FDOT could pay St. Augustine $100K to temporarily remove Bridge of Lions' lions
Within the next seven months, St. Augustine's Bridge of Lions could become the bridge without lions.
The city could soon approve an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to remove the two Medici lion statues from the west end of the bridge for $100,000 as part of a project to replace the seawall along the Matanzas River.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
FDOT told Action News Jax, if the agreement is approved, the lions would be removed from the bridge by January 31, 2026, and reinstalled by December 31, 2028.
Action News Jax told you last year when the $45 million seawall replacement project initially had an expected completion date of November 2025. FDOT now says there is no set completion date, and it is still in the design phase.
Some people living in St. Augustine told Action News Jax they hope to see the seawall replaced, but not the lions removed from their base.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
'It's called the Bridge of Lions, but there won't be any lions,' said Ronny Dixon, who lives in St. Augustine, 'I think it's sad. I mean, they're such a staple of what we see every morning when we walk across, and I think that they will be sorely missed.'
Keith Bariani lives in the city too, and said he doesn't agree with removing the lions or the plan to replace the seawall.
'The lions are St Augustine. This is what it's all about. To take them away is going to be really detrimental, I think, to the city,' Bariani said.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
FDOT says it is planning on having another public meeting to go over the seawall replacement project sometime in December. The agency said, if the agreement to remove the lions is approved, the city would be responsible for storing and maintaining the lions while they are away from the bridge. FDOT said it would refurbish the concrete pedestals they are sitting on.
The St. Augustine city commission is expected to vote to approve the agreement with FDOT to remove the lions during its next meeting, which is being held on Monday at 5:00 PM inside City Hall.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Mayor of Green Cove Springs suddenly resigns, successor to be appointed Tuesday night
Green Cove Springs is getting a new mayor. The city announced Tuesday that Mayor and City Councilmember Thomas Smith had resigned, effective immediately. In the announcement, the city said Smith's 'evolving work-related obligations have made it no longer possible for him to continue fulfilling the duties of public office," referring to his outside work. In his communication to the city manager, GCS said Mayor Smith expressed his gratitude for the time he was able to serve his neighbors, calling it an 'incredible honor.' Smith was first elected to the Council in April 2022. City Council will choose a new mayor and vice mayor during its regularly scheduled City Council meeting at 6 P.M. tonight. The position of vice mayor is currently held by Councilmember Edward Gaw. A special election will also be held in the future to fill the newly vacated City Council seat. Details on the election for Seat 4 are expected in the near future. 'The City thanks Thomas Smith for his dedication and service to Green Cove Springs and wishes him well in his future endeavors.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Security ramps up ahead of nationwide ‘No Kings' protests
On Saturday, nearly 2000 'No Kings' protests are set to take place across the country. These protests are part of a national grassroots movement opposing President Donald Trump's policies. 'We're protesting because there are no kings in America. Not then, not now, not ever,' said Katie Chorbak, leader of 50501 Veterans. The protests are on the same day as the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, Flag Day, and President Trump's 79th birthday. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< This also follows a week of violence in Los Angeles as demonstrators protest President Trump's immigration policies. Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stopped in Jacksonville and gave a stark warning to Florida protestors. 'Do not even try to shut down the streets,' said the Governor. 'We're going to make sure that you don't do that.' The protests are being spearheaded by several grassroots movements such as 50501. Jess Boaz is a local 50501 Northeast Florida organizer. She said they are expecting nearly 1000 people to participate in the protest at the Duval County Courthouse and have hired Marshals to keep protestors safe. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]to 'Their job is to stand in between the protesters and the people that are inciting violence and to try to calm them down, take them away from the situation, talk with them,' said Boaz. In St. Johns County, a smaller 'No Kings' protest is scheduled to be at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Racetrack Road. Ray Kenny is one of the co-organizers for this protest. He said they are expecting around 250 people, and this particular protest is designed to be what he calls a sign wave 'We won't be chanting or singing, but we're trying to spread out strategically, so that this intersection, being a very busy one, people spend a lot of time sitting at a red light. And while they're sitting at that red light, we want them to be able to glance over and actually be able to read out signs and hear our messaging,' said Kenny. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] I asked Kenny if they had any security measures in place in case things were to get out of hand. 'We don't anticipate any problems at all,' he said. We reached out to the Duval GOP for their response to the protests and have not heard back. We have also reached out to several local law enforcement agencies about their preparations ahead of the No Kings protest. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Jacksonville City Councilman proposing changes to Neighborhood Bill of Rights
In a statement, City of Jacksonville Councilman Rahman Johnson said his plan to codify the city's Neighborhood Bill of Rights will give residents a structured seat at the table before decisions are made. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< He said that with the law the way it is, the city fell short of Brentwood residents by leaving them out of the decision to build a morgue in their neighborhood. Action News Jax has been reporting on the medical examiner's office and forensics laboratory that is being built in the Brentwood neighborhood for years. Read: 'Find another place:' Brentwood community protests morgue being built next to school Neighbors have complained that they were not properly notified about the city's building plan. People such as Katrina Spencer, who lives in Brentwood, said the change to the law is coming too late, though. 'The law will be good, but it's not going to benefit us because it's already being in effect,' she shares. Read: Brentwood residents suing City of Jacksonville for building morgue in their neighborhood Councilman Johnson tells Action News Jax while the current law provides no legal remedy for Brentwood residents, his proposed changes to the bill would do some things like: Require early notice to neighborhoods for zoning and development Ensure residents have a voice before decisions are made. Use CPAC'S, or Citizen Planning Advisory Committee's, as official community mediators. On Monday, June 9th, the councilman held the first of the meetings to introduce the legislation to community groups. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Councilman Johnson said he plans to meet with more community groups to discuss the legislation before bringing it before the council for codification. The councilman said he plans to have a final draft ready to present before his peers as late as the fall. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
