The Sheriff of St. Johns County, Rob Hardwick, presented his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year to the county commissioners. His proposal requests an increase of $13 million from the current budget, totaling $118 million. Salaries would receive an additional $4 million and retirement benefits an additional $5 million. The Commission will not vote on the budget at the meeting but will once the county’s property appraiser and clerk of courts present their budgets on June 20. The full budget proposal can be found on the Sheriff’s website. CLICK TO READ SOURCE Images/Source: WJXT
Tag: St. Augustine
St. Johns County Urgently Needs Plan for Prime Property – What’s Next for World Golf Hall of Fame and IMAX?
After 25 years, the World Golf Hall of Fame located in St. Johns County is leaving World Golf Village, which will also result in the IMAX theater closing. County commissioners plan to discuss possible options for the 64,000 square feet property, which include a museum, offices or a hotel, and will have community meetings for public input. The property is set to be vacated by September 30th, but it’s unclear when a final decision will be made. Also, the PGA plans to relocate the “PGA Tour Productions” office from the property by the end of 2024. CLICK TO READ SOURCE…
Commissioners Poised to Approve Plan to Tackle St. Johns County’s Affordable Housing Woes
St. Johns County commissioners will vote on a plan aimed at improving its affordable housing crisis. While St. Johns is one of the wealthiest counties in Florida, it’s among the fastest growing and has a low affordable housing inventory. Northrop Grumman and Flagler Health are struggling to find workers due to a lack of affordable housing. The failure to address this issue could impact recruitment for the sheriff’s office. As it stands, the county’s workforce housing laws are seen as too strict by home builders. Proposed adjustments include the maximum initial sales price of workforce housing moved to $260,000, reduced…
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St. Johns County Bus Aide Charged with Lewd Conduct has History of Misconduct, Report Shows
A school bus aide in St. Johns County has been arrested and accused of inappropriate touching of a disabled 15-year-old student. Dean Heaton, the 67-year-old aide, had previous complaints of inappropriate conduct dating back to March of 2017. The incidents included inappropriate hugging and kissing of a coworker, verbal flirting and touching of female students, and bullying and intimidating disabled students on his bus. Heaton had resigned from his position as a bus driver and became an aide in April of last year. Superintendent Tim Forson hand-delivered a termination letter to Heaton in jail where he is currently being held…
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