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The Bridge of Lions could receive a permanent nighttime glow as St. Augustine prepares to celebrate the landmark’s 100th anniversary, The Citizen has learned. City commissioners are scheduled Monday to review a proposed architectural lighting design featuring warm-white lights beneath the bridge and along its columns and towers. Conceptual renderings included in the commission’s agenda […] The…
A former St. Augustine financial adviser who defrauded a 75-year-old woman out of more than $2 million and spent most of the money gambling has been sentenced to six years and eight months in federal prison. Eric James Stone, 43, was also ordered to pay $2,037,103 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle […] The post Former St. Augustine Financial Adviser Gets Nearly 7 Years for…
St. Johns County commissioners approved two agricultural enclave applications Wednesday that could allow for thousands of new homes near State Road 207, while postponing a decision on a larger property near Nocatee. Commissioners voted 3-2 to certify two properties owned by Heritage Development Company of Northeast Florida: 615 acres east of Interstate 95 and 551 […] The post St. Johns Approves…
A caregiver stole more than $180,000 from a nearly blind 92-year-old woman through checks, bank transfers and unauthorized purchases, according to a St. Johns County arrest warrant. Maryjean “Mary” Small worked for caregiver company and was assigned to provide in-home assistance to the victim from approximately January 2025 through July 2026, investigators said. The woman […] The post Caregiver…
St. Johns County tourism officials want county commissioners to cut $50,000 earmarked for extra PLAYERS Championship tickets and food, arguing that the annual perks have benefited county employees rather than promoted tourism. The proposed 2027 tourism budget included $325,000 for the partnership withe the county’s signature event. Council members said the underlying $275,000 agreement already […]…
An appeals court has largely upheld St. Johns County’s victory in its long-running clash with the developer of Grand Oaks, ruling that the company must pay the full cost of widening a stretch of State Road 16, The Citizen has learned. In an Aug. 7 opinion, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that […] The post Road Warriors: St. Johns County Wins $60 Million Showdown With Developer…
A 41-year-old St. Augustine man riding a motorized scooter was struck and killed Wednesday evening in a hit-and-run crash on State Road 16 near Downs Corner Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Officials said an SUV traveling westbound hit the back of the scooter, propelling it into a ditch on the right shoulder. The […] The post St. Augustine man on motorized scooter killed in hit and…
At least one person died in a crash Wednesday evening near World Golf Village, officials said. The wreck occurred at Windward Ranch Boulevard at around 5:30 p.m. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that westbound lanes along the stretch had been closed as they investigated. No further details of the incident have […] The post Fatal crash near World Golf Village shuts down…
Eviction filings in St. Johns County climbed to their highest level in at least seven years during the first half of 2026, rising nearly 70% from the same period in 2019. Landlords filed 419 eviction cases from January through June, according to monthly filing data from dating to 2019. That was a 24% hike from […] The post St. Johns County eviction filings rise to highest level in at least seven…
St. Johns County voters gave incumbent Florida House District 18 representative Kim Kendall a commanding win over her primary challenger in the Aug. 18 elections. Kendall, a former air traffic controller who was first elected in 2024, faced Diana Jordan-Baldwin, an army veteran, for the district 18 Republican nomination. She took 87 percent of the […] The post Kendall primed for State House…
Tylar Melfi’s art has always lived in unusual places. It has been sprayed across roaring motorcycles, cheerleading megaphones and walls — from SpongeBob cartoons for children to memorial portraits for men grieving dead friends. It has moved between Little League moms and people living close to violence, between custom nostalgia and public history. That range, […] The post From Motorcycles to…
Despite months of contentious campaigning, a late flood of political advertising and several closely watched races, St. Johns County voters brought widely varying levels of engagement to the polls Tuesday. The Citizen visited five precincts and spoke with dozens of ballot casters during the Aug. 18 primary. Many declined to discuss their choices, while others […] The post Some Researched for…
St. Johns County voters elected two candidates Tuesday who made slowing development a central theme of their campaigns, delivering victories to incumbent Krista Keating-Joseph and political newcomer Martin Pyszczymuka. Their primary opponents, Sam Williams and Heather Brofford, received recorded endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis less than a week before Election Day and were bolstered by […] The…
A planned expansion that could bring a second full-service aviation provider to St. Augustine Airport moved forward Tuesday after St. Johns County commissioners unanimously approved rezoning nearly 23 acres. The Airport Authority purchased the property east of U.S. 1 from the St. Augustine Rod and Gun Club in 2024. It was rezoned from Open Rural […] The post Flight Plan: St. Augustine Airport…
