St. Augustine Record USA TODAY NETWORK
County Commissioner Sarah Arnold is running for her first full term in District 2 against four challengers: Nelson “Davy” Cline; Johnny Coe Counts; Chuck Labanowski; and LaShawnda L. Pinkney. The winner of the Aug. 23 primary will face a write-in candidate in November if that candidate doesn’t withdraw from the race.
The Record posed the following questions to each of the candidates. Answers are presented as they were submitted, save for minor corrections to punctuation and grammar.
St. Johns County Commissioner District 2
Sarah Arnold (incumbent)
City of residence: St. Augustine
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? Most of my life in North East Florida and over 12 years in St. Johns
Previous elected positions: None
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Community service: My heart has always been in serving the St. Johns County community through organizations including United Way, Rotary, Dream Big, Child Guidance Center, Recovery RX, Postal Carriers Food Drive, Armstrong Meal Distribution, Learn to Read, and Read for the Record.
Qualifications for office: In addition to my volunteer work, I was also hired by the United Way to plan and run their resource development division, including the fundraising events in St. Johns County where I led the team that consistently beat our goals raising over $1.6 million in the most recent year to serve our St. Johns community. I was honored to earn a spot in the inaugural class of the St. Johns County 40 under 40. I believe my experience in the nonprofit sector, as well as my focus on collaboration and transparency, bring a unique perspective to the commission.
Reason for running: I was honored to be appointed by Gov. DeSantis in December 2021. Since then, I have been focused on managing smart growth here in St. Johns. To me, that means only supporting projects that provide a net benefit to our county. I will never be a rubber stamp for development. We need to focus on improving our infrastructure, which includes ensuring our roadways are safe. I am also focused on the balance between commercial and residential development in our county. We need to work together with businesses to bring new economic opportunities here.
We must support workforce housing opportunities to allow our nurses, teachers and first responders to live and raise their families in the communities they serve. Our veterans have sacrificed so much to ensure our freedom and safety. I believe it is our duty to provide the support and care they need. This is especially important to our veterans making the transition to civilian life and providing them the resources, opportunities and mental health services to do so successfully.
Additionally, our first responders put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect us and our families here in St. Johns. We must provide them with the necessary resources and equipment to not only protect us but to protect themselves and ensure they return home safely to their families.
I am honored to be endorsed by our local firefighters. I believe in fiscal stewardship. As county commissioners, we are responsible for managing and balancing our county budget to ensure all resources are spent responsibly. I will fight through the bureaucratic red tape and fight wasteful spending to ensure our tax dollars work for us, and not the government. Folks around the country see St. Johns as a destination, with our pristine beaches and vibrant and historical downtown. It is vital that we protect the things that make St. Johns so wonderful, and to me, that means focusing on beach renourishment projects and increasing tourism opportunities for our local businesses.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: My goals are to manage smart growth, improve our infrastructure and ensure safer roadways, bring new economic development opportunities to St. Johns, increase workforce housing, protect and provide for our veterans and military, ensure our first responders have the resources they need to keep us safe, maintain a balanced county budget and cut wasteful spending, and preserve our beaches and historical downtown so St. Johns can always remain the best place to live, work, and play.
How would you help the county deal with the effects of rapid population growth? Growth is inevitable, not just in St. Johns but across Florida. I am focused on good governance to ensure our infrastructure is able to handle that growth. I will not support projects where we have deficient roadways, and instead only support the projects that contribute a net benefit to our community and citizens.
What would your approach be to handling requests for rezonings and land-use changes for new residential development? Every situation is unique and I will always evaluate everything that comes before me on its merits. In cases where rezonings and land-use changes hurt our community I simply will not support those projects.
Nelson ‘Davy’ Cline
City of residence: St. Augustine, Florida
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? All of my life.
Previous elected positions: N/A
Community service: N/A
Qualifications for office: I am a lifelong resident of St. John’s County who has witnessed so many changes here over the years. My history here and knowledge on this county has prepared me for serving as county commissioner.
Reason for running: As a lifelong resident of St. John’s County, I have watched this community grow tremendously over the years, with no sign of slowing down. While I believe improvements in infrastructure are a necessity, I believe this can be done without approving new growth. The county is unable to keep up with the growth it is currently experiencing; one prime example of this is the traffic problems we see daily. The town becomes gridlocked with stop-and-go traffic when major highways such as I-95 or U.S. 1 shut down.
In addition to creating traffic and safety problems for the community, I have witnessed so much of our natural ecosystems be destroyed in order to accommodate this growth. This has pushed so much of our wildlife out of their natural homes and into our very own backyards, creating an unsafe situation for all parties involved. I truly believe that someone needs to take charge in protecting the natural ecosystems that we have left, that we take great pride in. Much of our county’s business relies on maintaining and protecting our beaches, state parks, and more. All in all, I am running for county commissioner to be a reliable vote for protecting the members of this community and our beloved ecosystem.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: As your next county commissioner, I vow to protect the well-being of the community, as well as the remaining natural habitat and wildlife. We will make improvements to infrastructure without approving new growth. The growth we currently experiencing will be better monitored and controlled, and developers will be held accountable for the promises they make to the community. I will protect our safety by pushing to make improvements on the flow of traffic throughout the county. Being one of the many affected by these daily traffic problems, I hope to be a strong voice in making improvements to the flow of our roadways. I will vote “no” on tax increases in order to protect the welfare of our community, especially our local farmers and business owners. I also plan to take charge in protecting all of the natural ecosystems and wildlife that we all enjoy and pride ourselves on. Overall, I hope to be a voice of reason to represent the concerns and wishes of St. John’s county residents.
How would you help the county deal with the effects of rapid population growth? In order to help the county keep up with this rapid population growth, I plan to hold developers responsible for their promises to the community. For example, development agreements are created upon the approval of Planned Unit Developments. These agreements are created to address the safety and welfare of the community. I plan to hold these developers accountable for these agreements in order mitigate and control the impacts of their developments.
What would your approach be to handling requests for rezonings and land-use changes for new residential development? I would like to host meetings at a convenient time for as much of the community as possible, even if this means after work hours or on the weekends. These meetings should be hosted prior to voting on land-use changes and rezoning requests. This will give a better opportunity for more community members to discuss these residential developments and express their concerns.
Johnny Coe Counts
City of residence: South of Hastings
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? 31.5 years
Previous elected positions: Commissioner/Chairman Hasting Drainage District
Community service: Serving for over 10 years on the Hastings Drainage District at no compensation. Board member of the Grit Foundation. Chairman of the American Values Dinner Fundraiser for North Florida Council BSA 2017, 2019, 2021 and co-chair 2016, 2019.
Qualifications for office: Seventh-generation Floridian; registered electorate; and tax-paying landowner in St. Johns County. Small business owner for 34 years; cattle ranch, farms, trucking, licensed registered general contractor; 10 years chairman of the oldest Chapter 298 special district in Florida; six years as counselor to the bishop and five years as bishop of over 300-plus ward members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Currently enrolled at BYU Idaho online bachelor program; notary public.
Reason for running: My reasons are for representation of the open rural and agricultural resources and heritage that has a very large economic impact in St. Johns County as well as the state. To reduce the amount of government that has usurped authority and restore the foundational principles of good government which is the Constitution. To bring our local purse out in the open to see exactly where the funds are going and why there is a deficit in our infrastructure funds that were to be the mechanism to overcome the planned population increase from the developments of regional impact. To provide the necessary services of a free society and to curb all unnecessary spending.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: Propose a moratorium on further large development until this infrastructure deficit is solvent and the overcapacity roads are brought up to the needs of safety and commerce. Reduce government overreach and the legalized plunder arbitrarily imposed on small businesses and property owners. Protect the individual liberty, private property rights and the ability to defend these rights by any means necessary.
How would you help the county deal with the effects of rapid population growth? That will be mostly corrected by the market conditions and the ever-increasing inflation and interest rate hikes which are already showing signs of slowing down growth along with a very vocal populous that is living this intended consequence designed 25 years ago. I believe government needs to get out of the way and let basic laws of economics …
What would your approach be to handling requests for rezonings and land-use changes for new residential development? This is to be scrutinized heavily by the commission and the public, especially those that would be directly impacted by any changes that could affect their rights now or have future consequences.
Chuck Labanowski
City of residence: St. Augustine
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? 15 years
Previous elected positions: Turnbull Creek CDD Board, eight years (salaried position); HOA secretary eight years (non-salaried position).
Community service: Prior to my campaign for commissioner, I spent almost all my spare time volunteering to help others. It’s ingrained in me as the oldest of nine. I regularly volunteer for the sheriff’s office. My other volunteer activities include successfully advocating for speed limit signs and LED street lights; clearing storm drains prior to major storms; and initiating the Amanda and Linda Memorial Park in Murabella. I’m fighting for a playground that was removed from the planned Village Park. I voice concerns about traffic volume on SR 16 at BOCC meetings and am advocating to widen. Learn more at ChuckForCommissioner.com.
Qualifications for office: I am a fiscally conservative Republican and a former Marine and combat veteran with five commendations. My military service is an important part of who I am, but it’s no substitute for the day-in, day-out work that I have done on behalf of my community for nearly a decade.
I am well prepared to do on a county level what I’ve been doing – very effectively – for 959 families for eight years now. I am the only candidate for District 2 County Commissioner who has served in an elected county position. My eight years’ experience on the Turnbull Creek CDD board and an equal number of years on the Architectural Review Board and on my HOA make me well qualified to be County Commissioner. I regularly attend County Commissioner and PZA meetings where I advocate for my community. I do this also so I can stay informed and keep my constituency informed.
I am honored to have graduated from the Citizen Law Enforcement Academy. Law enforcement runs deep in the Labanowski family, and I’m a proud dad of a deputy sheriff. My past jobs also qualify me to be commissioner including Navy intelligence, handling classified information at the Pentagon.
Reason for running: I fought for my country, and now, I’m fighting for my county. That’s more than a slogan for my campaign. It’s how I feel when I wake up every morning and I feel driven to protect the quality of life we cherish here in St. Johns County – something I see eroding away as developments are approved at an alarming rate. At BOCC meetings, I watch helplessly as a newly appointed District 2 commissioner with no credentials other than family connections to a major developer, rubberstamps new developments. In her first five months alone, Commissioner Arnold approved 17 out of 18 new developments. She voted to put more acres of land under the bulldozer during that time period than did any other commissioner – 2,960 acres.
The unrestrained approvals, regardless of impacts on already crowded roads and schools, display a lack of responsibility for the residents she took an oath to protect. An increasing number of children are in portable classrooms or being bused away from their neighborhoods schools that their parents planned on them attending. Portables are not as safe and secure as regular schools; our children deserve better.
I’m also running because over-capacity roads are unsafe. Not all medical emergencies qualify to be airlifted. In those cases, emergency vehicles must be able to get to the hospital without delay. The SilverLeaf expansion was approved by my opponent despite county staff advising that 19 roads would be adversely impacted by the project. That’s unacceptable. Commissioner Arnold’s ties to the Hutson family are also unacceptable; I believe it’s no coincidence that she was appointed just days before the first SilverLeaf vote.
For the good of every taxpaying citizen that lives here now, we must get our growth under control which means fewer approvals. Property rights are not violated if we adhere to our comprehensive plan and only allow that plan to be changed when it’s appropriate and safe for the community. There was a time when comp plan changes were the exception. Now, it seems they’re the rule.
I oppose the sales tax increase that will be on the ballot in November. I’m also against any possible millage rate increase. We do not need to burden families anymore that are facing the ever-rising cost of living like gas and food costs. Our commissioners are now asking us to pay what developers should have paid when their projects were approved.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: I will have an open-door policy if elected commissioner. My constituents will always come first.
I will be ready on day one to deal with what this county is facing. And I will be fully committed to serving the county full-time without juggling another job as I see several candidates are planning. One plans to “take time off” of his full-time FWC government job to perform another government job – county commissioner. Taxpayers deserve to see a better commitment than that to both jobs. As commissioner, this will be my only commitment.
Slow down the approval of new PUDs (Planned Unit Developments) until all current and approved developments are complete. When there are approvals, let’s make the infrastructure come first – before the development. What’s more, developers are receiving far too many credits. These credits are just one of the reasons that the infrastructure is deficient. Developers need to pay maximum impact fees and not receive credits.
Preserve more green space, reduce clear-cutting, and be more selective about development approvals. Slowing growth is job one because overdevelopment impacts every facet of our quality of life. And eventually, it will affect our home values and school ratings, if we don’t get it under control.
Maintenance and renourishment of our beautiful beaches is not just a quality-of-life issue. Our property values and our tourism industry all revolve around our 42 miles of coastline. We need to keep St. Johns County competitive with neighboring coastal communities, and always maintain our beaches.
Let’s keep our farmers farming. The shrinking of our very important farmland is adding to our dependency on other countries. We need to protect our farmland and help our local farmers sustain their business for the betterment of St Johns County. They’re helping to feed half of the U.S. I want to see the county invest in underground irrigation that’s win-win. It saves farmers up to 50% on water costs, and it conserves water so we’re pulling less out of the aquifer. Farmers are advocating with no success for qualifying funding such as ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) to be spent on this vital infrastructure.
Help veterans. Being a partially disabled veteran myself, I want to make sure our veterans are not forgotten. It’s time to protect the veterans who protected us. I would like to see support for the Mission 22 program.
How would you help the county deal with the effects of rapid population growth? I’ve discussed how reducing approvals will slow growth. But we also need to deal with the effects of the rapid growth that we’ve already experienced. Let’s carefully analyze what infrastructure is truly needed. The sales tax referendum proposal does not supply sufficient detail, and many of the “deficits” appear to benefit developers, if funded. Some roads truly need to be improved – and I’ve advocated for that extensively. Other items on the list of deficits or infrastructure needs may not be necessary. As a rule, I favor better salaries for first responders over buildings, and I believe they do as well.
What would your approach be to handling requests for rezonings and land-use changes for new residential development? I will remain true to my fiscally conservative principles and approach all such requests with that mindset. Any request that will cost us down the road – either financially or by compromising our quality of life will likely be met with a denial by me. I am not anti-development. I love my home that is part of a well-planned development, and I want to see others enjoy what I have. But we’ve learned the hard way that overdevelopment without considering impacts cannot continue. I invite the development community to work with commissioners and with residents to find the right balance.
LaShawnda L. Pinkney
City of residence: St. Augustine, Florida
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? I was born and raised in West Augustine and attended local schools. I did travel and returned back to St. Johns County in 2006. I have been a resident in St. Johns County for the last 18 years.
Previous elected positions: I’ve not been elected for any previous elected positions. I’ve devoted my time to serving and volunteering in my community.
Community service: I’m an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post No. 194, West Augustine Improvement Association and served as the West Augustine CRA Steering Committee, as the Cultural and Quality of Life Chair. I played a major role in West Augustine Community events such as: West Augustine Keep Calm & Walk for Cancer; West Augustine Easter Parade; West Augustine Back to School Giveaway; Domestic Violence Awareness Brunch; Toys for Tots; and Christmas in the Park. I also helped to address the elimination of blighted conditions, affordable housing, infrastructure improvements and employment opportunities, all have a huge impact on the quality of life of the people who live, who work and who reside in West Augustine.
Qualifications for office: I received my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in criminal justice. I’m a former child protective investigator; district resident services supervisor and a cultural and quality of chair, along with my current position as a human resources generalist, qualifies me the position of county commissioners. My experience in these positions includes management; administration; human resources; benefits administration; vendor management; multi-tasking; making sound decisions; participating in long-range planning; and managing a budget for seven properties in the Florida region. I have great communication skills, effectively communicating, verbally, written and, most importantly a great listener: I’m honest, compassionate, loyal, dependable, a team player, eager to learn, positive, outgoing, confident and determined.
Reason for running: I was motivated to run for St. Johns County Commission District 2 because I have a vested interest; I live, I work, I play (which is my volunteer time for me) and I have raised my children and grandchildren in St. Johns County. Over the last 15 years I’ve had the opportunity to work with various nonprofit organizations that have work hard to provide a better quality of life to the residents of St. Johns County. I have seen the challenges as well as our county’s successes. I would like to continue my civic duty by building on the success of our county, finding solutions for current concerns, and helping maintain our quality of life. I would like to do this while building a stronger county for St Johns County residents, continue helping others and listen to the residents.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: Vote “NO” to the sales tax increase!
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners voted to send a proposed one-penny sales tax increase for voter approval. My vote is “NO!” And so should yours be. Our county has been impacted by the pandemic over the last two years, recent rising inflation and now an increase in gas prices. This is no time to raise the sales tax! Those who have the least will be impacted the most.
Responsible growth
Talk about Growing Pains! St. Johns County continues to face issues with traffic and over development. The Board of Commissioners having already approved over 65,000 housing developments and more development projects are being presented to the Board. I’m not opposed to development, I’m more in favor of Responsible/Smart Growth. The Board of County Commissioners needs to slow the pace of the development, continue to hold developers accountable for their projects by having developers pay for needed infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, parks, recreation, etc.). Slow the pace down until we get it right.
More career jobs. Better-paying jobs.
We need more jobs that offer a career path for our youth to stay here and return here, and jobs for those ready to start their second or third careers. I am committed to growing our economy in a way that generates higher commercial property values, reduces the tax burden on our residents, and creates employment opportunities.
Support for our veterans, first responders, and law enforcement officers
Standing on the shoulders of my grandfather, the late Rev. John D. Williams Sr. who was a World War II veteran, I learned about commitment, service and dedication to our country. In the spirit of service, not self, I have been committed to community service and support for our Veterans, First Responders, and Law Enforcement Officers through providing more support programs: healthcare, daily living, financial, transportation and housing. This needs to be a clear priority throughout our community.
How would you help the county deal with the effects of rapid population growth? I definitely don’t have all of the answers for the rapid population growth in St. Johns County. The rapid didn’t happen over night and it will not be resolved overnight. I would like to see the progress on the county’s current Growth Management Plan, support continued Growth Management workshops, listen to resolutions that the residents of St. Johns County may have, focus on dealing with traffic congestion by improving our transportation infrastructure, compare mobility fees verses impact fees and review plans for areas that are under developed. Until there’s a solution continue to hold the developers accountable for their projects by having them pay for the needed infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, parks, recreation for our youth/elderly).
What would your approach be to handling requests for rezonings and land-use changes for new residential development? My approach for handling rezonings and land use changes for new residential development is to review the site plans, speak the applicant, understand the codes, policies and talk with the residents of the area to see what their concerns are and how the rezoning and land changes affect the present infrastructure.