City report finds Knights of Lights caused widespread congestion, recommends shuttles, signage and leased restroom hubs

City Manager Burcham told the City Commission that this year’s Knights of Lights holiday lighting display produced unprecedented pedestrian crowds and traffic gridlock across downtown St. Augustine, and that the city’s existing parking, sanitation and public-safety staffing strained under the volume.

Burcham said the city’s helicopter flyover on Dec. 28 showed “roadways were at a standstill” and that the heavy pedestrian volumes turned intersections such as the Bridge of Lions, Cathedral Place at Saint George and San Marco at West Castillo into bottlenecks. “We saw crowds that heavy for Dec. 28 … They were throughout the historic district,” he said.

The city manager’s presentation summarized operational impacts: 19,450 people used the city shuttle during the season, the city’s downtown parking inventory is roughly 1,900 spaces (about 1,060 in the garage and 800 surface spaces), the garage closed to new entries on many December days, and the city’s garage revenues rose to about $1 million for the month of December. Burcham said the city received $200,000 in TDC (Tourist Development Council) grant funding this season: $100,000 for shuttles and $100,000 for lights and installation. He added the city ran a fiscal deficit on this event cycle of roughly $325,000 after counting grant and other revenues.

Staff documented non-financial impacts: long shuttle headways caused by traffic (sometimes longer than 45 minutes), overflowing public restrooms and complaints about public urination, overflowing trash cans and delayed trash-collection because crews could not move through crowds to compactors, an increase of about 80 additional calls to the Fire Department in December and lengthened Fire Department return-to-station times (in some cases more than 30 minutes). Burcham said police staffing was increased for weekends (27 officers for light-up nights compared with a normal 9–10 on a typical weekend), but officers were difficult to see amid the crowds and private vehicles, party buses and golf carts also contributed to congestion.

Short-term recommendations presented to the commission include: - Expand shuttle service to additional Fridays and Saturdays and allow use of county parking lots after 5 p.m. during the heavy week between Christmas and New Year’s. - Lease the Bank of America lot at Cathedral Place and Saint George Street for major events (Burcham proposed using the lot for about 100 portable restrooms, a cooling/first-aid station and a staging area for solid waste). Staff said it will bring cost estimates back to the commission before contracting. - Put clearer dynamic electronic signage and a parking/wayfinding app into operation to show real-time garage status and direct visitors to satellite parking and shuttle pickup points. - Increase deployment of PSAs (public safety aides) and consider geo-fencing pickup points for rideshare services so Uber/Lyft drivers are directed to fixed collection points rather than circulating downtown. - Expand no-event-parking signage in residential neighborhoods and increase enforcement of vending and sidewalk-blocking violations.

Longer-term proposals discussed included seeking a dedicated transit/shuttle lane with the Florida Department of Transportation, adding roughly 700 spaces in a planned Park-Once parking facility at King Street and U.S. 1, continued consideration of smart parking systems and dynamic messaging, and a recommendation to contract a consultant to study comprehensive event management and to lead stakeholder engagement.

Commissioners and multiple public speakers — including downtown business owners, tour guides and residents — described the season as unsustainable for residents and said the city should either shorten the event or secure new funding to cover the costs. Several speakers urged more and better employee parking, more off-site satellite parking with effective shuttles, and safer bicycle infrastructure. Local hospitality industry speakers asked the commission to weigh business impacts, saying some businesses rely heavily on the season’s revenues and that a poorly managed change could shrink economic benefits.

The commission gave staff consensus to proceed with short-term measures (leasing the Bank of America lot and the associated portable-restroom/staging plan, subject to final cost numbers and an explicit funding plan) and to develop a scope for a consultant to study long-term management. Commissioners asked staff to return with detailed cost and staffing estimates before the city approaches the TDC for additional funding.

Votes and formal motions during the meeting were limited to routine agenda and consent actions; the Knights of Lights discussion produced policy direction and consensus rather than a binding ordinance change.

The commission also asked staff to add resident and neighborhood representation to stakeholder outreach and to explore whether a consultant could run facilitated stakeholder sessions rather than create a permanent board that would be subject to sunshine-law constraints.

Staff said DOT will delay replacement of the King Street bridge until after the July Fourth holiday, but the bridge project is expected to begin afterward and will affect future circulation patterns.