NO BUSINESS LICENSE OR BED TAX, FULL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR COMMISSIONER JOHN VALDES AIRBNB

Two of the five constitutional officers in St. Johns County are investigating City Commissioner JOHN OTHA VALDES for tax evasion:

Property Appraiser Eddie Creamer is investigating VALDES for possible homestead exemption fraud concerning his primary residence at 343 St. George Street, which has a $139/night AirBNB garage apartment falsely labelled 344 Charlotte Street.

Tax Collector Dennis Hollingsworth is investigating VALDES for possible bed tax and business tax fraud concerning the same structure.

After investigating and fact-finding, VALDES' homesteaded property could be liable for back taxes, penalty and interest.

COMMISSIONER JOHN OTHA VALDES, who calls himself "a fixer," ("I fix things), was fined only $224 for illegally destroying a structure on Washington Street, telling the City Building Official, "I can make it fall down." 

VALDES moved to St. Augustine in 1992 after supposedly selling his construction company in the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to his Saudi and British partners.