Signs can be seen everywhere in St. Augustine and St. Johns County. They are used to advertise the location of businesses, a garage sale, specials being offered by restaurants, political candidates during election cycles, car washes by student groups, to name just a few. Some of these signs are electronic, some of them are wooden, some of them are vinyl, some are large and some are small. There is a purpose for each and every one of these signs as they convey a message intended for the public.
Perhaps there are some people in this county that do not like or agree with the message conveyed by certain signs. That dislike, however, does not give them the right to steal or to vandalize these signs. Since the spring of 2008, the Democratic Party in St. Johns County has been the victim of signs that have been removed from their Headquarters at 142B King St. in downtown St. Augustine or from the property of individual Democrats displaying their preferred candidates for an upcoming election.
The latest theft, however, is not just vandalism, it is a felony. The three foot by six foot, large wooden free-standing sign, indicating the location of the St. Johns County Democratic Headquarters, was removed from the front of the building, between Saturday morning, November 14th and Sunday morning, November 15th. The cost to build this sign was $524.70, not an insignificant sum. Even though a police report was filed (C.C.R. No: 09-34900), it is doubtful that the culprit or culprits will be brought to justice. In an ideal world, those responsible would return the sign, with no questions asked. But we all know, this is not an ideal world. And the irony of this theft is that it occured opposite the Headquarters of the St. Augustine Police Department.
Nell Toensmann
Secretary
St. Johns County Democratic Party
November 24th 2009 - 3:37PM