New Year’s Day is long past, but the political pyrotechnics continue to flare on the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners.
Citing her absence during last August’s garbage collection fiasco and handling of a tree-saving initiative, Board Chair Krista Joseph on Tuesday proposed a vote of no-confidence in County Administrator Joy Andrews.
The bid failed by a tally of 3-2.
Joseph argued that Andrews committed municipal malpractice by vacationing in China as the county handed over trash collection duties to new contractor FCC.
Their disastrous debut was plagued from the start by missed pickups, strewn trash and a chorus of resident fury.
“A vacation is not something that an experienced county administrator with a major contract about to commence should take when there may be operational issues,” Joseph said.
She compared the Sino-sojourn to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass vacationing in Ghana as fires ravaged her city this month.
While she said she wasn’t equating the infernos to St. Johns’ rubbish woes, Joseph said “there are parallels.”
“Just as Los Angeles residents are holding their leaders accountable for poor decisions that led to much greater vulnerability of homes and wildfires, we too must hold our leaders accountable for poor decisions that residents have to live with every day,” she said.
Joseph said Andrews, upon her return from China, counseled against using all available resources to quickly pick up uncollected trash because residents would get used to timely service “every single time.”
Joseph highlighted her $300,000 in annual compensation, a package she said is among “the highest in the state.”
“Residents expect and deserve the highest level of service and they are not receiving it,” she said. “I do not believe that Joy Andrews’ performance justifies keeping her in the job.”
Joseph also accused Andrews of purposefully “stonewalling” a discussion of tree-preservation measures at an October 2023 meeting.
“Her behavior that day and since regarding discussion of tree regulations is unacceptable and not reflective of the desire of voters,” she said, asserting that Andrews skews in favor of developers.
Board commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst fiercely defended the administrator, asserting that Joseph’s campaign was rooted in “personal” animus and policy disputes.
Acknowledging that they both voted in favor of the ill-fated switch to FCC, Arnold and Whitehurst argued that Joseph’s ire should be focused on them.
“Come at me,” Whitehurst said. “It’s my fault. I’m responsible for my votes. But Joy Andrews did not influence my votes. These are policy decisions that you disagree with, and I respect that. But don’t take it out on Joy.”
Arnold echoed that stance. “In my opinion, St. Johns County could not be luckier to have a person of her caliber, her experience, her education leading us into these challenging years,” she said. “I just think that we’re in the best hands possible and it seems very very personal.”
A handful of public speakers who stuck around for the late inning drama were split on whether Andrews should retain her post.
With commissioner Ann Taylor signaling her support for Joseph’s measure, the deciding vote rested with newly installed panelist Clay Murphy.
While generally perceived as an ally of Joseph and Taylor, Murphy broke ranks.
“I would agree with Commissioner Whitehurst and Commissioner Arnold that the bullets belong at you and not at Ms. Andrews,” he said. “I am somebody who feels that it would be unwise at this time to make a move of this magnitude. So I won’t be supporting this recall.”
Just moments after the dramatic vote, the agenda abruptly moved on to a routine report — from the visibly shaken county administrator herself.
“This is actually a very difficult moment for me to give a report,” she said after taking a moment to compose herself. “I’m going to be as professional as I can be.”
Having barely survived her own personal storm, Andrews reviewed the county’s preparations for punishing weather set to touch down Wednesday.
