A Change in Francis Field: How a New Resolution Could Hurt St. Augustine's Art Community
Francis Field in St. Augustine, FL is an often-used venue for events. It is conveniently located in the heart of the city’s Historic District, directly across from the Historic Downtown Parking Facility. Because of its convenient location, Francis Field has been the venue for food festivals, concerts, art festivals, sporting events, rallies, and more. Two artistic events have already been scheduled at Francis Field for 2017: the St. Augustine Arts and Crafts Festival and the Old Town Art Show will take place from November 25th-26th and April 8th-9th respectively.
As a city that, according to VisitStAugustine.com, “boasts a vibrant community of art galleries, theatres, orchestras, ballets and more”, events such as the Art and Crafts Festival and the Old Town Art Show draw large crowds of not only locals, but also tourists.
Despite the popularity of such events, a new resolution passed by the St. Augustine City Commission might make it more difficult for events to be held at Francis Field.
Resolution 2016-16 was passed on May 23rd of 2016. The St. Augustine City Commission voted unanimously to pass this resolution, which according to the Public Affairs Office came about as a result of “[...]issues raised by the public [...]”. Resolution 2016-16 affects the management of Francis Field. The changes include a two-year moratorium on any new multi-day events at Francis Field, a two-year moratorium on any new events from March-April and during the Nights of Lights (which goes from mid-November to the end of January), and a two-year moratorium on new events in the right-of-way that require the closing of a street or that cause any traffic for more than two hours. The St. Augustine Code of Ordinances defines a right-of-way as “land in which the County, or any other public or private entity, owns the fee or has an easement devoted to or required for use as a transportation facility.”
These changes very well may prevent event coordinators and promoters from considering Francis Field for new artistic events. Keep in mind that, though these changes appear to focus mostly on new events, they can also affect established events (such as the St. Augustine Arts and Crafts Festival or the Old Town Art Show).
According to the Old Town Art Show’s website, the winter event was canceled due to “recent revisions in the City of St. Augustine Event Management policy”, though the site did not state which revisions in particular forced the cancellation of the event.
Many other events will also be impacted by the city’s resolution. For example, Resolution 2016-16 requires that any event with more than 1,000 attendees must provide the following: satellite parking for volunteers and vendors, a city-approved parking and transit plan, and funding for traffic management associated with the event.
These rules will affect The St. Augustine Arts and Crafts Festival as the event draws “an estimated 15,000 visitors”, according to an article on the St. Augustine Record website.
These changes will also affect the wallets of event coordinators. There are new set rates for use of Francis Field. Event organizers can now pay up to $1,000 for a one-day event at the field.
These new regulations are in line with the St. Augustine Code of Ordinances. Section 28-347 states that “All special event venues whether permitted, permitted as a use by exception or as an accessory or ancillary use to other permitted uses maybe subject to conditions reasonably related to minimize negative impacts and achieve compatibility with the neighborhood and protect historic resources.”
According to the City of St. Augustine Event Venues and Permit Guidelines distributed by the Public Affairs Department, Francis Field is one of only six venues available for staging events in St. Augustine. With such a limited number of spaces available for large-scale events in St. Augustine, Resolution 2016-16 could put a stop altogether to artistic events coming to the Ancient City.
A map pinpointing the six event venues in St. Augustine, FL. Created on Google Maps. 2017. (Created by: Mal Carney)
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