The city wants more for water, garbage, and fire
The city wants more for water, garbage, and fire, and the bird expo is Sunday.
The city has floated higher water, garbage, and fire fees, and the plan hits three lines on the same household bill. St. Johns Citizen reported the proposal on August 10. None of these are optional services. You cannot shop around for city water or fire protection, so an increase lands on every address in the city. Renters feel it too, usually a month or two later, when it shows up in the rent math. If you have ever skimmed past your utility statement, this is the month to read it. Proposed is not final, and the number that matters is the one that survives budget season.
Florida will refund sales tax on impact windows and doors
Florida is handing back sales tax on storm-hardening work, but only if you ask. The refund covers impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors on eligible residential property. Purchases count from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The house has to be site-built, with a homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less. You get one property and no more than $500 back, total. This is not a break at the register. You pay the tax first, then file for the refund with the required forms and your receipts. Claims are accepted from July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029.
Rare birds and their people land at World Golf Village Sunday
The St. Augustine Bird Expo comes to the Renaissance World Golf Village this Sunday, August 16. Doors are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 500 S. Legacy Trail. Breeders, rare birds, and a lot of people who talk about parrots the way other people talk about grandchildren. It is aimed at bird lovers, curious families, and anyone circling the idea of a first pet bird. Go in knowing that a companion bird is a decades-long commitment, not a Sunday impulse. Even if you leave empty-handed, it is a cheerful way to spend a morning.
A new name on the door reads A1A Asian Kitchen
A St. Augustine restaurant has rebranded itself as A1A Asian Kitchen, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported on August 10. A rebrand is rarely just a new sign out front. Menus get rewritten, hours move around, and the regulars find out when they walk in. Name changes here tend to travel by word of mouth long before they travel anywhere else. If the old name was on your rotation, it is worth a call before you drive over. The Daily Record has the full story on the switch.
A first day on the water, courtesy of the yacht club
The St. Augustine Yacht Club Sailing Center recently took a group of girls out for their first time sailing. That is the local shape of something bigger. The U.S. Sailing Association named the center's program its Outstanding Community Sailing Program of the year. The award cites “accessible, inclusive and high-quality sailing opportunities that make a meaningful difference.” In a town built on the water, plenty of kids grow up looking at boats without ever getting on one. Programs like this are how that changes, one group of kids at a time.
A night market takes over Castillo Drive on the 22nd
The Jax Night Market sets up at 25 W. Castillo Drive on Saturday, August 22. It runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The name says Jax, the address says St. Augustine, and the parking will say get there early. Seven hours is a long run for a market. You can treat it as a late afternoon stroll or an actual night out. August at 4 p.m. is still hot, so the back half of the evening is the friendlier half. Castillo Drive is walking distance from the fort and the north end of downtown. The city has it on its own calendar, hours and all.