Romanza Festivale 2020 Cancelled
Due to the COVID-19 emergency the 2020 St. Augustine’s Romanza Festivale of Music & The Arts is cancelled. The Festivale has been scheduled 17 days from May 1 to May 17, 2020 with daily events all around St. Augustine, including 80+ concerts, shows, exhibits, and more. Romanza regrets disappointing our many friends, fans and neighbors who delight in this annual showcase of St. Augustine’s abundant and diverse cultural scene. Most Festivale Partner organizations have notified us that they as well are forced to cancel their own productions within the Festivale. Not only are the crowd restrictions prohibitive, but several key performers may not be able to even get here from places like Australia, the UK, California, etc... This complex festival, with so many Partners and productions, is difficult to schedule in the first place, so we do not expect to reschedule it in 2020. Romanza believes in supporting the arts and our local artists. Romanza Festivale has been able to operate at a level of increasing support to our community artists and musicians through paid performances, stipends, sponsorships, Awards, scholarships, and significant promotion. Now Romanza has suffered a severe financial blow with the late cancellation of the Celtic Festival by our City. Francis Field was completely set up by the time we were given the order to cancel. Romanza incurred huge expenses for rented equipment already delivered, contracted personnel already on duty, and supplies already purchased, etc. Funds from Romanza’s savings account that were supposed to fund Festivale are suddenly not available. Romanza Festivale and the Celtic Festival, as well as the St. Patrick Parade are produced by Romanza-St. Augustine, Inc. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. www.RomanzaFestivale.com
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March 23, 2020 The following information is regarding St. Johns County’s additional response measures for COVID-19. Please call me or Michael Ryan, Director of Communications, at 214.493.2983 if you have any questions.
Additional St. Johns County COVID-19 Response Measures In response to the impacts of COVID-19 in our community, St. Johns County is taking additional measures to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our residents, visitors, and workforce. Effective Monday, March 23, the following policies, procedures, and actions will remain in effect until further notice: · Public Meeting Procedures – In accordance with State of Florida Executive Order 20-69, local government and public meetings do not require a quorum to be present in person or meet in a specific public place. In addition, communications media technology, such as telephonic and video conferencing, may be utilized to conduct public meetings. The order does not suspend any other requirement under the Florida Constitution or “Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Laws”. · Limited Public Building Access – All St. Johns County facilities are operating under limited public access restrictions. In an effort to reduce the size of public gatherings and maintain the CDC recommended minimum distance of six feet between parties, each facility will implement individual guidelines relative to their specific building clientele and services. Measures could include the closure of public lobbies, the encouragement of online business practices, and the reduction of building occupancy. · COVID-19 Closure and Cancellation Extensions – All current St. Johns County facility closures and program cancellations associated with COVID-19 are extended through April 17. The closure extension applies to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, all St. Johns County public libraries, and recreational programming and facilities. St. Johns County will continue to evaluate and adapt all policies and practices in order to appropriately respond to COVID-19. For more information, please call the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Hotline at 904.824.5550. March 22, 2020
St. Johns County Public Beach Parking Lots Closed In order to maximize compliance with State of Florida Executive Order 20-68, all public beach parking lots in St Johns County are closed under the local state of emergency, effective 6 a.m. on Monday, March 23 and will remain closed until further notice. "After evaluating near record beach attendance over the weekend and consulting with local law enforcement officials, it is clear that the county needs to take additional steps to further reduce the size of the crowds on our beaches," said Hunter S. Conrad. "Our goal is to allow the beaches to remain as accessible as possible to our residents, while still observing CDC guidelines and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of our community." The determination to close all public beach parking lots is based upon a recommendation to reduce health risks associated with COVID-19 and beach overcrowding by the St Johns County Sheriff's Office, the St Augustine Beach Police Department, St Johns County Emergency Management, and local health officials. While pedestrian access to St Johns County beaches remains accessible, please limit gatherings to no more than 10 persons and maintain a minimum distance of six feet between other parties in compliance with CDC guidelines. Vehicular access to all St Johns County beaches remains prohibited until further notice. For more information, please call 904.824.5550. March 16th, 2020 St. Johns County COVID-19 Closures In the interest of public safety and in an effort to minimize the impact of COVID-19 within our community, the following St. Johns County facilities and programs are closed to the public, or have been cancelled, from March 16 through March 29, 2020: · All St. Johns County libraries and the library bookmobile. · All recreational facilities, recreational programming, recreational events, and all permitted events, including organized youth and adult sports, on St. Johns County property. · The St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier Gift Shop and all permitted events on associated County property, including the parking lot, volleyball courts, and the pier pavilion. · All events scheduled to occur at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds. · All events scheduled to occur at the St. Johns County Agriculture Center. · All events scheduled to occur at the St. Johns Golf Club. · The St. Johns County Pet Center. · All St. Johns County recycling and community collection events. · All St. Johns County Fire Rescue community programming. The St. Johns Golf Club, St. Johns County's beaches, parks, open green spaces, and trails remain open. In addition, Veterans Services, the Permit Center, Health and Human Services, Utilities Services, and all other County business services remain open to the public and operational. State-wide elections are also currently planned to proceed on Tuesday as scheduled. “We are at a crucial point of time in the development of COVID-19 within St. Johns County, and have the ability to minimize its progress by limiting large gatherings,” said Hunter S. Conrad, County Administrator. “As health, safety, and welfare are our highest priorities, it is critical that we work together with the community to encourage social distancing and the practice of basic infection prevention measures.” The County is implementing elevated cleaning services. In addition, employee work and travel policies are being implemented to safeguard a healthy workplace. St. Johns County is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation and remains in communication with local healthcare providers and public safety partner agencies. The County will continue to evaluate and adapt all policies and practices as necessary and appropriate. http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/ March 20, 2020
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS LIFTS ALCOHOL DELIVERY BAN, ALLOWS RESTAURANTS TO STAY OPEN FOR DELIVERY AND TAKE-OUT TO PROTECT FLORIDIANS FROM COVID-19 SPREAD TALLAHASSEE – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida restaurants will move to take-out and delivery only in response to the evolving COVID-19 impact across the state. In his Executive Order, the Governor also lifted the ban on alcohol delivery for restaurants under certain conditions. In the order, Governor DeSantis expressed his support to retailers, restaurants, and employees as they pursue creative business practices that safely serve consumers during this temporary period of social distancing. “Governor DeSantis continues to lead and take swift action out of precaution for the safety of Florida residents and visitors,” said Carol Dover, President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Allowing restaurants to stay open for delivery and take-out, while also lifting the ban for alcohol delivery, is critical to supporting Florida’s dining establishments and their employees. We applaud Governor DeSantis for allowing Florida’s hospitality industry to continue to meet the needs of communities across Florida during this difficult time. For more information and industry-related COVID-19 updates, please visit https://frla.org/ MARCH 17th, 2020
St. Johns County Declares Local State of Emergency, Activates Emergency Operations Center in Response to COVID-19 St. Johns County, Fl – In response to the COVID-19 disease, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners declared a Local State of Emergency on March 17, 2020. The declaration allows the County to access the resources necessary to prepare for, and respond to, the potential impacts of COVID-19 disease within the community. In addition, St. Johns County elevated the Emergency Operations Center with a level two partial activation to assist in the response. The Local State of Emergency declaration allows St. Johns County to take actions necessary to effectively respond to emergency conditions and mitigate disaster effects in an expedited manner through the acquisition of equipment, the securing of contracts, and qualification for FEMA reimbursement. The Board of County Commissioners, St. Johns County Administration, and Emergency Management Staff are responding to the development of COVID-19 within the United States, the state of Florida, and St. Johns County, following recommended CDC guidelines, and preparing accordingly. In addition, the County is actively communicating and coordinating with all key partners including the Florida Department of Health as the lead agency, Flagler Health+, the St. Johns County School District, St. Johns County Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, the City of St. Augustine, and the City of St. Augustine Beach. St. Johns County has a comprehensive emergency management plan in place and is confident in local first responders and the medical community's ability to respond to the virus. It is recommended that all residents and visitors follow CDC infection prevention guidelines including social distancing, washing hands often, avoiding contact with sick people, cleaning high-touch surfaces, and staying home when sick. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov or www.floridahealth.gov, call 1.866.779.6121, or email covid-19@flhealth.gov. In addition, the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center can be contacted between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at 904.824.5550. St. Johns County Beaches Closed to Vehicular Access
In an effort to maximize observance of the State of Florida’s executive order regarding gatherings on beaches, vehicular access to all St. Johns County beaches will be prohibited beginning Saturday, March 21.“We are taking a methodical and deliberate approach to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of our residents while also working to respect their personal rights in this environment of rapidly changing information,” said Hunter Conrad, St. Johns County Administration. “The measures we’ve taken today may not be what’s best for tomorrow and we remain flexible in our strategy without a current one size fits all approach.” The vehicular access restriction, a recommendation of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department, St. Johns County Emergency Management, and St. Johns County Administration, will be reevaluated throughout the weekend and adjusted as necessary based on available information, beach capacity, crowd size, and voluntary compliance. Executive Order 20-68 states that individuals accessing public beaches are to follow CDC guidance by limiting gatherings to no more than 10 persons and distance themselves from other parties by six feet. For more information, please call 904.824.5550. |
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May 2020
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