For Ann Taylor, slowing the growth in St. Johns County is No. 1. (SAR)

Amateur hour? Another shallow cut-and-paste article by reporter GANNETT has chosen to hack its 2024 campaign coverage in St. Johns County.  That reporter eschewed coverage of the questions are raised to to whether Ms. Taylor lacks gravitas and independence.  If she were elected, would Ms. TAYLOR's own political pandering words earn recusal motions from zoning applicants?  An Arizona State U. marketing major and former pharmaceutical drummer, ANN TAYLOR signaled her lack of self-respect and her lack of respect for administrative law in quasi-judicial hearings when she actually wrote on her campaign website, "When elected, I will vote with Commissioner Joseph, who endorses me, to slow down the growth of St. Johns County. " She sounds like a mini-me, or a "ditto," like the character in the book and movie, The Last Hurrah.  In the future, we need Commissioners who think for themselves, and who will swear to uphold our Constitution and laws,  and mean it.  https://cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com/2024/07/who-is-ann-taylor-cats-paw-for.html 

From The St. Augustine Record:

For Ann Taylor, slowing the growth in St. Johns County is No. 1

Lucia Viti

St. Augustine Record

Ann Taylor is a wife, mother of two teenage boys and the Republican candidate running against Republican incumbent Henry Dean for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners for District 5.

Taylor has aligned herself with Ann-Marie Evans, running as "the two Anns" on a platform to slow building within St. Johns County. Taylor is convinced that the present commissioners “waste tax dollars” and then “ask for more,” while representing the developers and not the residents.

The St. Augustine Record: Let’s discuss the hot button issue – growth within St. Johns County.

Taylor: I am not anti-growth. We will never stop the growth. We live in amazing place; people want to come here. I'm running to slow the growth, to push the no button and ask harder questions — do we have the infrastructure to support the development, has anybody done a traffic study, and what do we know about the roads?

I love the idea of the two-prong approach, but it should be used more often. I don't support higher taxes. I support a rollback.

The St. Augustine: What would you do that’s different for PUDs already approved?

Taylor: We've got to let our infrastructure catch up. We have over 50,000 homes not built yet. We haven't even issued building permits. We can’t approve additional development with a backlog of housing and make a bad situation worse. Thirty-thousand homes have been added with a backlog of over 50,000 homes. We can't keep building homes on top of homes.

I’m concerned about the county's debt. We bring in $200 million a year from property taxes. Look how the present commissioners spend money. There needs to be more scrutiny. I do not see fiscal conservatism. Major expenditures are finalized without triple bids, and our tax dollars are often spent carelessly.

The St. Augustine Record: What would you do that you feel is not being done by the present commissioners?

Taylor: Infrastructure. Henry Dean’s pro-growth policies have contributed to overcrowded schools, over-capacity roads and uncontrolled land development. We have over 600 portable classrooms while our quality of education is declining. St. Johns County schools are no longer ranked No. 1 in the state. The root of the problem: our development-happy commissioners. Schools are flooded with more students than we can handle, and even after we raise our school budgets, we’re still overwhelmed by the influx. 

I will support our fire, rescue and law enforcement who are underpaid and understaffed. Their numbers aren't expanding with the population, and they’re stretched too thin – just as our teachers are.

I will support our farmers. I’ve seen commissioners turn a blind eye when they request funding for their infrastructure needs such as underground irrigation, which saves money and water. I would love to join Commissioner Krista Joseph in passing a tree ordinance.

The St. Augustine Record: Where do you stand on the accusations of Henry Dean taking bribes and being a part of a mafia.  

Taylor: Check his voting record. He said yes 120 times from Dec. 6, 2016, to Dec. 21, 2021, for undeveloped lands that had nothing to do with what was approved years ago. See where campaign donations are coming from. There’s a reason why people are donating ungodly amounts of money. It doesn’t take a lot to put two and two together. But it’s up to the individual, I’m not going to add two and two for anyone. It's naive to assume money from special interest groups doesn't impact your vote or that you take donations without some kind of quid pro quo. I’m not taking money or campaign donations from special interest groups.

eveloper-backed incumbents Dean, Christian Whitehurst, and Roy Alaimo would love Republican voters to stay home on Aug. 20 so they can sneak back in and rubber stamp anything the developers want. 

The St. Augustine Record: Do you think the current commissioners are transparent?

Taylor: We’ve got to be more transparent. I'd love to see an outside company audit our finances. Most companies have audits. We need to run our government the same way to account for the county commissioners. More agenda items need to be discussed, and meetings should be scheduled when more people can attend. I speak at meetings and represent people that couldn’t be there. Currently, the meetings are twice a month during the day. I recommend an evening meeting to give residents a voice.

Here's an example of a transparency eyesore. My neighbors woke up to bulldozer outside their kitchen window. Every tree was clear cut. The president of the HOA had no idea what was going on because they weren’t given notice. Now the neighbors look out of the window with a view of a Dollar Tree. I understand the area was commercial property. We can argue property rights, but what about the owner’s property rights? A multi-level storage unit is set to go in place next.

The St. Augustine Record? Was it the commissioners' responsibility to notify the residents?

Taylor: It wasn't their legal responsibility; it just would've been the polite thing to do. And they planted buffer trees no taller than I am. We need mature trees and to make fines greater for developers that don’t follow the metrics.

The St. Augustine Record: How would you balance affordable workforce housing with the cost of living in St. Johns County?  

Here's what to know:Primary elections are coming soon in St. Johns County

Taylor: The people living here need to be our priority. Workforce housing is not unique to St. Johns County, it’s a nationwide issue. We are in a unique situation because we're a coastal community. It’s going to be more expensive. We can’t change that.  

The St. Augustine Record: What are your thoughts on the Black History Museum possibly landing in West Augustine?

aylor: I think it’s fantastic. I was so happy to hear that we were one of the final few.

The St. Augustine Record: What do you say to the naysayers that oppose the museum?

Taylor: I don’t agree but everybody has a right to their opinion. I've learned that no matter what, you’ll never please everybody.

The St. Augustine Record: Discuss the tenor of the campaign.

Taylor: I’ve never been attacked like I am now. The mailers and TV commercials couldn’t be further from the truth. I knew it would be ugly and people would lie, but I had no idea just how far they could take it. It costs money to get the truth out. I don't have the money to combat it.

The St. Augustine Record: Having never held a county seat, do you feel qualified for this position?

aylor: I am absolutely qualified; look at who's on our board now. I have a business degree. I'm president of my HOA.  I'm on another board. I'm a true advocate for our residents. I'm not a bureaucrat. I'm a regular person trying to do the right thing.

To get on the ballot, you write a check and pay a lot of money or get petition signed. I did it by petitions. I've never worked harder in my life for absolutely no money. The message on the campaign trail is loud and clear. People are not happy.