St. Augustine residents feel safe going out after early morning stabbing

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — POLL: Which part of St. Augustine's nightlife plan would make you feel the most safe? Click here to vote. We will have live results on FOX30.

There was an early morning stabbing near popular bars in St. Augustine on Sunday. The man police say is responsible, Chris Palmer, is now in jail and the victim is in stable condition.

This incident is just the latest of several this year which has prompted city officials to propose changes to their nightlife.

However, people we spoke to Monday tell us they still feel safe.

“Going out to the bars I definitely felt a lot safer than going to house parties,” explains Julia Ailes, a recent Flagler College graduate.

For the past four years, St. Augustine was her home, a place she felt safe even when she headed to the bars.

‘Did you feel safe going out here? Yeah!”

That’s why she was surprised to hear a stabbing happened on Hypolita Street near the city’s most popular bars at 1:40 a.m. Sunday morning.

She says, “Going to Flagler for four years, the whole time there was only ever two incidents that I heard of. It was four years apart. One was freshman year and one was recent.”

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But Sunday’s stabbing isn’t the only late night crime that’s happened downtown. Action News Jax has reported on a separate shooting, stabbing and shots fired outside a Flagler College dorm just this year.

All are incidents the St. Augustine City Manager is hoping to stop with more night lighting, increased police presence and a potential new fee for businesses serving alcohol past midnight.

But some believe there’s no need.

“The streets are always clean. There’s always a cop or two cruising around. I mean I don’t feel too torn up if she were to have to navigate through the streets by herself after a couple drinks or something,” explains Garrett Kistler, a frequent St. Augustine visitor.

There will be a town hall meeting next Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. on the proposed changes. The city is hoping to hear from the public on what they think should be done to keep St. Augustine safe. ​

Cox Media Group