ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — On Tuesday, registered voters in Florida will head to the polls to cast their ballots in the Presidential Preference Primary. In St. Augustine, voters will see an additional question on their ballot.
People living within St. Augustine municipal limits will vote on a charter amendment to move all matters regarding the police pension system from the city charter to the municipal code. The city commission passed an ordinance to remove the pension system from the city charter and move it to the municipal code in October 2023. However, St. Augustine City Attorney Isabelle Lopez said state law requires the city to put this matter to a referendum.
"Anytime we want to make any sort of change in terms of how the Pension Board invests funds for the pension, [it] would require a referendum question," Lopez said. "Anytime we would change the dates of service of board members, that would require a referendum question. So, it becomes very tedious to do these sorts of referendum changes."
Lopez also told First Coast News that moving this issue to the municipal code would make it easier for the city to make changes to anything related to the police retirement system.
"The question to the voters is: Would you rather we just move all of this into the municipal code, so we can amend it with just two readings, [and] have an ordinance instead of having to go through these referendum questions every time?" Lopez said.
All registered voters who live within St. Augustine city limits, regardless of political affiliation, can vote on this amendment. To learn more about the amendment, click here.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Click here to find your precinct.