[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6092543,"mediaKeyId","2852929-dffebbb4700fce05e5a538d9bb990a7f","parentId",2852929,"title","Commission weighs repairs, TDC funding and master plan for Lakeside Pier Park and Splash Park","audioSeconds",2259,"startMs",1829000,"endMs",4088000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852929-dffebbb4700fce05e5a538d9bb990a7f&start=1829&end=4088","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852929-dffebbb4700fce05e5a538d9bb990a7f/thumbnail_1829000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092543/Florida/Commission-weighs-repairs-TDC-funding-and-master-plan-for-Lakeside-Pier-Park-and-Splash-Park","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092543-b52c0e30ad2b62988ce733547790fae1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172975&Signature=FKSU~BytgmqpIyG-~Z3qgfd7B7lUEBlCXMaVNZlLX0aP7bTKAm~AWISXljZnbbju4kPM9lNBqhziPh80jKc2xIEc-22iYuT9HyRuK37m06ccwlW6m~73bl3tF9KUtqN5Qi8uQFt9WMGEgxGb-4iBW9GfnEl7mUYm-ShkCs9k4Kst5uugFAWsJlz5dKwdoc6tIid-mKnFAvWdTwx7jDuh-9fcn2ffk~~aDRWp8x4tKv7eAdpIhEuOvxJEWZ0WhnpnvtnSAhFvukjkwZPALDApMuA5B6OjFEGshFvgGL4oak9dU6Ir8FAuRRtwSG7GK~HwzejG5tfaLad3Rf9AlOX3Nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of St. Augustine Beach, FL","date","2025-04-02T14:49:26Z","article","City staff told the City Commission on April 1 that Splash Park at Lakeside Pier Park needs repair and maintenance now even though a county-led master plan for the pier area is under way and construction funding is not yet available.

Parks and public-works staff described the splash-park system and playground history and said the splash features were built in 2008 with a Firdac grant. Staff said the city budget includes $70,000 this fiscal year for Splash Park renovations; staff recommended buying replacement pumps and parts now so the facility remains operational while a county master plan and a potential, longer-term redesign are worked through. \"We still need to purchase the pumps, the splash features, the coronators, and some of the other internal features to kind of keep the park moving,\" Parks and Recreation staff said during the meeting.

Russell (city staff) told commissioners the park’s playground equipment had experienced failures and was removed for safety, and he proposed reallocating roughly $14,000 from the Splash Park line to begin a 20-foot section of retaining wall at Lakeside Pier Park where erosion and decayed pilings were visible in staff photos. The full boardwalk replacement, he said, could run in the hundreds of thousands; staff estimated a 70-foot replacement could be in the $250,000–$340,000 range depending on materials and pilings.

Ryan Kane, Director of Parks and Recreation for St. Johns County, described the county’s Pier Park master-plan process. Kane said the county funded a master plan last year with TDT (tourist development tax) dollars and that design work is just starting following a kickoff meeting. \"I don't think you would see funding for construction in the next 2 years,\" Kane said, adding that his professional judgment puts construction nearer a five-year timeframe, and that the process will include \"a lot of public engagement.\"

Commissioners expressed support for maintaining Splash Park now, but they were divided about transferring money to Lakeside without a broader design and funding plan. Some commissioners favored removing or closing the deteriorated section of boardwalk now to eliminate a safety and liability risk; others favored pursuing a formal master plan and community visioning for Lakeside before committing significant capital. A series of steps were discussed and directed to staff: pursue TDC funding for splash-park renovations and playground replacement, put a priority on buying key parts (pumps, valves), analyze options for either removing the closed southern section of boardwalk or funding incremental repairs, and gather community feedback through surveys, workshops and outreach at upcoming events.

Commissioners agreed staff can seek TDC funding and talk with the county about repurposing playground equipment if the county’s broader Pier Park project moves forward. Staff said CPAC and public-works staff have explored native plantings and bank stabilization as lower-cost erosion mitigation measures, but the retaining wall concept would be a longer-lived structural fix. Staff also proposed bringing community outreach to planned events (farmer’s market, concerts) and the commission room for a public meeting tied to the county master plan when the county schedules it (staff indicated a likely public meeting window in September–October 2025).

No final appropriation to Lakeside was approved at the meeting; motions centered on direction to pursue funding and do limited, safety-focused repairs now. Commissioners asked staff to report back after outreach and to evaluate whether an in-house demo to remove the unsafe boardwalk end would be feasible and cost-effective. Staff estimated that an in-house removal would be substantially less expensive than contracting full replacement and noted that the south end of the boardwalk was already closed for safety.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Commission Regular Meeting April 1st, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff told the City Commission on April 1 that Splash Park needs immediate repairs and parts, and proposed using some Splash Park funds to begin a retaining wall at nearby Lakeside Pier Park while a county-led master plan moves forward.","taxTitle","City of St. Augustine Beach, St. Johns County , Florida","taxId",71827,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092548,"St. Augustine Beach commission approves business tax hike, infrastructure amendment, accepts audit and updates personnel leave policy",5713,1385000,7098000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2852929-dffebbb4700fce05e5a538d9bb990a7f&start=1385&end=7098","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2852929-dffebbb4700fce05e5a538d9bb990a7f/thumbnail_1385000.jpg","/articles/6092548/Florida/St-Augustine-Beach-commission-approves-business-tax-hike-infrastructure-amendment-accepts-audit-and-updates-personnel-leave-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092548-bfa37a41edbf17ac1c58aa3ef7d9b138/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172975&Signature=mllaT2yKJ~mpXh0Uy~MSr4hF-vB4ojpIcuE6RnrDpg1fM0cgvJbJUVju4pncu6iajcb0YOHYQaiwxOAUCP4DdOMbv~05QOPmZnC3ewH1D8FSSBkaIiBuSjtE-7ptqxw9qfN~azRfFAJwvVj0Ga~svOW6REVpn~0CANLV3CGt9XPcc7Xm5pbNrUTA5xYuSF01om-S7oQx4ZAhAz6j2Nj6v18ol2sUMtGa-bPuNK3st7a3EXdsSVeGtMo1XXRRxD1Z0Jz0VLOB6KDHKRC6yy6o5tngf34pUi0VLwnsL90JVNL3-4O9NaAnJhEyXWo6tLdXWoajY30HhVxZ4YeK~zAQrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission of the City of St. Augustine Beach on April 1 unanimously adopted a 5% increase to business tax receipt rates, approved an amendment to the city’s infrastructure element to conform with state water-management rules, accepted the city’s annual audit for the year ended Sept. 30, 2024, and approved a change to vacation accruals for new employees.

The votes came during the commission’s regular meeting at City Hall. Commissioners approved Ordinance No. 25-05 on final reading to raise business tax receipt rates by 5%. They also approved Ordinance No. 25-06 to amend the comprehensive plan’s infrastructure element so the city can transmit the update to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the relevant water management district; the ordinance cites Florida Statutes section 163.3177(6)(c)4. The commission then unanimously accepted the independent auditor’s report for the year ended Sept. 30, 2024, and approved a personnel-manual revision that increases vacation accrual in the first year to 80 hours for new employees.

Auditor James Moore presented the audit and described the firm’s conclusions about the city’s financial statements. Moore said the audit firm issued an unmodified opinion on the financial statements and noted corrections from the prior year, including adjustments related to ARPA and other funds. \"We had an unmodified opinion on the financial statements,\" Moore said, adding that the city’s unassigned general fund balance was about $5.2 million at year end, roughly 50–57% of annual expenditures and above the city’s 20% policy minimum.

The business-tax ordinance was read into the record as \"Ordinance number 25-05, an ordinance of the City of St. Augustine Beach, Florida amending chapter 12 ... providing for inclusion in the code of the City and providing an effective date.\" The motion to adopt passed unanimously.

On Ordinance 25-06, staff said the St. Johns River Water Management District had adopted its plan and asked the commission to transmit the city’s amendment. The reading (as provided in the meeting) described the amendment as \"amending infrastructure element appendix A, policy U.1.5.5 and objective U.2.1 of the comprehensive plan ... to conform with Florida Statutes section 163.3177 paragraph 6 c 4.\" Commissioners discussed a minor wording issue and punctuation in the draft; staff agreed to correct the phrasing before transmittal. The motion to transmit/approve also passed unanimously.

On personnel policy, Human Resources and city staff proposed a cleanup of the personnel manual and one substantive change: raising first-year vacation accrual from 40 to 80 hours for newly hired employees for the first three years of service to improve competitiveness with nearby employers. Staff said the change would apply prospectively to new hires; the commission approved the revised manual and the vacation change by resolution (resolution number 25-01) effective April 1, 2025.

Commissioners also moved and approved the consent agenda and several routine items without separate debate.

The meeting record shows the votes passed unanimously on the listed items. No roll-call vote breakdown by commissioner was included in the transcript; the minutes record the outcome as unanimous for each motion.","The City Commission unanimously passed a 5% increase to business tax receipt rates, approved an infrastructure-element amendment to conform with state water regulations, accepted its annual audit and adopted a change to vacation accruals for new employees.","actionData","errors"]

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Commission weighs repairs, TDC funding and master plan for Lakeside Pier Park and Splash Park

St. Augustine Beach commission approves business tax hike, infrastructure amendment, accepts audit and updates personnel leave policy