ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The City of St. Augustine is requesting $1.2 million from the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council for the city’s annual Nights of Lights celebration.
In 2024, the city only asked the county for $200,000.
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City leaders say even though the lights display will run for fewer days this year, they still need more money to help better manage the large crowds.
St. Augustine City Manager David Birchim said last year’s crowds were some of the largest the city had ever seen.
“We simply were not anticipating that, and we were not prepared for it, so this budget request we’ve got with the TDC addresses those deficiencies that we saw,” Birchim said.
The City Manager’s team laid out costs for the services that the $1.2 million would fund:
- $550,000 for an expanded shuttle service
- $320,000 for restrooms
- $190,000 for barricades and bike racks
- 141,500 for lighting
You can see the full breakdown of that itemized list here:
Birchim said the expense for expanded shuttle service is largely because of the city’s decision to provide the shuttle for 35 days compared to the 6 days it was available last year.
“It’s a 58-day event, and 35 days is the biggest days during that event,” Birchim said.
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The private company that will supply the festival’s porta-potties will also tackle the city’s solid waste sanitation throughout the duration of the event.
If approved, the $1.2 million would come out of the county’s bed tax.
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“Whenever someone spends the night in a hotel or a bed and breakfast, they pay a special tax for that room rate, and that’s reserved in a fund, and that’s where we’re asking the money to come out of,” Birchim said.
County leaders haven’t decided on the funding request.
The council will meet again on July 21 to discuss the request again.
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