St. Augustine Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder called the annual Nights of Lights “gaudy” this week—and pressed for a halt on all advertising for the showcase.
Speaking at a City Commission meeting on Monday, Blonder went on the offensive against what many consider a sacred commercial cow that keeps local businesses up and running.
But a wave of resident complaints during this year’s record-breaking rendition has put the event under heightened scrutiny.
Blonder revealed her reservations about Nights of Lights in its current form—and argued that it cheapens the Old City’s historic legacy.
“I don’t think Nights of Lights is heritage tourism,” she said. “Not with the blow-up Santa Clauses and gaudy lights. It’s not highlighting our architecture.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.”
“I’m not even sure how it’s gotten to this point,” she added.
Earlier in the meeting, Blonder called for an end to all Nights of Lights advertising.
“I’m going to say this controversial thing,” she said. “I think we should suspend all commercial advertising for Nights of Lights tourism.”
Blonder noted that European cities in Belgium and Norway reined in advertising to curb “over-tourism.”
The official said St. Augustine’s renown is already well established and that the city appears on a host of high-profile lists of top tourist destinations each year.
“The word has gotten out there,” she said. “I don’t know why we need to keep advertising Nights of Lights.”
Blonder said that she would rescind her support for the event without additional funding from both local businesses and the county to pay for the rising costs of managing the event.
Her comments came after a Nights of Lights report from City Manager David Birchim, who highlighted traffic snarls, extended response times for emergency responders, and overflowing trash bins among a host of concerns.
While a stream of residents have complained about myriad inconveniences during the event, business owners told local officials not to tinker with what they deem an inarguable success.
They’ve called for improved management rather than a pullback.
Renaissance St. Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel Food and Beverage Director Bryce Hannon told the panel that they should proceed gingerly given the stakes.
“When you turn that faucet off, there is the potential that it may never come back on,” he said, stressing that the event supports the livelihoods of many local staffers and business owners. “I caution all of you with those decisions. Take into consideration how hard we worked to build this up to what it is and what it brings to our community. And what we could lose by getting rid of it.”
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