Published by former Mayor George Gardner October 1 2014
The Report is an independent publication serving our community
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Resident exploring cities'
neighborhood rental codes
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 As Town and Gown and Visioning 2014 & Beyond sessions move forward, Flagler Model Land neighborhood resident Pat Reilly has been researching examples of neighborhood rental guidelines in cities like Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Clearwater, and others in the state.
"Some of the issues in college towns are city rather than college issues," she notes, "enforcement of existing ordinances such as parking, trash can removal after pick up, condition of yard and noise/party issues, particularly on weekends.
"The college issues are primarily related to their continued growth in a place with limited area. (Loss of) Taxes are one piece of that but the other is the loss of the residential feel and the scale of historic neighborhoods, like our Flagler Model Land Neighborhood, and the loss of structures."
Among those other cities' codes, Gainesville has a point system - accumulation of six or more points on a landlord permit for a dwelling unit during three consecutive annual periods could subject the owner to proceedings. And Clearwater and Daytona Beach have rental property licensing ("To rent a single-family home, duplex, triplex or fourplex" in Daytona Beach).
Reilly is a member of the vision steering committee and attendee of the first of a series of town and gown sessions between the city and Flagler College.
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Annual Fiesta
de Aviles
Aviles Street, the city's oldest, has not been sterilized like St. George Street, so get ready to don garb with a flair, dance to the music, run with the bulls and sample sangria this weekend beginning with a special First Friday Art Walk featuring Aviles Street artists.
A special running of the bulls highlights Saturday and a sangria contest with tasting and public voting Sunday.
Each day, 4-10 pm, look for live music, food, and arts and crafts - The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum will have displays Saturday 11 am to 4 pm on its grounds.
Fiesta de Aviles is sponsored by the Aviles Street Merchants Association, who work to preserve and celebrate the vibrant history of Aviles Street.
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Woodman, spare that tree!
City beefs up review code
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Woodman, spare that tree! Touch not a single bough! In youth it sheltered me, and I'll protect it now.
George Pope Morris,1830
A beefed up review ordinance to protect the city's preserved trees, recently approved by the City Commission, lists seven review criteria and seven "impacts upon the urban and natural environment."
Long sought by the citizen Street Tree Advisory Committee, the legislation won the recommendation of the city Planning and Zoning Board, which reviews applications to remove preserved trees.
Planning and Building Director David Birchim told commissioners, "Currently the criteria used for reviewing an application for the removal of preserved trees is the same criteria used to review dock and bulkhead permits. It is focused on marine oriented development.
"The proposed tree removal standards are specifically oriented towards tree health, the conditions present on the site and the ability to change or alter the site design to save trees."
Oaks and Southern Red Cedars are familiar protected trees, but there are in total 43 preserved trees listed in the city code.
The new review standards address a tree's health, need to remove, erosion impact, neighborhood tree canopy, impacts on air movement, air quality, wildlife habitat, and the main reason the plan board reviews these applications, "The ease with which the property owner or agent can alter or revise the proposed development or improvements to accommodate existing trees, including the tree or trees proposed to be removed."
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253 things to do
in St. Augustine
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St. Augustine has 75 hotels, tripadvisor says, and 743 vacation rentals, 485 restaurants, and 253 things to do.
Those 253 things range the St. Augustine Wild Reserve to the Palencia Club. Here are travelers' top ratings in ten categories with up to 88 listed activities.
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Wastewater team honored
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Waste to us, challenge for the city's wastewater treatment plant team.
Meeting that challenge won them the 2013 Domestic Wastewater Plant Operations Excellence Award from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
DEP's Division of Water Resource Management Director Mark Thomasson said St. Augustine's plant recipients "are prime examples of the hard work and dedication of wastewater facilities throughout Florida, and represent the best water treatment and conservation solutions the state has to offer."
In recent years, St. Augustine's wastewater treatment plant has become one of the most innovative facilities in the country, pioneering in the United States the use of peracetic acid as an alternate disinfectant.
Styrofoam now on recyclable list
For those of us who routinely drop recyclable Styrofoam cups and containers in the recycle bin, they weren't on the city recyclable list - but now they are as the city beefs up its recycle program. Here's the current list of accepted recyclables.
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Commentary
Supporting their 'golden goose'?
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There's a reluctance in both the city's college and tourism businesses to help maintain the community that makes it all possible.
They praise the beauty and warmth of the community that makes their missions possible, but tour companies are reluctant to add a $1 preservation fee on all narrated tours and Flagler College has not suggested it make payment in lieu of taxes to compensate local government for tax revenue lost through extensive off-tax rolls property.
At $15 to $24 a ticket, everything from walking tours to sightseeing vehicles can well afford what could be a clearly identified additional fee to maintain the experience visitors enjoy.
And the college always seems to come up with the money for major projects - the Ringhavers for the student center, the Lewis family to renovate the auditorium, the Pollards to build mega classrooms at Cuna and Cordova - while city hall found out, through Mayor Joe Boles' ill-conceived notion that city hall manage the 450th and money would come before plans and projects, that major donors don't contribute to governments.
Meanwhile, St. Augustine taxpayers pay an estimated $1.6 million a year in additional services to host our visitors.
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History's Highlight
Spain's Running of the Bulls
343 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
From Wikipedia
The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves running in front of a small group of bulls (typically a dozen) that have been let loose on a course along a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets.
 The most famous running of the bulls is that of the eight-day festival of Sanfermines in honour of Saint Fermin in Pamplona, although they are held in towns and villages across Spain, Portugal, in some cities in Mexico, in San José Festival held in Trujillo, Peru, Mesquite, Nevada, and southern France during the summer.
The origin of this event comes from the need to transport the bulls from the off-site corrals where they had spent the night to the bullring.
Youngsters would jump among them to show off their bravado. In Pamplona and other places, the six bulls in the event are still those featured in the afternoon bullfight of the same day.
Spanish tradition says the true origin of the run began in northeastern Spain during the early 14th century. While transporting cattle to sell them at the market, men would try to speed the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement.
After years of this practice, the transportation and hurrying began to turn into a competition, as young adults would attempt to race in front of the bulls and make it safely to their pens without being overtaken. When the popularity of this practice increased and was noticed more and more by the expanding population of Spanish cities, a tradition was created and stands to this day.
The running, and bullfighting itself, have opposition.
Many animal rights activists oppose the event. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) activists created the "running of the nudes," a demonstration the day before the beginning of San Fermín in Pamplona. By marching naked, they protested the festival and the following bullfight, arguing the bulls are tortured for entertainment.
The city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, cancelled its Sanmiguelada running of the bulls after 2006, citing public disorder associated with the event.
The running of the bulls in Mexico has in recent years had much opposition. Animal Politico estimates that nearly 7 in 10 Mexicans today are against the running of the bulls, suggesting that if bullfighting in Mexico solely depended upon public opinion it would be outlawed.
Image: Police barrier holds people until rocket is fired for San Fermín
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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 or gardnerstaug@yahoo.com
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