by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors’ Ponte Vedra Council heard the hopes of a new officeholder at a holiday luncheon last month at the Sawgrass Beach Club.
Recently-elected St. Johns County Commissioner Tom Manuel attended the event and gave a brief rundown of his intentions as a newly elected official.
“I’m a big believer that the residents of St. Johns County are my customers,” said Manual. “All of you are my customers and we are going to put in a customer service management system to look at everything that we do that duplicates someone else’s efforts, so we can try to streamline things.”
Manuel’s three goals are to address transportation, economic development and better handling of taxpayer money.
His first goal in transportation is the start of highway 9B, which will begin at 9A and go all the way to CR 208.
“We are hoping to acquire all the right of ways by June 1,” he said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get it started sooner than later.”
As far as economic development, he wants St. Johns County to capitalize on its natural resources by increasing ecotourism and to reach out to corporate America and make the county attractive to companies who might want to relocate.
“We have a tax base of about 89 percent residential and only 11 percent commercial and that is not a good balance,” said Manuel. “We want to save money, build roads, try and promote economic development and protect, enhance and leverage our natural resources for the development of an eco-tourist market.”
Manual said he wants to see that they spend less money to get more bang for their buck.
“I want to help rebuild trust in government in St. Johns County,” he said.
photos by
Michele Newbern GilliS