2022 was the year everything pretty much got back to normal following the pandemic, but it was also a year with its own unique challenges: two tropical storms, continuing supply-chain issues, staffing shortages and inflation in particular. The news wasn’t always good, but there were still plenty of things to celebrate.
Here’s a look at some of the notable news from the past 12 months. Articles associated with each item can be found at pontevedrarecorder.com.
JANUARY
- Local residents filled the Greater Beaches VFW Post 3270 on Jan. 14 to welcome a former Afghan combat interpreter and his family to America.
- Valley Ridge Academy band director Andrew Burk was named St. Johns County School District 2021-22 Teacher of the Year on Jan. 20. Kaitlyn Holle, a middle school science teacher at Mill Creek Academy, was named Rookie Teacher of the Year.
- The Nease High School girls basketball team beat the Fletcher Senators, 65-7, on Jan. 20
- Judge Lauren P. Blocker of the 7th Circuit took her oath of office Jan. 21 in an investiture ceremony at TPC Sawgrass.
- The We Can Be Heroes Foundation honored retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Michalove on Jan. 27, in part for the extraordinary letters he sent home for his children during his service in the Vietnam War.
- Gallery 725 hosted an exhibit of works by Salvador Dali, opening on Jan. 28.
FEBRUARY
- The 15th DONNA Marathon Weekend concluded Feb. 6. A 24% increase in families served was reported for the fiscal year.
- The Ponte Vedra High School Sharks Cheerleaders have made school history by winning their first state championship title.
- The Nease girls basketball team defeated St. Augustine 49-33 in the Class 6A Region 1 final on Feb. 18.
- The Ponte Vedra High School boys soccer team makes it to the Final Four.
MARCH
- Cameron Smith won THE PLAYERS Championship.
- Ponte Vedra High School junior Olivia Richie was crowned the girls wrestling state champion in the 140-pound class at the 2022 FHSAA State Championships on March 3-5.
- Lori Price, a first-grade teacher at Ocean Palms Elementary School, was named one of two recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching from the State of Florida.
- The Ponte Vedra High School Splash Dance Team finished in the top 10 of the best squads in the nation at the National Dance Alliance High School Nationals competition on March 4-6.
- Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on March 9.
- Nease High held its first home boys volleyball contest against rival Ponte Vedra High March 10. The Panthers defeated the Sharks.
- Flagler Health+ announced the appointment of Carlton DeVooght as president and CEO of the St. Johns County-based health enterprise.
APRIL
- Nease won the team district title in boys weightlifting. Ponte Vedra placed third.
- The Ponte Vedra boys lacrosse team won the district title on April 13.
- The St. Johns County Memorial Garden at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center was christened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 29.
MAY
- The Ponte Vedra High School boys tennis team won the state title May 2.
- The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted new voting precincts May 3 after a redistricting process presentation by the supervisor of elections.
- Several Nease and Ponte Vedra track and field athletes won state championships in their respective disciplines May 14.
- The third annual Beaches, A Celebration of the Arts on May 15 raised an estimated $90,000 for arts programs and recognized those who keep the arts alive in the community.
- The Christ Episcopal Church hosted its inaugural Ponte Vedra Pancake Festival and Community Table, which was attended by many area residents.
JUNE
- Chloe Pierce of Ponte Vedra Beach won the 2022 European Junior Golf Championship in the 9-year-olds division.
- Nease NJROTC was named the best unit in the nation.
- The United Way of Florida Board of Directors announced on June 16 that United Way of St. Johns CEO and President Melissa Nelson would preside over the state organization. Mark D. LeMaire was later named the new president and CEO of United Way of St. Johns County.
- St. Johns County students perform well on the 2022 Florida Standards Assessment.
JULY
- Ascension St. Vincent’s Health Center opened a new hospital July 1 in St. Johns County.
- St. Johns County School District was awarded an A grade on July 7 by the Florida Department of Education.
- The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Public Library reopened July 19 after being closed for two weeks due to electrical and roof damage from a fire caused by a lightning strike.
- More than 200 people participated in NEFAR’s Second Annual Clean-up Northeast Florida Waterways event on July 23. They cleaned up more than 2,000 pounds of trash and debris.
- The World Golf Hall of Fame announced plans to close its local site in 2023 and move to North Carolina in 2024
AUGUST
- Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville Ponte Vedra Sawgrass announced completion of a significant renovation.
- Dreams Come True transformed the room of a patient in the Community Hospice & Palliative Care’s Community PedsCare program into a life-sized version of a beloved doll house.
- The United Soccer League announced on Aug. 30 that professional soccer would be coming to the First Coast in 2025.
- A Jacksonville Jaguars-themed surprise party was held for Muriel McGowen’s 106th birthday.
SEPTEMBER
- Tropical Storm Ian, formerly Hurricane Ian, swept through Sept. 29.
OCTOBER
- St. Johns County District 3 Commissioner Paul Waldron died Oct. 18
NOVEMBER
- Ponte Vedra girls and Nease boys were Class 3A state champions in swimming during Nov. 4 meet.
- St. Johns County voters rejected a one-cent sales tax increase at the Nov. 8 general election.
- In the 2022, the winners were: Ron DeSantis, governor; Marco Rubio, U.S. senator; John H. Rutherford, U.S. representative; Travis Hutson, state senator; Cyndi Stevenson, state representative; Sarah Arnold and Krista Keating-Joseph, county commission; Beverly Slough and Jennifer Collins and Kelly Barrera, school board; Martha Gleason and Trish Becker, Mosquito Control; Michelle Cash-Chapman, Dennis M. Clarke and Jennifer Liotta, airport authority.
- Tropical Storm Nicole swept past on Nov. 10.
- The St. Johns Golf Club reopened Nov. 29.
DECEMBER
- The Grand Cypress Winn-Dixie store opened on Dec. 14.
— Compiled by Shaun Ryan and Anthony Richards
