Planning an event in St. Augustine just got a little more predictable. City commissioners voted unanimously on August 25 to adopt an updated events manual that reshapes how permits and venue fees are calculated at Francis Field and several other city-owned spaces, with all changes kicking in October 1.
The biggest shift affects Francis Field rentals, which will no longer be priced by expected attendance. Instead, organizers will pay based on how long they need the space: $300 for up to four hours, $750 for four to eight hours, and $1,500 for anything beyond eight hours. Setup and breakdown days carry a flat $500-per-day charge, and a deposit equal to half the rental fee is required. Community Services Director Jamie Perkins said the new structure is designed to give event hosts a clear, upfront cost with no surprises tied to head counts.
Smaller fee adjustments ripple through other venues as well. The special-event permit application fee climbs from $35 to $50, parade and athletic-event permits go from $50 to $75, and the Plaza de la Constitución gazebo rental rises from $225 to $285. The Eddie Vickers Park event lawn, available Saturdays only, will run $150 for private gatherings and $300 for public or ticketed events; the park's renovated gazebo rents for $25 per four-hour block.
The updated manual also codifies shuttle and park-and-ride requirements for events with significant parking impacts — a policy that has existed for roughly a decade but was apparently easy to misread. Perkins said the revisions simply make it clearer when organizers must provide those transportation options. Separately, May is now blocked out at Francis Field to accommodate the Live Wildly Sing Out Loud Festival, which is moving from September and needs the full month for setup and teardown of its large-scale infrastructure.
Commissioners also flagged a potential calendar conflict between Francis Field bookings and the CPS Festival at the Mission Grounds, whose dates can shift several weeks depending on a traveling carnival's availability; staff will monitor and reserve the field once CPS announces confirmed dates. This report is based on coverage from News4JAX (WJXT).
