ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Crowd control, safety barriers, and traffic planning were all put to the test during this year’s Fourth of July celebration in St. Augustine.
With the city’s biggest event of the year—Nights of Lights—just months away, local leaders said the test run was a success, though not without challenges.
“I think one measure of success is that we did not have a tremendous outcry or frustration and negativity in feedback from the community,” said Melissa Wissel, Communications Director for the City of St. Augustine.
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The city introduced a series of new safety measures on Independence Day, including pedestrian barricades, high-security vehicle barriers, and a significantly expanded police presence. The goal: simulate conditions expected during Nights of Lights and identify areas needing improvement.
One major issue was traffic congestion leaving downtown, due in part to ongoing construction.
“The construction that was there at US One and King Street. We were down to a single lane getting out of downtown, so we did see a bit of a delay,” Wissel explained.
Community feedback was mixed.
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“We were very pleased with all the setup. I know that they’ve been working for months and months and months for this test run,” said Jennifer Goodrich, owner of Peace, Love & Little Donuts.
But others described the experience as overwhelming.
“It was chaotic. It was crazy. It was bumper-to-bumper with people,” said local resident Gaylene Shorter.
Read: St. Augustine leaders vote to shorten Nights of Lights celebration
Despite the crowding, Goodrich said the security presence made a noticeable difference.
“The police presence was huge. I felt like in past years it was kind of hard to even find a police officer,” she added.
Still, some residents remain concerned that a single-day test run might not be enough to prepare for a nearly two-month-long event.
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“Also knew that it was just one day, so because the Night’s Lights go on and on and on and on, I mean, it’s every day every night,” Shorter said.
Nights of Lights is set to begin earlier than usual this year—on Saturday, Nov. 15, instead of the week before Thanksgiving. It will also wrap up sooner, ending Jan. 11, two weeks earlier than its typical conclusion.
City officials said the next step is to review all the feedback in a commission meeting scheduled for Monday, where adjustments may be made ahead of the festival’s kickoff.
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