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Published by former Mayor George Gardner March 27 2013
The Report is an independent publication serving our community.
Contributions are greatly appreciated. Click or mail to
George Gardner 57 Fullerwood Drive St. Augustine FL 32084
Click to order St. Augustine Bedtime Stories
two sets of twelve, $15 each set
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Alcazar tops state grant list
The former Alcazar Hotel, today's Lightner Museum and City hall, topped the list of approvals by the state Division of Historical Resources and now awaits special category funding from the state legislature.
The city is seeking $350,000, requiring a 50% match of $175,000 from the city, for the repair/replacement of the building's roof, specifically the barrel tile roof over the Lightner Museum portion of the building.
All three applications from this area were approved, including the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum's shipwreck archeology exhibit, and a restoration project for the Ximenez-Fatio House.
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City tackles CRA, PUD
There are times the St. Augustine City Commission passes legislation with little or no discussion.
Monday wasn't one of them.
Commissioners tore into proposals for a Lincolnville Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and amendments to the city Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance, carefully analyzing both before sending the CRA to public hearing April 8 and the PUD back to Assistant City Attorney Isabelle Lopez' drawing board for further refinement of major changes.
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Brady Bigalke "wanted to visually capture St. Augustine like never before but also in an interesting perspective."
The result is The Tiny Old City, a 6-minute short film his Noble Light Productions created through six months of day and night clips.
Brady, a 2010 Flagler grad, borders on Renaissance Man - "from classical guitar and piano to painting and graphic design."
He opened Noble Light Productions in St. Augustine in 2011, "offering stories and documentaries, music videos, commercials, animations and photography."
Explaining the film, Brady says, "Using the tilt-shift, or selective-focus effect, combined with time-lapses, gives it a surreal and 'tiny' look."
Because of the seasonal events and activities, it took over 6 months to make this 6 minute vision a reality.
"This film is dedicated to all who are passionate about St. Augustine and to those who have yet to journey to this historic hidden treasure," says Brady.
Visit the website.
Photo: Brady filming
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'What ifs' stall changes
 Adjustments to the city's much maligned Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning will take some more tweaking following a barrage of questions led by the City Commission's two architect members.
Both Commissioners Don Crichlow and Roxanne Horvath focused on two of seven major areas of change proposed by Assistant City Attorney Isabelle Lopez - uses allowed in historic preservation districts and streetscape presentations.
Crichlow noted preparation of streetscape presentations could cost $5,000 or more, and Horvath said, "There may be changes where it's not even visible" (making streetscape plans unnecessary).
Of uses not currently included in historic districts, Horvath said, "There may be uses like the recent University of Florida archaeology program. Can (uses) be by exception and we can look at that and say it's a good use?"
Mayor Joe Boles concluded, "I'm cynically concerned that regardless of what we put up there, regardless of how we put it up, there will be lots of objections."
Assistant City Attorney Lopez will make adjustments for another commission look before the proposal advances to public hearing.
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'Keep Lincolnville character' in CRA
Plans for a Lincolnville Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) are just that, city commissioners concluded Monday - visions for improvements and priorities that can be adjusted to need or community will.
But key to Lincolnville's future is maintaining its "architectural character," said Commissioner Don Crichlow, while resident Theresa Segal urged early legal support to residents to obtain clear titles, and a neighborhood steering committee to oversee CRA progress.
Prosser Hallock Senior Planner Tony Robbins presented results of months of study and neighborhood charettes to commissioners Monday, and got feedback to adjust before a public hearing and final action at the commission's April 8 meeting.
Robbins noted any initiatives depend on developing a fund through future property tax increases, estimating that fund in the nation's economic recovery could reach $1.87 million in ten years and $8.5 million in 20 years.
Among Robbins' proposals: alternating one-way side streets to allow more on-street parking, encouraging commercial opportunities along Martin Luther King Avenue, and long range, development of a riverfront park at the end of Riberia Street, including a small amphitheatre, indoor-outdoor farmers market and events venue, and picnic and multi-use areas.
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New pool 5 lanes big
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Riberia Street park concept in CRA plan
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Fitting seven days of pool activity into a 53½ hour budgeted week, the new Galimore pool will be open just two hours Mondays and open at noon or 1 pm four of the remaining six days, closing at 7 pm.
YMCA Executive Director Arleen Dennison told city commissioners Monday its management program, similar to the Calhoun pool it manages, will include lap swimming, aqua aerobics and swim lessons along with open swimming. Operations will be limited by a $110,000 budget.
City General Services Director Jim Piggott says the new pool, to be open May 25 through September 10, is larger than earlier planned, with five swimming lanes rather than four. Fees will include $2 for adults ($13 for 12-visit pass) and $1 for children and seniors ($7 for 12-visit pass).
The pool will be available for rental for events such as birthday parties and community gatherings during non-operating hours.
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Black Raven crew strolls downtown
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Arrrgh!! The Black Raven Pirate Ship and crew mean to invade reality TV, "featuring the crew and the daily drama of running a pirate-themed cruise ship and theatrical production with the historical backdrop of America's oldest city."
But first they have to find the plunder, $127,500, to film a pilot program. Enter Kickstarter, an internet funding platform for everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology.
It's an "all or nothing" platform in which viewers pledge amounts toward the participant's goal. If it's not reached within a certain timeframe, no pledges are awarded; if it's reached, Kickstarter takes 5% of the proceeds.
The website says, "Since our launch on April 28, 2009, over $500 million has been pledged by more than 3 million people, funding more than 35,000 creative projects."
Black Raven's project "will only be funded if at least $127,500 is pledged by Tuesday Apr 23, 10:09 am EDT." View the fundraising effort, including a video, here.
Behind the Black Raven is Gunnar Hedquist, a former hotelier who acknowledges, "I came to St. Augustine to buy a hotel and ended up with a pirate ship. Before this, I'd never even owned a floating mattress. Now I get to live pirate 24/7 - oh boy..."
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Giving back in St. Augustine Beach
St. Augustine Beach's Civic Association shows what community spirit is all about - in one recent month investing more than $5,000 in community projects.
For Police Chief Robert Hardwick and his officers, $2,375 to outfit five officers with uniforms and bicycle accessories to begin patrolling Pier Park and other areas on two wheels.
Free classical music concerts will be provided with another $2,000. The Fall Concerts will be held on second Sundays in the Sculpture Garden at the City's Lakeside Park.
And the Civic Association will fund the startup of a Children's Garden at Pier Park. The garden will be supervised by local horticulturists as the community's young people learn how to play in the dirt again.
Association President Bob Samuels credits the membership that "continues to support worthy causes and projects that make the beach an amazing place to be!" Visit the website.
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History's Highlight
March 27, 1513 Florida sighted
2 years, 5 months, 13 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
From St. Augustine Archaeologist Sam Turner's series in the St. Augustine Record on the arrival of Juan Ponce de Leon in the New World.
On Easter Sunday, March 27, 1513, land described as an island in the (Spanish Historian Antonio de) Herrera account was sighted to the west. This was the first sighting of the Florida coast. This first sighting is where many writers on the subject of the discovery of Florida err in their interpretation of Herrera.
 This stems from a simplistic approach to the text. Because the land is described as an "island," many historians assume that it must be one of the numerous Bahamas Islands known to the Spanish as the Lucayan Islands.
It was not until some years after 1513 that the Spanish themselves realized that Florida was part of a greater land mass. This 16th century misunderstanding of geography continues to confuse scholars to this day.
While many writers on the subject mistakenly believe that the island sighted on Easter Sunday was a Lucayan island, not all are so convinced. Henry Herrisse, writing in the last quarter of the 19th century, also interpreted Herrera to mean the first sighting of the Florida coast occurred on Easter Sunday, March 27. Many Spanish writers on the subject also concur on this point.
We do not know with certainty which island today was the Guanahani Island (from which Ponce sailed). This prevents us from being able to draw any definitive conclusions regarding the first landing spot of Ponce de Leon based exclusively on Herrera's account of 1513 compass headings.
However, such a claim has been made by Douglas Peck whose single 1990 voyage in a modern fiberglass yacht took him to Melbourne Beach. He believes that what is today called San Salvador Island, renamed by the Bahamian government in the 1920s, is the Guanahani Island of Ponce de Leon. While there is a chance that this is indeed the case, it is just as likely that it is not.
Two days after departing today's San Salvador Island in 1990, Peck found himself alongside Eleuthera Island. This, Peck claims, had to be the unidentified island sighted on March 27. However, as we have seen, this unidentified island was in fact the east coast of Florida discovered Easter Sunday.
For the numerous reasons shown, the Melbourne Beach theory is a very long shot indeed.
Photo: Florida Today video. Archaeologist Turner with ship model.
St. Augustine Bedtime Stories - Dramatic accounts of famous people and events in St. Augustine's history - in booklets designed for quick reads before bed. Information here.
Click to order St. Augustine Bedtime Stories through Paypal.
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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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