St. Augustine commission names new mayor

St. Augustine commissioners have named a new mayor, and he’s no stranger to public office.

Tracy Upchurch is a current Flagler College professor and former mayor of St. Augustine.

After 45 minutes of public comment and discussion Monday morning, commissioners unaninmously chose him to replace Nancy Shaver out of a list of roughly 20 candidates.

“I really think he was a clear standout based on his experience,” Vice Mayor Leanna Freeman said. “Nobody else meets his level of experience in the political world.”

Freeman and Commissioner John Valdes pointed to Upchurch’s background and experience as a member of the Florida House of Representatives as key reasons for their vote.

Some community members expressed concern that the list of candidates was not available to the public before Monday’s meeting.

Valdes pointed to the 10-day deadline for them to fill Shaver’s spot.

Shaver resigned on Feb. 28 after suffering a stroke a few days prior.

“We were kind of caught in a bind here. We had to move quickly and in doing that, we had to make decisions and sometimes getting information out when it’s incomplete is difficult,” he said. “So in a perfect world it would’ve been nice.”

Commissioners said Upchurch’s familiarity with the position and ability to get right to work were other reasons they voted for Upchurch.

“Whether it be infrastructure, environment, parking, mobility you name it there’s something going on in every department of our city and I think Mr. Upchurch will be able to step into the role and keep things moving very quickly and efficiently,” Freeman said.

Upchurch is expected to be sworn in this week. He’ll complete Shaver’s term of office, which ends on December 7, 2020.

Upchurch's professional background, as reported by Flagler College:

Member, Florida House of Representatives (1992-1996)
Mayor, City of St. Augustine (1990-1992)
City Commissioner, City of St. Augustine (1988-1992)
Trustee and former Chairman, Flagler Healthcare Systems, Inc.
Director, St. Augustine Rotary Club
Trustee, Lightner Museum
Member, Historic St. Augustine Research Institute (appointed by President of University of Florida)
Honorary Co-Chairman and Capital Campaign Committee Member-construction of The Bailey Center (inpatient hospice facility of Community Hospice)
Trustee, The St. Augustine Historical Society
Board of Directors, St. Augustine and St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce (1990)
Florida Trend Magazine "Legal Elite" (top 2% of attorneys in Florida) 2004 and 2005
Member of The Florida Bar
Trustee, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (current)
Director, Prosperity Bank

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