Ponte Vedra Beach Coalition meeting hosts Jacquelyn Smith and Commissioner Blocker

Key issues developing in the area addressed

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On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Ponte Vedra Beaches Coalition hosted two guest speakers, Jacquelyn Smith, director of special operations for U.S. Congressman John Rutherford and St. Johns County Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker of District 4.

Smith has worked in the 4th Congressional District for over 18 years, both with U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw and currently, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford. Smith is the liaison between the Washington D.C. office and the district, where she strives to push top agenda issues. She spoke to the coalition concerning the office’s affairs and services offered.

Smith noted that one of the office’s top priorities is attending to the population influx of St. Johns County and Florida. According to Smith, Florida is the 17th largest economy in the world and is estimated to grow to the 10th by 2030.

“Our (district) will grow by 16.8% by 2030 and be home to 1.81 million,” Smith said. “They're coming in about 60 new people every day. St. Johns is the eighth fastest growing county in the country. Nassau is right behind. I say the good news is we in St. Johns County have excellent schools but that's also the reason why people who work in Duval County come and live in St. Johns because the schools draw them. We do have some taxation that goes in for our schools. Duval did not do that. They are in dire straits right now.”

With population growth, Smith said the congressman is working toward maintaining environmental initiatives, including addressing sea level rise. Additionally, the office introduced legislation to create a 10-year moratorium on oil and gas exploration of the coast.

Smith also spoke towards Rutherford’s craft beer relief tax and better data collection concerning reef fish, including Red Snapper, which he feels are inadequately represented.

“A lot of data has been collected that fishermen will tell you is just not true,” Smith said. “If you're a fisherman you probably know that if you throw a line out there and you catch 15 Snappers, you have to put them all back.”

Additionally, Smith spoke toward creating a national heritage area for the First Coast, which Smith says would, “greatly enhance our ability to get federal resources to remote historic preservation and national resource conservation.”

Commissioner Blocker presented during the second agenda item of the meeting, where he addressed some recent decisions and issues the commission had voted toward.

Blocker spoke toward the board securing funding for Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach renourishment projects, the creation of a grant coordinator position and the joining of a Fire Watch Initiative, which is a regional initiative that works to assist with veteran suicide.

“We are one of the highest veteran populations in the state of Florida, is St. Johns County,” Blocker said. “We lose more men and women to suicide than we do to combat.”

Additionally, the county has instated designated veteran parking on county buildings.

 Commissioner Blocker also announced the board’s decision to hire Hunter Conrad as county administrator. Previously, Conrad was holding the position as interim, however, on a Jan. 21 meeting, the board elected to offer him a permanent position.

“Even though a nationwide search sounds great, most (other counties) end up hiring someone from their county,” Blocker said. “(This ends up being) a prudent leader within their community. This is because it's important to understand the landscape and be connected to the community with a proven track record.”

Blocker also addressed some upcoming projects, including the creation of a fine arts campus in Ponte Vedra and the possible implementation of a cell phone tower architectural committee, which he said would be able to address residents’ health concerns regarding cell tower emissions.