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Atlantic Beach committee probes Jack Russell Farmers Market future amid parking clash with youth baseball
Summary
Amid petitions and rumors that the Jack Russell Farmers Market would be cut or eliminated, Atlantic Beach’s Arts, Recreation & Culture Committee asked staff for attendance and parking data, discussed options (reduced vendor numbers, time changes, shuttles or relocation), and instructed the chair to follow up with the city manager and senior manager to gather facts.
Rumors that the Jack Russell Farmers Market could be curtailed or ended prompted extended discussion at the Atlantic Beach Arts, Recreation & Culture Committee meeting, where members urged fact-finding and possible committee input to the city manager.
Committee members reported vendor petitions opposing a proposed reduction from about 70 vendors to 50 and said a vendor had received an email claiming the market would be eliminated in four weeks. Chair Kevin said he had "never heard that one before" and described the situation as a fluid negotiation between city staff, the market manager and youth baseball leadership.
Members and staff outlined options under discussion: shifting the youth baseball start time (a concession discussed was starting at 2:30 p.m. instead of 1:30 p.m.), reducing vendor numbers, relocating city vehicles to free parking spaces, providing shuttle service from a satellite parking lot, or moving the market to another park. "That most excellent idea" to use shuttles was noted as a recurring proposal, Kevin said, adding the city has been talking about parking solutions since the market began several years ago.
Committee members split on whether to weigh in immediately. Some urged an immediate recommendation; others asked for data. "If we weigh in now and it's falling on deaf ears," one member said, "let's do due diligence first." The group asked staff to collect attendance and vehicle-count data; Kevin agreed to reach out to senior manager Killingsworth and the city manager and to share findings with the committee so members could decide whether to formulate a written recommendation or call a quick, noticed meeting to vote.
The committee also cautioned about Florida’s public-record and sunshine rules when coordinating informal outreach and agreed not to hold unadvertised gatherings that could be considered a public meeting. The committee penciled the farmers market and baseball topic for the next agenda and asked staff to return with numbers and a timeline for possible action.
