In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
Two DeSANTIS appointees were two of the three votes against a stronger tree protection ordinance.
One of my friends at our Appalachian Observer once placed a cartoon on my door, "sometimes the dragon wins." As LBJ said to Congress after Selma, "And we SHALL overcome."
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — An attempt to protect more trees from getting chopped down during construction in St. Johns County was axed Tuesday.
The county commission discussed updating the tree ordinance to provide more protection for trees when it comes to building neighborhoods and shopping centers.
Dozens of people -- including residents, builders, and environmentalists -- told commissioners they supported higher fees for tree removal, stricter penalties for removing trees, and a mandate for tree buffers around new developments.
Public comments lasted for more about 2 hours about this one subject. The whole topic was discussed for more than 2.5 hours.
In the end, county commissioners voted down a motion that would further study how to protect trees during land development. The issue died 3 -2. Commissioners Krista Keating-Joseph and Henry Dean voted to move forward, but lost.
The county commissioners had consensus to use the process of the updating Comprehensive Plan and a larger more broad based public input process to address the trees issues. That process is expected to start this fall and extend into early 2024.
You could have 80% of the county agree that something should or shouldn't be done... and it wouldn't make a difference. That's what they mean by "a Republic" when they make arguments that the system of government in the USA isn't a democracy. Stuff like this. Two or three people deciding to do something that a hundred thousand people disagree with. That's the superior form of government that Republicans brag about...a form of government where nobody really gives a shit because nobody can actually make a difference thanks to like three people. So the only thing that makes it a democracy is that you can actually submit a ballot. After that, you can forget about that submission really meaning anything and you should just be glad if everything doesn't implode.
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