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Published by former Mayor George Gardner November 7 2012
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George Gardner 57 Fullerwood Drive St. Augustine FL 32084 |
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Horvath elected
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Replaces Errol Jones on City Commission
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Roxanne Horvath was elected to St. Augustine's City Commission Tuesday, replacing 10-year incumbent Errol Jones, who lost his bid for reelection in the August primary.
Horvath captured 57% of the vote to Bruce Maguire's 43%, a vote of 3,466 to 2,574.
Horvath, an architect, relied on her experience on a number of lower city boards while Maguire, a former county commissioner, campaigned for more attention to neighborhoods and a different direction in management of the city's 450th commemoration.
Horvath will be sworn in at a reorganization meeting of the commission December 3, along with Mayor Joe Boles and Vice Mayor Leanna Freeman, both reelected without opposition.
Getting right to work
The new commissioner will be put right to work with a regular meeting December 10, a 4 pm session before that meeting to discuss the future of the mini golf site on the bayfront, and a 9 am session December 13 to begin discussions on the city zoning code, starting with the use of Planned Unit Developments (PUD).
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Look for Aviles Street on the international stage.
Visitors and Convention Bureau Communications Director Jay Humphreys writes, "I hosted a TV crew from Espanoles en el Mundo (Spanish in the World) - one of the most popular travel programs in Spain.
"We spent about 30 minutes on Aviles Street getting video of various scenes - especially flags, they really wanted flags. Mas Banderas! They were intrigued by the look of the street - and its history.
"The show is scheduled to air in early December. It is broadcast on one of four national networks in prime time and has an estimated 4 million viewers."
Visit the website
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Neighborhoods seek better
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St. Augustine's Council of Neighborhood Associations is calling on the City Commission for "earlier involvement by residents and businesses" in zoning matters "to resolve potential issues early in the process. This would result in better outcomes for residents, businesses and applicants as well as for the City."
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Council President Rhey Palmer will address the commission at its November 14 meeting. In a letter to commissioners, the council noted the need "was clearly apparent in two recent situations: the Flagler College PUD in HP-3 and the proposed 7-Eleven in North City."
Recommended: In addition to notifying property owners within one hundred fifty (150) feet of proposed zoning changes, "that the City add a requirement for the applicant to also notify the Secretary of the Neighborhood Council of Saint Augustine which will then disseminate the information to the Neighborhood Associations."
Those two recent cases have already prompted commissioners to begin a review of the city's zoning, beginning with discussion on use of Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning at a December 13 workshop.
Neighborhood Associations Program
The Neighborhood Associations Program was established by the City Commission in 2003 to give greater voice to the city's neighborhoods.
The Neighborhood Council includes representatives from each neighborhood and meets quarterly to discuss neighborhood concerns. Find information on the program here.
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First America series returns
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Fact, Fiction, Song & Dance open the third popular Discover First America! series November 20 and December 5 at Flagler College's Lewis Auditorium.
The free five-part series will continue into 2013. Doors open at 6 pm with each program at 7. Attendees receive Explorer Passports with stamping at each program.
The lineup: 
November 20 - Mythbusters! Fact & Fiction in St. Augustine's History, from seven-foot tall Timucuan Indians to buried pirate treasure, presented in a game show setting. Sponsored by Tour St. Augustine.
December 5 - Ancient City Musicale: 450 Years of Song & Dance offers centuries of music in St. Augustine ranging from Gregorian chants, through Victorian ballads and Civil Rights anthems. Sponsored by Romanza.
January 9 - Palace in Paradise: The Hotel Ponce de Leon Turns 125, and Henry Flagler with a cast of Victorian reenactors will portray the life of high society during the 19th century. Sponsored by Flagler College.
January 23 - Juan Ponce de León Finds La Florida, and theories and fascinating evidence of the landing of Ponce de León will be explored. Sponsored by the Fountain of Youth National Archaeological Park.
March 14 - Revolt! Revolutionary War Trials & Tribulations in St. Augustine will look at St. Augustine's role in the Revolutionary War. It was here the British campaign in America came to an end. Sponsored by the Colonial Quarter.
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Lightner treasures, 'attic' on tours
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A tour of Lightner Museum's "attic," the fourth floor, and a curator's tour of the "special treasures of the Lightner Museum" are on tap to benefit the museum and Colonial St. Augustine Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit formed to "preserve, restore and reconstruct the city's colonial-era historic resources."
Curator's tour - The first of tours with Curator Barry Myers the first Wednesday monthly is today at 10 am, and promises to offer guests "an intimate encounter with a select few of the Lightner's eclectic relics."
Look for stories behind the Grandfather Clock that greets visitors as they enter from the lobby, Winston Churchill's Lion in the Science Room, the Russian Baths on the second floor, in depth look into the cut glass collection, and the 200-compartment Grande Escritoire desk.
The tour is included with museum admission.
Tour the 4th Floor - A rare tour of Lightner Museum's Fourth Floor, once the Alcazar Hotel's staff quarters and today overflow storage of Otto Lightner's extensive collections, is offered Tuesday, November 13, from 6 to 9 pm to benefit both the museum and Colonial St. Augustine Foundation. Limited to 100 guests, the cost is $40, $30 for active military families and seniors (60+). Light hors d'oeuvres and wine will be served, and music by Rick Kuncicky.
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Historically accurate crosswalks
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 St. Augustine has prided itself on historically accurate brick paved streets and crosswalks. The Florida Department of Transportation has shied away from inset paver crosswalks on its roads, instead pressing a red brick pattern along the bayfront, up San Marco Avenue, and other state road areas in the city.
An agreement has resulted in brick paved crosswalks at Cuna Street and Fort Alley on the bayfront, with the city taking responsibility for their maintenance.
The crosswalk installations completed last week are part of improved street lighting, signal replacement, and sidewalk widening funded with $1.4 million secured by Congressman John Mica.
FDOT's District 2 Public Information Director Gina Busscher notes, "FDOT's policy has not changed on the use of brick crosswalks, but the City requested and was approved to install them at specific locations."
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History's Highlight
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2 years, 10 months, 2 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
American history may be all English in the text books, but its first currency was the Spanish 8 reale, adopted on recommendation by Thomas Jefferson, the principle author of the Declaration of Independence and our third President.
 Familiarly called "Pieces of Eight," the phrase "two bits, four bits, 8 bits a buck" is a derived from this coin. The one-half, one, two, and four reales, fractional parts of the dollar, were the principle coins of the American colonists. It was common practice for our original 13 colonies when issuing paper money to back it with the Spanish Dollars.
The first issue of Continental paper money May 10th, 1775, referenced that notes should be payable in "Spanish Milled Dollars or a value thereof in gold or silver."
Congress didn't authorize the establishment of a "Mint" to strike our own coins until 1792. Even so, the 8 reale was official legal tender in the United States until the passage of the Coin Act of 1857. The act introduced the new "small cent" into circulation and retired the Spanish silver coins from circulation. It took almost 60 years of production by the Mint in Philadelphia to create enough of our own coinage for us to stand alone.
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Those traffic control potholes are art work, moved around every day.
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Considered America's first silver dollar, the reale was the largest and heaviest silver coin minted for over 200 years, actually bigger and heavier than the Morgan Silver Dollar. It was accepted as medium of trade internationally. Many surviving coins feature "Chopmarks," used by international traders to authenticate the silver content of the coins.
Shown is a 1783 coin with Spanish King Carlos III on the obverse and the Spanish coat of arms and Pillars of Hercules on the reverse. Those scrolled pillars were the origin of the American dollar sign.
Another Spanish contribution to American history forgotten by modern history writers.
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The St. Augustine Report is published weekly, with additional Reports previewing City Commission meetings as well as Special Reports. The Report is written and distributed by George Gardner, St. Augustine Mayor (2002-2006) and Commissioner (2006-2008) and a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com |
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