The City of St. Augustine, downtown residents and neighborhood districts are alarmed by bills being introduced in the Florida legislature (House Bill 1037 and Senate Bill. 1348) to grant the power of eminent domain and permanent exemption from city codes to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB).

The city and immediate neighborhoods argue that expansion of the FSDB would further encroach on the National Register Historic Districts bordering both sides of the school campus (Nelmar Terrace National Register District to the north and Fullerwood Park National Register District to the south). But FSDB enrollment has been continually shrinking and the case for eminent domain does not seem plausible. Even more disturbing are provisions in the bill that would make all campus properties "vested", thus removing the school's accountability and making city codes unenforceable.

On Monday, January 23, 2012, the City Commission passed a resolution opposing the legislation and called for city staff "to fight it any way they can." Two weeks earlier the City had sent letters to both House and Senate committees requesting that the bills be tabled due to the ongoing mediation between the City and FSDB regarding current zoning disputes. Days later the House subcommittee vote to support the legislation.

The FSDB board met in an "emergency session" on Friday, January 27 "to address security of the unnamed alley" running between the Collins and President's houses off Magnolia Avenue. St. Augustine City Manager John Regan, who has been involved in mediation between the school and city, told commissioners Monday "that alleyway is our only leverage in getting some cooperation from the school."

Nelmar Terrace's Melinda Rakoncay told commissioners, "The school moved eleven students into Collins House while this mediation is going on," suggesting it creates an argument to force the city's hand. The mediation produced a settlement proposal, which was presented to the City Commission at their regular meeting on January 23rd. The board unanimously decided to send the proposal back to mediation because it heavily favored FSDB.

Currently the bills are tracking quickly through legislative committees and action is needed as soon as possible. Here is a link with contact information for the legislative committees that are slated to address these bills. Please contact your senators and representatives and let them know you are against H.B 1037 and S.B. 1348 in their entirety.

The Citizens for the Preservation of St. Augustine, Inc. joins the National Trust for Historic Preservation to commemorate the fourth annual National Preservation Month in May 2008. And while the theme of this year's National Preservation Month--This Place Matters--is new, the idea behind preservation month remains the same: celebrating the country's diverse and irreplaceable heritage. Throughout May, thousands of partners across the country will demonstrate the importance of our nation's heritage as they focus on many aspects of the preservation movement including historic travel, heritage education, historic homeownership, and community revitalization.

This house, located on Oviedo Street and six others are threatened with mass demolition. The property owner has claims "economic hardship" justifies the demolitions and desires to build a hotel and restaurant. The seven structures are within the National Register Model Land District, St. Augustine, Florida.

Bricks Are Back:
Thanks to citizen Dr. Sue Middleton,
Saving the City's Brick Streets is on City Hall's Front Burner
 
The Citizens for the Preservation of St. Augustine (CPSA) announces it has awarded its highest honor of recognition for citizen service to Dr. Middleton for her effort to raise community-wide awareness concerning the preservation of this City's brick streets.  A commemorative brick was purchased in her honor and is placed in the patio built around the Zero Milestone of the Old Spanish Trail next to the city's Visitor Information Center.
 
The brick streets of St. Augustine are survivors of the Flagler Era and the early automobile age.  They are highly visible and part of the town’s charm and romance.  But they are often taken for granted - so many of the brick streets have been covered with asphalt. Those few remaining are in need of repair and with time they have become more and more uneven. Drivers increasingly demand repair or replacement. Asphalting over a bumpy street is quick, easy and cheap solution.

But thanks to Dr. Sue Middleton's vision, St. Augustine will join the ranks of other communities committed to celebrating its historic built environment. The City of St. Augustine now has an established public policy that requires replacement and repair of existing brick streets slated for maintenance.

2006 Annual Meeting

Neighborhood Concerns

Citywide Concerns

Long-Term Goals

Where will St. Augustine be in 5 years? Ten years? Twenty-five years from now? What will our city look like? How much of what now makes up our city will be alive and intact? And what can we do about it? At our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, January 18th, using a structured group charrette, led by Sandra Parks, attendees sorted out what we as concerned members of our city's primary preservation group can do to help preserve and protect St. Augustine in the coming years. Click on the links at left to see the results.

June, 2004

Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood comes to St. Augustine for the First Annual Meeting of the Neighborhood Council.

As part of our celebration of National Historic Preservation Week, 2 special sightseeing train tours were hosted by David Nolan who narrated a tour of the Most Threatened Places on May 9th, 2004.

175 people concerned about the historic preservation of St. Augustine attended a CPSA-sponsored Special Presentation by David Nolan on Endangered St. Augustine on January 30, 2004. See the related news story in the St. Augustine Record.