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St. Augustine commission votes to set Nights of Lights season through MLK weekend after heated public debate
Summary
After hours of public comment and two data presentations, the City Commission voted 3–2 to restore the earlier November start and extend the Nights of Lights season through the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, citing a compromise between resident quality-of-life concerns and business revenue needs.
The St. Augustine City Commission voted 3–2 on March 26 to set the city’s Nights of Lights illumination season to begin the Saturday before Thanksgiving and end the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, following more than three hours of public comment and two technical presentations.
Supporters and critics of the city’s holiday lighting schedule filled the commission chambers and gave split testimony that framed the decision: residents and neighborhood leaders pressed for a shorter, less intense season to reduce traffic and preserve quality of life, while hoteliers, restaurateurs and tour operators warned that shortening January would depress business and cost jobs.
The commission heard two formal presentations ahead of public comment. Melinda Reconsi, president of the Neighborhood Council, summarized a resident survey of 443 respondents who reported…
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