Residents First.
Developers Last.
- Florida attorney and patent professional with no ties to land development or tourism
- 16 years experience as a federal civil servant
- My wife and I are raising our three sons, born right here in St. Augustine
Running For Residents
I work in intellectual property — patents and inventions — so my career has nothing to do with land development or tourism. My only interest in running is to make our city the best place for residents to live and raise a family.
Issues:
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Stop Unnecessary Development
- In 2014, the city commission sent a referendum to voters — it was sold as “strengthening the 35-foot cap on building height,” but really only made it easier to build 10 extra feet of structures on top of roofs (parapets).
- 7 months later, the city, via the P&Z Board, wrongly approved a 52-foot hotel (Embassy Suites) — they measured the 35-foot height limit starting from above the first-floor parking garage.
- The city has never admitted it measured wrong, despite “clarifying” that future measurements will be made correctly starting at the ground instead of above raised parking garages.
- We need a charter amendment that actually strengthens the 35-foot cap and doesn't allow any future commission to change it by a simple majority vote; further, we need to clean up the charter language so nobody can make any frivolous arguments or claim loopholes allow 52 or 55-foot buildings.
- I will advocate for closing the loopholes ASAP so the Embassy Suites never happens again.
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Lower the Tax Burden
- The city commission has voted to increase property taxes every single year for 12 consecutive years.
- Houses today often pay more than double, almost triple, the taxes they paid 12 years ago (if no exemptions apply).
- In addition, the city commission voted to add a brand-new stormwater tax of about $200 on the typical single-family home.
- Taxes levied have increased 172% in 12 years (almost tripled), but the city doesn't seem to have gotten much better.
- We need to only tax our property for what is absolutely necessary to provide the essential services that make our community better — nothing more.
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Fix the Drainage
- On Oct. 9, heavy rain during a king tide put A1A Beach Boulevard under water.
- We pay for it. Most homes pay a stormwater fee of about $200 a year, and the city holds $6.57 million in unassigned reserves.
- The tide valves were dropped. At Pope Road, County pipes connect our drains to Salt Run with no backflow valves, so king tides can back into our system. The city designed and permitted the valves, a $600,000 fix mostly paid by FEMA, then withdrew in 2024 rather than take on maintaining County drainage. Nothing has been built.
- The drains under A1A Beach Boulevard are the County's to maintain, and the last cleaning on public record was in 2019.
- Build the valves. The design and permits are done. Settle in writing who maintains them, and build it.
- Inspect and clean the Beach Boulevard drains now. Press the County to camera-inspect and clean the drains and the main pipe under 16th Street, and fix what it finds.
- Keep them clean, in public. Hold the County to inspecting and cleaning every year before storm season, with the records posted for residents.
Raising our boys here
Our three sons were born right here in St. Augustine, and this is the only home they have ever known. This campaign is about making St. Augustine Beach the best city for residents and families.
Stay Updated
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Contact
- Email Jacob4SAB@gmail.com
- Phone 904-789-0808
- Email jacob.dascomb@gmail.com
- Phone (727) 239-6569
- Mail 211 3rd St, St. Augustine Beach, FL 32080
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