Commission approves Blue Crab Festival permit with condition to keep St. John's Avenue open until Friday evening

The Palatka City Commission approved a special events permit for the annual Blue Crab Festival after city staff and merchants raised access concerns and requested clearer staging and closure parameters.

City staff reported merchant concerns that early street closures and vendor placement could block customer and tax collector access during busy weekdays. Staff recommended clarifying that main access to Saint John's Avenue remain available through Thursday and that hard closures and major equipment staging occur beginning Friday.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the permit with the condition that access to St. John's Avenue “will not be stopped until Friday at 5 p.m.” The motion was seconded and carried; the commission asked staff to provide written closure and staging parameters for merchants and to confirm exact vendor boundaries (the approved route will run from the riverfront up to Fourth Street for vendor placement).

Staff also noted complaints about event communications and vendor responsiveness from prior years and said the city will hold the event operator to the permit conditions; commissioners said staff should monitor vendor placement and merchant access and consider alternate operators if communication problems continue. The approval included no additional city funding; it authorized the permit with the stated access condition.