Neighborhood Council
of St. Augustine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B1HBYCFhQQ

The Neighborhood Council held its biennial City Commission Candidate Forum featuring Jon DePreter and Billy Triay, candidates for Seat 1 on the City Commission. The Forum was held on October 15 at the Waterworks Building.  The formal question and answer program lasted a little over an hour. The candidates answered questions on a variety of issues important to neighbors and the residential neighborhoods of the city. Click on the above link to watch the full program.

Here are the questions that the candidates were speaking to. The time stamp indicates where on the video a particular question and candidates’ answers can be found:

1. Getting to know the candidates (0:05:09) – Tell us about yourself and tell us why you decided to run for city commission.

2. Candidate priorities and goals for the city (0:10:15)  – What are your top three priorities as a commissioner. If you’re elected, which one would you focus on first and why?

3. Vision Plan (0:16:00) – How would you make St. Augustine a better place to live rather than just visit? Ten years ago, the City adopted its current Vision Plan. It’s been a key document which has guided governance and development in the city over the past decade. The opening statement says: “St. Augustine will be a livable, authentic, waterfront city that builds upon its rich history and environment to create a distinctive community character founded on a healthy and vibrant economy, a diverse mix of people and experiences, and a valuing of its natural asset.”

The plan proposes that this be accomplished 1. By maintaining the quality of life for residents; 2. By encouraging development and that is consistent with the look and feel of the city; 3. By maintaining the city as a small residential community while protecting its historic features, scale, distinctive neighborhoods, hospitality and natural environments, and 4. By supporting economic vitality, environmental assets and human diversity.

It’s been 10 years: what have we done well, what have we not done so well and what needs to be updated?

4. Your guiding principles (0:24:12) – Often residents and commercial interests stand on opposite sides of a proposed ordinance. Residents are often not as well organized or well-funded as commercial interests but residents have just as much at stake in how these issues are decided because the value of their homes are tied up in the livability and residential character of their neighborhood. Examples of such ordinances are the recently defeated Night Life Ordinance, the proposed Noise Ordinance, the tabled Parking Ordinance Update, and PUDs that would remove tree cover, build in Conservation Overlay zones or push commercial ventures deeper into residential neighborhoods.  What are the principles that will guide you as you face decisions on issues and ordinances where commercial interests are pitted against residential interests.

5. Resiliency (0:30:49) – Even though the city is actively working to protect the downtown historic area from nuisance flooding and up to a Category 1 hurricane strike, to many residents, the pace of implementation feels glacially slow and residents in many neighborhoods both in and outside of the downtown historic area still have to regularly deal with flooding and the prospect of increasingly severe hurricane activity. What can be done to increase the pace of the city’s resiliency preparations and are we doing enough in the face of escalating severe weather threats?

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6. Infrastructure (0:37:04) – Given our city’s aging and in many cases undersized infrastructure, how do you plan to address the strain on local infrastructure and services that the huge and increasing volume of tourists is imposing on it while ensuring that the quality of life for residents isn’t compromised?

7. Affordable housing (0:41:50) – Affordable housing is a growing concern in our community. What strategies would you implement to ensure that St. Augustine remains accessible for individuals and families across different income levels?

8. Mobility (0:47:56) – This is a choose your own adventure question. We received three specific questions on mobility. Feel free to answer any one or any combination of them. Given the goals of the recently passed Mobility Plan:
   1. What are your thoughts on the walkability and bikeability of St. Augustine. Is it sufficient as is or if not, what areas do you think should be changed?
   2. What are your thoughts on the King Street enhancement project with its associated driving and parking changes and will it benefit the residents of St. Augustine?
   3. Traffic and emergency vehicle access is an essential part of the safety and livability of our neighborhoods, yet choke points exist. Examples of this are Abbott Tract’s narrow streets exacerbated by pop-up parking lots which hinder emergency vehicle access, and gridlock in Lincolnville and Old City South caused by pick up and drop off at the Catholic Parish School and Veritas School. What can be done to identify and deal with these choke points and this kind of neighborhood grid lock?

9. Engagement and communication with residents (0:54:32) – In Spanish Quarter it’s late-night loud music and partying tourists, in Lighthouse Park it’s dealing with old septic systems that need to be replaced, in Lincolnville, Flagler Model Land and North City it’s the rampant spread of short-term rentals and in South Davis Shores and Ravenswood, it’s flooding, commercial incursion and a lack of sidewalks. Every St. Augustine neighborhood is unique, and residents in those neighborhoods have unique issues and concerns. But many of those residents will probably never email you or show up to City Commission meetings. What can you do to reach out to these residents to meet and engage them and to learn about their specific issues and concerns? How will you learn about the issues and concerns of neighbors who live in neighborhoods other than the one you live in?

10. Candidates’ final words (1:00:49) – Last words before we go. Tell us why we should vote for you and tell us anything else that you would like us to consider as we head to the voting booth.