ST. AUGUSTINE SET
First
TO WELCOME its
Black Mayor by Kevin M. Briscoe
On December 7, St. Augustine City Commissioner Cynthia Garris will become the city’ s first Black mayor in its 461-year history.“ Commissioner Garris is making history as the first Black mayor of St. Augustine, and with that brings a shift in the leadership landscape and direction of the city,” said outgoing Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline, who opted not to run for another term.“ I have high hopes that her passion for compassion will continue the important work of building unity and respect for everyone in our community.”
For Garris, the decision to make that historic run was not immediate. Being the first former city staff member and the first Black woman ever elected to the commission was one thing; adding first Black mayor to her resume was another.
“ I was undecided about whether to run for reelection or run for mayor, but a friend suggested that, if I didn’ t run, we’ d never have a Black mayor,” Garris said.
Garris began her career in St. Augustine as a parking attendant at the Visitor Information Center Parking Garage and later served as a custodian for the Governor’ s House Cultural Center and Museum. She went on to serve as a facilities coordinator at the St. Johns County Clerk of Courts for a decade before retiring in 2021. After two unsuccessful bids for public office in 2000 and 2002, Garris was sworn in as commissioner in 2022.
“ Cynthia comes extraordinarily prepared for office, having worked her way up over the decades from inside the city government, and knowing its workings firsthand,” said David Nolan, longtime resident, historian and co-founder of the ACCORD Civil Rights Museum and Freedom Trail.
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