Mayor Mark Bailey recalls decades of family philanthropy, hospice campaign and local boards

Mayor Mark Bailey spoke about philanthropic projects his family and he have supported in St. Augustine during a "Monday with the Mayor" media segment, describing decades of board service, a hospice capital campaign and current community projects.

Bailey said his father "was a mayor in 1965 for the 4 hundredth celebration" and recalled both parents' long engagement with local organizations. He described years of volunteer work on multiple nonprofit boards and said he is "trying to figure out how to pair it back a little bit because it does take a lot of time."

The mayor said he helped lead fundraising for a hospice capital campaign after being asked by Susan Ponder Stansell at a school PTO meeting. "I said, Susan, I'll do whatever I can to help you. And we ended up raising $5,000,000 in a very tough time," Bailey said, calling the hospice staff "amazing. They're angels on earth." He said the hospice has served thousands of patients over about 12 years and that, during that time, he has not received a complaint about the facility.

Bailey described additional civic engagements: long service on the Flagler College board, where he said he is approaching his fifteenth year, and membership in Rotary, where he served as a young president. He mentioned ongoing involvement with a local health and wellness center, saying it "looks beautiful" and was "more than halfway through," and noted work on the Black History Museum. He also praised community volunteer Max Royal, saying the commissioners had allowed Royal to continue in his role and that his "passion and heart for this community is unsurpassed."

Discussion-only remarks in the media segment ranged from personal childhood memories — including family Fourth of July traditions and collecting bottles as a child — to the time demands of volunteerism. Bailey recounted returning to St. Augustine after college and joining his father's insurance business in 1983. He said his father "gave of his time, talent and treasure" and served on numerous community boards.

No formal city actions, votes or motions were discussed in the segment. The conversation was a personal and informational account of past and ongoing philanthropic work rather than a policy debate or decision.

The segment included names of local projects and institutions (the hospice, Flagler College, a health and wellness center, the Black History Museum) and referred to ongoing construction and fundraising activity but provided limited operational or funding detail beyond the $5 million hospice campaign.

Mayor Mark Bailey and the host closed the segment with personal remarks about continuing community involvement and local memories.