioners to decide whether to keep Beach Blast Off, the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks event that draws thousands, and whether to change it to bring in more revenue.
That discussion is expected at Monday’s City Commission meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
The event began in 2006, according to City Manager Max Royle. Volunteers used to do much of the organization, but the city took on a larger role as the event grew. Now the city’s event planner, Hala Laquidara, plans the event. The city also pays for insurance, sells alcohol directly through volunteers, and handles security and other logistics.
The event is held in the Pier Park area, with concerts, food, alcohol, games and toy vendors. The city bills it as a family event.
A major concern for the city is keeping the big crowds safe. Because tickets aren’t sold to get in, it’s hard to judge exactly how many people attend. However, St. Augustine Beach Police Chief Robert Hardwick said officials guessed around 25,000 people attended the most recent event. In years when the weather has been perfect, the crowd has probably been as large as about 30,000, he said.
As the crowds grow, the event becomes harder to secure. The beach uses help from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Augustine Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol and St. Johns County Fire Rescue to keep the event safe, Hardwick said.
“We have to request a lot of additional manpower,” he said.
Safety concerns include things like mass shootings and people driving vehicles into crowds, and police prepare for that, Hardwick said.
Right now the city doesn’t reimburse outside agencies for their time because it falls under the mutual-aid agreement local agencies have with each other, he said. But Hardwick wants that to change.
“I think if we’re going to do the event the exact same size it has been, I’ll recommend we have to reimburse these agencies,” Hardwick said.
He estimated it would cost about $20,000-$25,000 to cover the cost of his own department’s work at the event plus reimbursing other agencies.
In its most recent year, without having to pay those reimbursements, the event still lost money.
The proceeds for the most recent event were $54,628, and the expenses were $55,027.98, for a loss of about $399.98, according to the city’s Chief Financial Officer Melissa Burns.
As for concerns about the event, City Manager Max Royle said Hardwick is not alone.
“Some of the rest of us have concerns about putting a large number of people in a relatively small space. And the money. It’s getting more and more expensive,” he said.
Mayor Undine George said there’s community support for the event. She said she supports keeping it and discussing ways to save or make more money, such as charging for parking and reducing insurance costs by allowing vendors to handle alcohol sales.
“If we want to find a solution, then we will,” she said. “Stage one is find out if there’s consensus among the commission to keep the event.”
2. Greedy hoteliers wanna make it MORE of a party town?
3. Thanks to government watchdog Tom Reynolds for raising consciousness on this issue--Tom was longtime Food and Beverage manager and knows what he's talking about.
4. SAB never reviewed "lessons learned" from prior Beach Blast Off! events
5. They include:
A. Fireworks caused a fire on County-owned Pier
B. Stolen $1000 Pier bench
C. CFO Melissa Burns' alleged confiscation/peculation of money from volunteer tip jars on December 31, 2016--revealed by a Commission vacancy applicant 12/4/17--currently under investigation by FDLE and SABPD Chief Robert Hardwick. CFO Burns was AWOL during week of 12/17 event----Why?
D. Failure to perform adequate background investigations on volunteers.
E. Parking & traffic tie-ups
F. Insurance: alcohol, bounce house and rock climbing wall liability issues
G. Security: With gigantic new Embassy Suites Hotel due to open, with windows directly facing our St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier Park, a copycat AR-15 shooter could easily rent a hotel room and replicate Las Vegas massacre in SAB. Would Embassy Suites agree NOT to rent rooms 12/31/18 on its south side? Otherwise, hotel location is a "clear and present danger" to public safety that cannot be mitigated except by massive security. Who pays for that? Who wants a massacre here?
6. Where's benefit in a 25,000-person, alcohol-fueled New Year's Eve event in family-oriented vacation town?
7. I agree with SABPD Chief Hardwick's concerns, expressed at Commission meeting -- no more large public events at Pier Park, please.
Hardwick actually already made a STATEMENT at January s meeting that he does NOT WANT THE EVENT ANYMORE.
NOW I Tom Reynolds, AS ONE OF ONLY A FEW CHRISTIANS LIVING IN ST AUGUSTINE BEACH, WOULD LIKE A " FIRST NIGHT OUT " EVENT THAT IS ALCOHOL-FREE!
A REAL FAMILY FUN EVENT with GODLY PEOPLE ATTENDING instead of the DRUNKS!
It is VERY HARD FOR OUR TOKEN MAYOR UNDINE GEORGE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ALCOHOL DOES NOT BELONG IN A FAMILY EVENT!
A REAL FAMILY EVENT NEVER HAS ALCOHOL and everyone around here knows all about Commissioner Undine George s background, and it ain't NO FAMILY VALUES BACKGROUND!
THIS BOOZE BRAIN MENTALITY of ST AUGUSTINE BEACH COMMISSIONER UNDINE GEOGE, COMMISSIONER MARGRET ENGLAND, COMMISSIONER RICH O'Brien, and Appointed Commissioner Donald Samora IS COMPLETELY OUT of TOUCH WITH SMART GOVERNING in these MODERN DAY TIMES!
THE THREE COMPLETELY CLUELESS COMMISSIONERS ARE THE SAME THREE THAT HAVE ALLOWED STOLEN CITY SERVICES, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN CITY HALL by the CITY MANAGER & HIS FRIENDS, and a WOMAN EMPLOYEE SEXUALLY HARASSED by AN EMPLOYEE, and all three DID NOTHING!
SO the RESIDENTS really do have three Commissioner that are so OUT of TOUCH there is NO HOPE of any COMMON SENSED DECISIONS COMING OUT OF OUR CITY HALL.
BUT THERE IS HOPE ... there are three City Commission seats up this YEAR and I do believe there are some good people going to run.
Sanity needs to be RESTORED TO ST AUGUSTINE BEACH COMMISSION!
HONESTY needs to be RESTORED to CITY HALL!
ETHICS and ACCOUNTABILITY NEED TO BE PUT IN PLACE IN OUR St Augustine Beach CITY COMMISSION!
SO WE DO NEED TO GET NEW ELECTED OFFICIALS!« less
and in ORDER TO DO THAT UNDINE GEORGE, MARGET ENGLAND, Donald Samora need to be REPLACED.
RICH O'BRIEN NEEDS TO BE INDICTED for all of his CRIMINAL CONDUCT and REMOVED by the GOVERNOR!
Thank you,
Tom Reynolds, a Ten Commandment Christian and a St Augustine Beach Gov Watcher ...
WHO LOVES YA BABY ... THE FATHER ALMIGHTY DOES ... HE LOVES US ALL ... and HE WANTS US ALL TO DO BETTER.