Henry Demarest Lloyd wrote that Standard Oil, John Davison Rockefeller and Henry Morrison Flagler had done everything to the Pennsylvania legislature "except refine it."
On November 7, 2023, GATE PETROLEUM's oleaginous influence operations succeeded.
Six (6) days later, GANNETT's incredible shrinking St. Augustine Record has had zero coverage. When hedge funds own your company, you no longer practice journalism, but exploitation.
And under corporate oligarchs' one-party rule, our corrupt County and ineffectual County Commission lack any lobbyist disclosure ordinance, despite the best efforts of former Commissioner James K. Johns, defeated in 2020 closed Republican Primary by CHRISTIAN (sic) WHITEHURST, whose advertising was spearheaded by putative environmentalist Nicole Crosby, former Madison Avenue advertising VP.
As my mom said to me in 1974 of her County College the day of Nixon's resignation, we are "surrounded by mediocrities."
Billionaires HERBERT PEYTON und JOHN PEYTON (former Jacksonville Mayor), had their way with our laws and our land November 7, 2023. In the words of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt: "let the public damned!"
Good work by retired Circuit Court Judge J. Michael Trayor and by Messrs. Douglas Nelson Burnett and James George Whitehouse, representing a retired Admiral and other citizens affected by the massive redevelopment, rubber-stamped 4-1 by the usual suspects on St. Johns County Commission. Millionaires and billionaires, other-directed developer cat's paws, control our County government. They get what they pay for in campaign contributions and political support.
Like the $5000 bribe money in disgraced ex-Rep. Richard Kelly's clothing, "it shows."
It's time to elect new County Commissioners. One party-rule is unAmerican and corrupt.
On November 20, 2023, I filed to run for County Commission, seat 5. Proud Democrat here, opposed to the corruption in our County, including coverup of $786,785 Sheriff's Department embezzlement over five (5) years, undetected and undeterred by our County's lax internal controls..
No Democrat has served or been elected to St. Johns County Commission since 2020. It shows.
From Jax Daily Record:
Ponte Vedra Inn & Club redevelopment approved by St. Johns County
Owner Gate Petroleum can begin its 30-year plan for renovation and expansion of the oceanfront resort.
- By Max Marbut
- | 8:24 p.m. November 7, 2023
By a vote of 4-1, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approved a Planned Unit Development on Nov. 7 proposed for the renovation and expansion of the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and The Lodge & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Commissioners Roy Alaimo, Sarah Arnold, Henry Dean and commission Chair Christian Whitehurst voted in favor of the PUD. Commissioner Krista Joseph voted to deny the PUD.
The vote came after the commission heard presentations from resort owner Gate Petroleum Co.'s attorney, Ellen Avery-Smith with Rogers Towers, and also people whose nearby property will be directly affected by the proposed development and were against the proposal.
Forty-four people spoke during the public comment period, with 32 speaking in support of the proposal.
“We appreciate the 4-1 vote by the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners to approve the PUD. We are grateful for the countless hours spent by the commissioners, advisory board members and members of the Ponte Vedra community to review and provide feedback and input on the PUD application,” Misty Skipper, spokeswoman for Gate Petroleum, owners of the resort, said in an email after the vote.
“We look forward to our continued stewardship of these iconic properties through the next 100 years,” she said.
The PUD allows Gate to begin a 30-year master plan to renovate and expand the facilities.
Speaking to the commission at the beginning of the Nov. 7 public hearing, Gate Petroleum President John Peyton said his father, Herb Peyton, purchased the property in 1985 from Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co.
He said the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club will soon mark its 100th anniversary. The changes made possible by approval of the PUD will allow the resort to be more resilient in terms of climate change and sea level rise, improve the aging facilities to make the resort more competitive and provide solutions for more parking at the property.
Peyton said the plan presented for approval was the result of five years of planning and dozens of open houses and town hall meetings.
“We have listened to the community. It is not a perfect plan. There is no perfect plan. Land use in St. Johns County is complicated, but let’s build something our children and our children’s children can enjoy for the next 100 years,” Peyton said.
Under the plan, expected to be completed in six phases over a 30-year period, the oceanfront Ponte Vedra Inn & Club can expand to up to 349 rooms and 595,000 square feet of restaurant, bar and indoor recreation space.
The Lodge & Club on the west side of Ponte Vedra Boulevard across from the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club can expand to up to 86 rooms and 70,000 square feet of restaurant, bar and indoor recreation space.
The resorts currently have 328 rooms, according to the PUD application.
The existing square footage, excluding hotel rooms, within the proposed PUD parcels for the Ponte Vedra Inn is 130,433 square feet and The Lodge at 10,439 square feet according to the St. Johns County property records, the application states.
The plan approved also includes a parking garage and a new Surf Club and fitness center.
-----
By Alessia Hatcher
News4Jax
November 7/8, 2023
Ponte Vedra Beach resort gets OK to renovate over 300 rooms as community members meet the decision with mixed feelings
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – After a three-hour St. Johns County Board of Commissioners discussion, the board approved a proposed unit development for a popular Ponte Vedra Beach resort Tuesday night in a 4-to-1 vote.
The board approved a renovation project for the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, which has been at the center of a battle over redevelopment.
Over 44 community members spoke during public comment with 32 of them showing support for the 30-year master plan to renovate, expand the facilities and make improvements and additions such as resort lodging, restaurants and recreational projects.
James Stockton said he was happy with the board’s decision.
“I grew up there. I grew up in Ponte Vedra. My grandfather started it and so I love the community. I care about the community and the county commission made a decision that is in the best interests of the community,” Stockton said.
Those opposed to this plan have created a website that says, “Don’t Miami my Ponte Vedra” in response to the proposed developments. They were fighting to stop this redevelopment.
Ed Slavin said he feels like the decision is “corrupt.”
“If you saw the people in there with those buttons on there, his club members or his employees or his friends, and they bragged about it, and they didn’t testify about anything about the merits of the PUD, or about how it would affect the zoning in Ponte Vedra and the noise and the traffic and the ugliness and the massive overbuilding,” Slavin said.
Owners plan to renovate over 300 rooms and commercial and recreation areas on the property in six phases. It’s unclear when those renovations will begin but the plan is to complete them over the next 25 years.
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Yeah they get so drunk on perceived social and financial power that they lose it and start doing illegal and unethical things. Typical in a party that thinks their way is the right way and they're entitled to rule no matter who gets more votes.
ReplyDeleteNot a single GQP development does anything but suck money out of the middle classes and other rich people and goes right back into their pocket. They don't produce anything, they don't offer people living wages, and more times than not it's a mere circus attraction. The smaller GQP businesses tend to be grifts or wrapped up in some exploitative financial scheme.
ReplyDelete