I’m Ann Taylor, devout Christian and mother of two teenage sons who currently attend St. Johns County schools; they are the inspiration for my candidacy, as our schools struggle to keep up with our county’s unbridled growth. A top priority of mine as County Commissioner will be to responsibly manage the growth and ensure that we have a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for our children.
My husband Jeff is my rock, and I’m grateful to have him by my side on this journey to help take back our county from developer-driven government and the impacts it’s had on quality of life, county-wide.
I am honored to have the endorsement of Commissioner Krista Joseph.
I am ready to be a commissioner that listens to you and works to slow the growth and improve our quality of life, and I hope I can count on your vote.
On August 20th, voters sent a strong message about out of control development in St Johns County.
The voters have taken a significant step toward putting an end to unchecked development in St. Johns County. But we’re not done yet.
As the Republican candidate for County Commissioner in District 5, I am committed to conservative ideals and representing the will of the people. That means being a good steward of your tax dollars and protecting your quality of life.
Our county is at a crossroads, and the decisions we make today will shape our future for decades to come. I am committed to:
I have two teenage sons in public school, both very impacted by the overcrowding, and I decided to do something about it.
First, I did my homework.
And here’s what I learned is the root of the problems with our schools: our development-happy commissioners. St. Johns County has the highest income by school district of any county in the state. Our average income is $88,794 per year which is $11,000 more than the next highest income ranked county.
Now guess what our county’s rank is for spending on elementary and secondary schools per pupil. We are nearly last, statewide – 64th in spending per pupil. Yes, 63 school districts statewide spend more per pupil than we do. How can that be when our income is so high?
Our schools are being flooded with more students than we can handle, and even after we raise our school budgets, we’re still overwhelmed by the influx. The trend is frightening – our spending per student is decreasing every year. In 2017-18, we spent 11% less per student than the state average.
Last year, that difference widened to 17%!
We try to “fix” the problem by bussing children out of schools that get too crowded, increasing class sizes and putting more students in portable classrooms – all of which is very disruptive to our children’s education and causes teachers to leave.
Our children are our future.
But there’s still more to my candidacy than improving education and slowing the growth.
I commend Commissioner Joseph for her fight to preserve more land, more trees, and more of the beauty that makes St. Johns County special. Our current commission voted down all 14 of her proposals to reduce clearcutting and protect more trees. Our commissioners are in the pockets of way too many developers.
I want to see a robust and diverse economy in St. Johns County, without resorting to businesses that are destructive to our communities such as massive warehouses that increase truck traffic – sometimes through residential areas.
I will support our farmers who help feed the entire eastern half of the U.S. I’ve seen commissioners turn a blind eye to farmers when they request funding for their infrastructure needs such as underground irrigation which saves money and water.
Traffic on virtually all major roads exceeds the capacity they were designed to carry. (Source: TAS) I believe roads should only operate up to their design capacity and if they exceed that, then more traffic should not be added.
Here’s some good news.
Every voter in St. Johns County can vote for every commissioner. So together, we can replace the three commissioners who have been so destructive to our county while serving the developers who fund them.
Please register if you haven’t already to vote in the General election on November 5th 2024.
Please take a few more minutes to learn about my background and why I believe I’m very qualified to be your County Commissioner.
