Senior Flagler College official Beth Sweeny is slated to become the next mayor of St. Augustine Beach.
Current Mayor Dylan Rumrell nominated his colleague at a Monday City Commission meeting, and she was approved without opposition.
Before moving to elevate Sweeny, Rumwell addressed the commission and reflected on his two years in office.
“Serving you has been an honor, and the accomplishments we’ve achieved together make me incredibly proud,” he said. “This has been a period of meaningful progress.”
Rumrell, who prioritized visibility for his office and its priorities on social media, touted the redevelopment of the Anastasia Island Publix and key infrastructure upgrades as signatures advances during his tenure.
Sweeny, currently vice mayor, thanked her predecessor.
“Talk about enormous shoes to fill,” she said. “I told him earlier that he is Mr. St. Augustine Beach. It’s a challenge that I look forward to. But it’s going to be impossible to do everything that you have done to bring positive attention to our community.”
Commissioner Virginia Morgan, an attorney with the Coquina Law Group was tapped as vice mayor, also without opposition.
A Flagler College alumna, Sweeny serves as the St. Augustine school’s director of external and government relations.
In her role, Sweeny “works with both state and local government entities on behalf of the College,” according to her bio.
Born in Ohio, she moved to Florida to attend Flagler and graduated with a degree in political science in 2005.
Before assuming her post at Flagler, Sweeny “gained extensive experience with governmental relations, as a legislative aid to Senator Ronda Storms and director of policy and government relations with the St. Johns County School District.”
She has also served as a board member of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce and as chair of the group’s Public Policy Committee.
Sweeny is married to Kevin Sweeny, a prominent political strategist.
Morgan attended the University of Texas and graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law in 2006.
Commissioners Sweeny and Morgan will be sworn in as St. Augustine Beach’s next mayor and vice mayor in January 2026.
