Embattled St. Johns County administrator gets contract extension

Six months after the chair of the St. Johns County Commission tried to oust County Administrator Joy Andrews, she has now secured a longer contract with the county. 

Andrews’ employment contract wasn’t set to expire until 2027, but the St. Johns County Commission approved a measure Tuesday afternoon to extend her contract by three more years. 

Andrews was first elevated to the role of county administrator in 2023. Before that, she worked in various county offices and served as the county’s deputy county administrator for almost a decade. Her extended contract will carry her to 2030. Her salary is around $300,000.

County Commissioner Christian Whitehurst proposed the move. He said it was all about “stability.” 

“I think when there is instability in any large organization, it can have ripple effects that are unintended. I think it can affect funding we are getting from Tallahassee, Washington. It can have an effect on staff. It can have an effect on the ability of our county employees to carry out the will of this board,” Whitehurst said. “We need stability in St. Johns County. We need to restore stability.”

The vote passed by a 3-2 vote. County Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Clay Murphy joined Whitehurst in supporting the contract extension. 

County Chair Krista Joseph and County Commissioner Ann Taylor opposed the move.

Joseph said she has seen improvements in Andrews’ performance since she attempted to oust the county administrator in January, but she didn’t believe that Andrews should necessarily be rewarded so soon. 

“Right now, performance is more important than stability, and stability comes with good performance,” Joseph said. “I think you should be performing for what you need to do for the future.”

When Joseph tried to remove Andrews from her post earlier this year, she blamed Andrews for the widely criticized rollout of the county’s new solid waste contractor earlier this year. 

Negotiations with that company are still underway, as are a number of other initiatives that Joseph says she wants to see the results of, including stricter county rules for tree conservation and the institution of the state’s Black history museum in St. Augustine. 

Joseph said she would consider supporting an extension to Andrews’ contract later this year once some of those projects are resolved.

Defending Andrews, Commissioner Sarah Arnold said it was unfair to blame Andrews for things that are out of her power. The next step for the Black history museum, for instance, is up to the state.

Outpouring of support amid attacks

The discussion about Andrews’ contract came after The Palm Beach Post reported last month that she was among the finalists to be Palm Beach County’s new county administrator. 

Andrews said she submitted her application in a “moment of weakness.” She withdrew the application after news that she had applied circulated locally. Tuesday afternoon, Andrews affirmed her desire to continue leading St. Johns County. 

“I made a decision that regardless of the differences of opinion about me and or my role or how I’m performing from this board, my hope is that I can at least show my commitment to my staff, my children, my community, who have shown up today that I’m here to stay however I’m wanted,” Andrews said.

More than 30 people addressed the County Commission and spoke in favor of Andrews. Speakers like former Visit Florida board member Phillip McDaniel, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell, St. Johns County Veterans Council Chairman Bill Dudley and former St. Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean all lauded Andrews for her transparency, her work in the community and her love of St. Johns County. 

The outpouring of support came in the wake of her application to Palm Beach County, but also to social media posts attacking her — something Commissioner Whitehurst specifically called out.

In recent weeks, posts on social media have accused Andrews of being overpaid and in the pocket of developers.

One post accused Andrews of using her power as county administrator to hire a relative. 

Speaking with Jacksonville Today, Andrews said there is no truth to that. 

The individual in question goes by Carrie and works as a budget analyst for the county. Andrews says she does not supervise her, nor was she involved in her hiring.

On top of that, Andrews says the two are only distantly related — Carrie’s great-grandmother was Andrews’ grandfather’s sister.