Photograph by Amy Howard Don't get stuck on an oyster reef! The St. Augustine inlet brings two...

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Photograph by Amy Howard Don't get stuck on an oyster reef! The St. Augustine inlet brings two...
Cary Bass-DeschĂȘnes, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Egret at St. Augustine bayfront by Amy Howard Contents Introduction Purpose and Scope Importance...
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This presentation is just a hint of this organization’s great history. We don’t have time tonight, but Amy Howard is putting it all together in a book. You can watch the progress and contribute to the story on her Ponte Vedra website. The link is on SPVCA’s website.
Suffice it to say, we have inherited quite a legacy. I will end by echoing my predecessor, Bruce Bullock. In a 1973 newsletter, he asked the members: “What would you like to see accomplished? Do you have any suggestions to make? Are you willing to contribute your time to explore it? Let us hear from you.
Please make all suggestions in writing so that they can be discussed at our board meetings.”
Let’s take a quick look at all of our volunteer firefighters. Click the picture to open a slideshow.
A 10-minute overview compiled and presented by Amy Howard, treasurer and historian of the South Ponte Vedra Civic Association.
Although we have focused tonight on the South Ponte Vedra Volunteer Fire Department, this organization was also very active on all of their original priorities: police protection, beach traffic, and environmental protection. Through it all, they kept a steady flow of fun times and parties. Most of us in here have many warm memories in this room thanks to volunteers who worked hard for us to have a good time. Those efforts made the South Ponte Vedra Association a true civic association. As the new fire station blossomed down the street, state representative Don Davis advised SPVA to focus on their status as a “civic association”. In July of 2006, the board voted to change the name to South Ponte Vedra Civic Association.
After years of diligent teamwork, that old Burglars Blvd. was chosen as the northern end of the A1A Scenic & Historical Coastal Byway. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Transportation designated this corridor as one of America’s National Byways for its “breath-taking views and wildlife, including 50 endangered species”. The A1A Super Scenic Garage Sale is happening next month. That is a big fundraiser for us. Bring your donations and then come shopping.
I don’t have time to tell you all the fires and emergencies our volunteers tackled. But I will tell you this one. The year after the building was finished, SPVA piled into it for a Christmas party. They barely got started when a fire call came in from the north. It spread quickly and scorched 600 acres of Guana. SPVA and five other fire stations, with a total of 75 firefighters, spent eight hours putting it out just in time to save South Ponte Vedra houses. When the SPVA crew came in for breaks, the Christmas party food was still all there waiting for them.
After five years of squeezing into people’s carports, SPVA was thrilled to attend their first meeting in their own building in June 1977. It was standing room only.
The county fire coordinator found SPVA a used fire truck in Maryland for $2,500. He and his wife even drove to pick it up and bring it to South Ponte Vedra. But SPVA still had no garage for it. Luckily, Sawgrass Country Club agreed to protect it until SPVA had a proper facility.
SPVA president Bruce Bullock also asked the communities south of South Ponte Vedra for help. They contributed money, labor, and volunteer firefighters. One of those good Vilano neighbors was Bill Long. He just joined SPVCA and is here tonight. Thank you for your help back then, Bill. One year after Emory wrote the county about the lack of fire protection, he joined all the volunteers and contributors at the ground-breaking ceremony for the South Ponte Vedra Fire Department.
More money came in thanks to letters and phone calls made by the fundraising committee, including our own Lea Lent. A Vilano resident donated a needlepoint pillow, which got raffled off. They raised $8,000 in six months.
When Emory had looked for somewhere to put a fire station with a tiny budget, he contacted SWD, the company that owned Guana. He asked very nicely if SPVA could lease a patch of land for a fire station. SWD offered a patch of land with water service for one dollar per year, and they sent SPVA a check for $1,000 to help with the fire department. The Usinas cleared the land for free and let SPVA borrow their heavy equipment.