Growing crowds during St. Augustine’s famed Nights of Lights event have sparked concerns about a potential terror attack, similar to the one that occurred along Bourbon Street in New Orleans last month.
St. Augustine City Manager David Birchim highlighted the issue in a report to be presented to the City Commission on Monday.
“New Orleans—could it happen here?” reads a bullet point from the document. “Not if, but when.”
On January 1, a deranged driver slammed into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street before exiting his vehicle and exchanging gunfire with police. In total, 15 people died in the tragedy.
Birchim told The Citizen that officials are concerned about St. Augustine’s vulnerability to a similar incident, given the interaction between pedestrians and vehicles during the holiday gatherings.
The larger crowds this year have heightened worries to the point that the matter is now under active discussion.
Birchim said the St. Augustine Police Department is exploring ways to separate vehicles from the throngs who descend on the Old City.
The Nights of Lights report also highlights infrastructure strains, including overburdened public restrooms and trash cans, as well as increased travel times for emergency responders due to heavier traffic.
Birchim added that the city will test potential solutions to some of these challenges during the summer months.
While the growing scope of Nights of Lights has sparked complaints from locals, business owners assert that the event is a crucial commercial pillar that sustains scarce local jobs and keeps merchants afloat.
The report will be discussed in detail on Monday.
2 Responses
I am all for tourism in downtown and supporting local businesses but there needs to be another source of funding. I am a homeowner downtown and pay double the taxes I would if I just lived in the county and what do I get? Over crowded streets and traffic. The college needs to start paying more taxes as they are buying up property for their expansion. Property that could have gone to someone paying taxes on the land. Plus how about a tourist fee that goes to aleaving home owners taxes? There needs to be some benefit for living downtown. At the peak of Nights of Lights it took my husband 1hr 45 mins to travel home 2 miles from the grocery store. Increased police and traffic control and toilets should not be the residents burden to pay for in taxes.
And one more complaint while I’m on it. The “art” installation that’s suppose to go in the round about by the library/vilano causeway…. I can’t believe over 200k was approved to pay for that project. What a waste of city tax payer dollars. I hope it withers and dies before it goes up although fat chance of that.
The city has an insane amount of money. money isnt an issue