Industrial Development Board Still Short Handed

The St. Johns County Industrial Development Authority is still short one member.

County commissioners earlier this month unanimously reappointed Kevin Kennedy to the IDA, confirming a recommendation from the authority.

According to the staff report accompanying the agenda item, the industrial Development Authority is “a public body created to finance and refinance projects for the public purposes described in the Florida Industrial Development Financing Act to foster economic development in St. Johns County.”

In addition the IDA is charged with studying the “advantages, facilities, resources, products, attractions and conditions concerning the county with relation to the encouragement of economic development in the county,” the report states.

The two vacancies are the result of expired terms, said Joanne Spencer, senior assistant to the Board of County Commissioners. Kennedy’s current term, along with that of Viv Helwig, expired Oct. 1.

“There were four applications that ran with the vacancy that ran for three months,” Spencer said. “This is still open for additional applications and I will bring this back in the future when we can get some qualified applications.”

In addition to Kennedy, the other applicants were Heather Harley-Davidson, Paul Morris and Robert Will. Applicants must be St. Johns County residents, a registered voter and file a financial disclosure. IDA members serve a four-year term.

County Commissioner Christian Whitehurst explained the need for qualified applicants to serve on the Industrial Development Authority.

“As this board’s liaison to that board, the conversation was Viv Helwig is terming out so he cannot be reappointed,” Whitehurst said. “But they wanted to reappoint Kevin Kennedy.”

Whitehurst said it was the IDA board’s decision to seek more applicants for the vacancy.

“They want to make sure they get more qualified applicants,” the said. “The Industrial Development Authority does a lot of work with bonds, and you have to have a background in finance, or at least in that world to effectively operate on that board. So that’s the rationale for putting the second seat back out for more applications.”

Commissioners may not have to wait long to fill the open spot. According to Spencer, the county has already received three new applications to serve on the IDA.

“So, we do have more to consider,” she said.