2026 Voter’s Guide: St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District Commission

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.

Five at-large elected commissioners govern the district, each serving four-year terms, with staggered terms. Three seats on the board are up for election this year. Peter John Jennison was the only candidate to qualify for the Group 3 race and was automatically elected. The Group 1 and Group 5 races will be on the November ballot, for a portion of the county’s precincts.

News4JAX is in the process of gathering responses from these candidates and will post full profiles as the general election approaches.

• Lynda I. Kirker (incumbent)
• Melanie Sunshine Neale

• Clay M. Hansen
• Tom Rivers (incumbent)