It was the last day of school for St. Johns County on Friday, but it's the start of a new grading system for St. Johns County officials.
Sheriff David Shoar announced he will start issuing letter grades to elected county commissioners.
First Coast News obtained a memo that went out to all five commissioners Thursday, which said the sheriff intends to issue a “public safety report card” on their performance.
The memo said the county has reached a “tipping point” because of population growth, particularly in terms of education, infrastructure and crime.
Shoar said the letter grades will reflect each commissioner’s voting history, public comments and their relationship with law enforcement officials. It was not clear when the grades would be posted; the memo only said it would happen “soon.”
Commissioner Henry Dean was unfazed by the memo. “The only grade I care about is from the voters," he said. “I certainly support law enforcement and the military... but the only grade I care about is on Election Day.”
Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker had not yet had a chance to read the memo, but said as a former prosecutor, "I feel like I have a pretty good relationship with law enforcement." He would not say whether he welcomed or objected to being graded by the sheriff.
Commissioner Jeb Smith said, "I don't want a public fight with the sheriff, but the only report card that matters to me is Election Day." He added, "I don't know what his impetus is and I don't know what his desire is. This is his thing." He would not speculate about what grade he might receive from the sheriff.
Commissioner Jimmy Johns declined to comment via a spokesperson. Commissioner Paul Waldron was unavailable.
County Spokesperson Michael Ryan declined to provide a comment of behalf of the county.
First Coast News reached out to the sheriff, but he was not immediately available for comment.
However, in his memo, the sheriff, who does not intend to seek reelection, promises to “tell folks what they need to hear, not what they want to hear …regardless of any political expediency considerations.”
Shoar’s memo notes the county is growing by between 10,000 and 12,000 people a year.
Commissioners have resisted some of the Sheriff's spending requests in recent years, and have rejected putting a sales tax increase before voters on three different occasions. At a recent public meeting in Nocatee, Shoar suggested that Jeb Smith and Jimmy Johns, two commissioners who have staunchly opposed a sales tax increase, should be voted out of office.
Below is the full memo:
PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT
“Office of Sheriff to Issue Public Safety Report Cards on County Commissioners.”
Dear Team,
First, I want to thank each of you for all that you do for our residents and visitors on a daily basis and often times your actions require great personal sacrifice. As I close in on 40 years as a law enforcement officer in St. Johns County, I have had much time to assess the current crime conditions in our county. I believe I also possess situational awareness regarding the future crime challenges in our county. After much thought and study, it is my considered opinion that our wonderful county is at a “tipping point” in many areas, especially in regards to our schools, our crime challenges and the infrastructure needs in our county. There are many reasons why I believe this and adding approximately 10,000 to 12,000 residents per year to our county population certainly adds to this dilemma.
In our profession, we receive our report card every day we come to work. We receive an A-plus on our report card 98% of the time. On those occasions when we come up short or fail, the results can be dire.
I have decided that beginning this year, the Office of Sheriff will be issuing our first “Public Safety Report Card” regarding our county commissioners. Each Commissioner will receive a letter grade and their grades will be based on the following criteria:
- Their voting history regarding public safety issues.
- Their recorded comments during officially sanctioned/noticed government meetings.
- Their level of engagement with the Office of Sheriff to assist us with protecting our citizens and visitors.
- And finally, their relationships with other public safety agencies in St. Johns County.
As I told a group of citizens at a “town hall” meeting last week, I believe I was elected to tell folks what they need to hear, not what they want to hear in regards to public safety. All of you know that I embrace this path regardless of any political expediency considerations.
This effort will be widely publicized and we anticipate issuing this year’s “Public Safety Report Card” soon. We will share the results with our citizens and visitors through our social media platforms and, of course, through direct mail.
Finally, we are planning multiple “Community Engagement” events to discuss the current and future state of crime conditions in our county.
Again, thank you for all you do and thank you for the positive feedback I receive daily from our residents and visitors regarding your outstanding performance!! Be safe!!
Your Sheriff,
David B. Shoar
