The St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District was originally established by the Florida Legislature in the late 1930s to fulfill a requirement of the Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Augustine Inlet project.
The legislation gave the district ad valorem taxing authority as well as a broad range of authority for building warehouses, wharfs, bridges and other structures for the commercial development of the port.
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Five at-large elected commissioners govern the district, each serving four-year terms, with staggered terms. Three seats on the board are on this November’s ballot.
News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| GROUP 1 CANDIDATES |
Syd Alsobrook
This candidate has not completed our candidate questionnaire. If it is submitted at any point prior to the election, it will be promptly added.
Sandy Flowers
Party affiliation*: Independent
Occupation: Retired
Age: 59
Your family: (No response)
Education: (No response)
Political experience: Incumbent at St Augustine Port, Waterways & Beach Commission
What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?
- Improving public access to our beaches and river is of utmost importance. We have had no new access in over thirty years within the Port District.
- Reforming our contracts and how the Port deals with contractors is also of top priority. No more paying for contracts that were never completed properly. No more dirty dredging in our district which silts up and destroys our oyster population and puts a tremendous amount of pollution into our Waterways.
- Florida was announced the boating capital of the world, yet our State does not require any liability insurance on vessels. The Port Commission spends tens of thousands of dollars removing derelict boats from the river because they have no basic salvage insurance. I would love to join with other recreational port cities to lobby the state for a requirement of simple liability/salvage insurance for Florida vessels.
The Port Commission has a mighty charter designed to do great things for our taxpayers. Heretofore, it has done very little. We give out grants for projects and then never follow up on those grants to ensure the money was spent correctly. The other four commissioners I serve with are not interested in getting to work for our constituents. Therefore, I am running along with my friends Melanie Sunshine Neale and Michelle Bennett. The three of us form a quorum and we would be able to go to work immediately on boat ramps, kayak launched , etc. Then we roll up our sleeves and offer our district some real management. Vote for the three amigos...Melanie, Michelle & Sandy
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
- I have intimate knowledge of dredging and dredge equipment because I had to educate myself after getting elected in 2018. The Port Commission has been fleeced by dredging contractors and engineers. The Commission has no inspectors to protect our tax dollars. My special interest in " following” the contract money will pay off big for the tax payers. I can’t influence these contracts alone and current commissioners are tied to these under performing contractors. So again I say...vote for the three amigos. Melanie, Michelle & Sandy. Together, we shall eliminate that problem. On day one, we get to work on our district management plan!
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
- Absolutely loads of public access. Kayak launches everywhere there can be one. Really big boat landings to accommodate the tens of thousands of new boats headed our way. I would also love to convince the State insurance office to work with vessel insurers so that they would remove the restriction on cruising vessels which forces them to leave the state of Florida by June 1st not to return until November 1st. Our city suffers a five month off season at our marinas and mooring balls as well as local businesses, while boats sit out the season just 70 miles north in Georgia. Insurance actuary tables do not support this unreasonable requirement and it leaves our city and others in an economic slump for five months. Our state is very good to the insurance industry. Let’s lobby the state to help us out with this insurance issue as well.
Campaign website: (none listed)
Campaign’s social media site(s): Facebook.com/commissionersandyflowers
Linda Thomson
Party affiliation*: Republican
Occupation: Retired - High School Principal
Age: 73
Your family: 2 sons, 6 grandchildren
Education: Ed.D., M.A., B.S.
Political experience: (No response)
What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?
- Erosion, dredging, beach renourishment - $62 million - repeated year after year
- Beach and boat ramp access and availability
- Boating Safety, Wake Zones and Enviromental Education
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
- As a U.S. Coast Guard family, I have lived on the coasts of FL, CA, NY, TX, and VA. I have seen how beach erosion is handled in effectively, efficiently and permanently. My background in education will be helpful to increase awareness of our water resources, the environment, wildlife, pollution, water safety, etc.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
- I hope to be remembered for (1) uniting local, state and federal agencies to find permanent solutions to our beach erosion and renourishment challenges and (2) improving the public understanding and respect of our recreational and commercial waterways. We must preserve and protect this resource.
Campaign website: vote4lindathomson.com
Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/vote4lindathomson
| GROUP 3 CANDIDATES |
Michelle Bennett
Party affiliation*: NPA Office
Occupation: Senior HR Consultant with Apple
Age: 53
Your family: Spouse - Tony Boldt
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration
Political experience: Various volunteer groups
What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?
- Bringing improved accountability of funds and projects to benefit the port and waterways.
- Expanding access to the local community to boat, fish and enjoy the beaches.
- Creating a renewed focus on cleaning and conserving the natural resource.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
- I have extensive boating experience, including powerboats, sailing, kayak, etc. That coupled with a strong business background, I can bring both passion of the waterways and a keen understanding of program management to bring positive results. Additionally, I’m an active member/volunteer of several local boating organizations, including a Founder of the St Augustine Cruisers Net (local and visiting boaters), Advisory Board Member of the St Augustine Sailing Sisters, Cruising Station Host for the Seven Seas Cruising Association, and Committee Member with the St Augustine Yacht Club. I understand the interests and frustrations of the boating community and can bring this to the table to be heard.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
- If given the opportunity to serve, I would hope to be remembered for making progress and not letting a few obstacles get in the way. There are many resources for funds that can be accessed to make our community better for all. I’m ready to put in the work to get it done.
Campaign website: VoteMichelleBennett.com
Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/StAugustinePort
Harold David Bishop Jr.
This candidate has not completed our candidate questionnaire. If it is submitted at any point prior to the election, it will be promptly added.
Matt Brown
Party affiliation*: NPA
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 39
Your family: (No response)
Education: B.A., NYU, 2004, J.D., NYU Law, 2011
Political experience: Four years on the Port commission, including two as chair.
What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?
In no particular order, the three biggest issues facing the District are:
- decades of uncontrolled growth placing enormous strain on our inadequate infrastructure
- deteriorating economic conditions producing an uptick in derelict vessels, threatening safety, navigability, and the environment
- the ever-present threat of catastrophic storm damage to our waterways
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
- I have four years of experience dealing with the issues and players in this arena, and have pursued additional relationships with related organizations like the Matanzas Riverkeeper and the Guana Tolomato Research Reserve in an effort to advance the District’s interests and to create opportunities for collaboration. As a result, I’ve been able to help constituents resolve Port-related questions across a variety of issue areas. As far as I can tell, neither of my opponents has ever even attended a Port meeting.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
- I hope to be remembered for commitment to the Port District and its constituents, and for helping to expand the District’s role beyond harbor maintenance to include more public safety, waterway access, and environmental protection.
Campaign website: (none listed)
Campaign’s social media site(s): (none listed)
| GROUP 5 CANDIDATES |
Marco Edward Klovanish
This candidate has not completed our candidate questionnaire. If it is submitted at any point prior to the election, it will be promptly added.
Melanie Sunshine Neale
This candidate has not completed our candidate questionnaire. If it is submitted at any point prior to the election, it will be promptly added.
Tom Rivers
Party affiliation*: Republican
Occupation: Realtor, Church Music Director
Age: 69
Your family: 4 daughters, 1 son, 13 grandchildren
Education: MBA University of Florida
Political experience: 2 term member of St Johns Co School Board, Port, Waterway and Beach Comm for 3 terms, State Committeeman for St Johns Co on the Republican Party of Florida
What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?
- Supporting local government agencies to promote safety on the waterways. Maintain infrastructure such as beach accesses and boat ramps. Utilizing FIND Grants when available. Working with the Army Corp of Engineers to fight erosion and renourishment of the county beaches.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
- I have almost 12 years of experience working with the cities and the county to address the needs of marine law enforcement. I’ve maintained a working relationship with the leaders of those groups
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
- Our largest accomplishment was the sponsorship of the effort to reropen the Summer Haven River.
Campaign website: (none listed)
Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/riversforport
* While this is a nonpartisan board, our candidate survey includes the question of party affiliation and we have elected to include the answers as another piece of information voters can use to make their choices.