ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Cynthia Garris is set to become St. Augustine’s first Black mayor after no other candidates qualified for the position on Friday, the St. Johns County supervisor of elections said.
Garris, who currently serves as a city commissioner for District 4, filed for the seat after Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline said she would not seek another term.
Garris is no stranger to the city or public service. She was born and raised in St. Augustine and spent two decades working in local government before joining the city commission.
In 2022, she became the first Black woman elected to a city commission seat — and now she is poised to make history again.
“I won because I was qualified. I just happened to be Black,” Garris said. “And the same thing with the mayor. I won because I was qualified and I just happen to be Black.”
Garris says the significance of her election reaches far beyond her own achievement. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, has never had a person of color serve as mayor in its 461-year history.
“Now it gives hope to the little girls and boys if they see that there was a Black person that was mayor, that they could be too,” she said.
She added that visibility matters when it comes to inspiring the next generation. “If you don’t see it, then you don’t believe that it can happen.”
The milestone has already generated widespread excitement. Garris said some supporters are even organizing trips to witness her swearing-in ceremony.
“Some people even talk about getting a bus coming south just to watch me get sworn in because they know this is the oldest city,” she said. “And the oldest city in 461 years has never been a person of color, a minority that has stood before the public to be mayor.”
At one point, Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder filed for the seat, but eventually withdrew.
“She is considered elected and her race will not appear on the ballot,” Vicky Oakes, the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections, said.
One of the first challenges Garris may face as mayor is a state property tax overhaul that Florida voters are deciding on in November. She said she is committed to protecting city staff through any budget changes that could result.
“We’ll have to basically see what we have to do to scale back on how we need to revamp the schedule to be accommodating as far as how we’re going to do things with less money,” Garris said. “I don’t want staff to be laid off because staff have invested a lot of time in the city.”
Beyond the budget, Garris says she plans to maintain an open-door policy and work to bring the city together.
“My prayer is going to be that the righteous come forward to help me in December and that we just be ready for new opportunities, new visions, new insights and move the city in a new direction,” she said.
Garris brings 17 years of city government experience and 10 years of courthouse experience to the role. She is scheduled to be sworn in as mayor in December.
Click here to see the full list of candidates who qualified.