A surprise vote Tuesday by St. Johns County commissioners led to a shakeup in the board’s recently selected leadership.

At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Clay Murphy successfully appointed himself as the board’s new chair, dethroning Krista Joseph, who had just been reappointed to serve as the board’s chair two weeks ago.

Murphy said the county needs “real leadership” that Joseph is not providing. He accused her of “cheap” and “petty” attacks, and of violating state laws surrounding what elected officials can discuss in private. 

Joseph denied Murphy’s claim that she approached him in his office to ask how he would vote on certain items. She told Jacksonville Today that, had he asked, she likely would have given up the leadership role to Murphy anyway. 

“I’m genuinely relieved,” she said, “I have health issues, I have my husband with ALS, and it is a lot of responsibility.” 

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Murphy could not be immediately reached for comment.

County leadership clashes

The fight over who would be the next chair of the County Commission began during the board’s meeting Nov. 18. The agenda for that meeting included the annual selection of the chair and vice chair, who hold the responsibility of running meetings.

County officials referred to a common practice by which the previous year’s vice chair — in this case Murphy — would ascend to the rank of chair. Murphy, however, butted heads with Joseph when he said he would not support Ann Taylor as his vice chair.

Taylor is the only elected commissioner on the dais who has not yet held a leadership position.

Murphy was elected in 2024 along with Taylor, but he said his fellow commissioner wasn’t “seasoned” enough for the role. 

Joseph said Murphy, besides opposing Taylor, never properly completed mandatory state ethics training. He denied her claim.

After backlash from members of the public at the meeting, Murphy’s bid to be made chair in November failed. He received support from Commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Sarah Arnold, but he voted against himself in response to complaints from the audience.

With the selection of the new board chair up in the air, Taylor moved for then-Chair Joseph to serve for another year, and Taylor ultimately was selected to serve as Joseph’s vice chair.

A new commissioner’s turn

Fast forward to Dec. 2. Murphy, during the closing minutes of the commissioners’ regular meeting, read from comments he had prepared responding to the blowup at the previous meeting.

He said the county and its staff need “real leadership” — a leader who would not stoop to attacks when she did not get the votes she was hoping for. 

During the back-and-forth after his comments, Joseph accused Murphy of throwing “a temper tantrum.” She also alleged that Murphy, who styled himself as a slow-the-growth candidate in 2024, had previously laughed about his wife’s approaching a developer with an envelope for a donation during his campaign.

Murphy shrugged off what he called Joseph’s latest “ploy” and said the board ought to stick to tradition.

“This didn’t have to go this way. It didn’t have to happen this way. It should have happened in the orderly way it does, yet because of possible Sunshine Law violations, it didn’t,” Murphy said. “It got turned into a big, giant mess. This is just an attempt to right the wrong that was done two weeks ago and should have happened two weeks ago, not because I’m the most worthy, but because that’s kind of how the traditions of this place have gone.”

Commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Sarah Arnold Murphy supported Murphy’s bid. Whitehurst and Arnold frequently clash with Joseph during county meetings, but, two weeks ago, Whitehurst voted in support of Joseph serving as the chair of the county commission for another year. 

Tuesday, he said he supported Murphy’s bid for chair because it was “his turn.” 

Joseph and Taylor voted against the measure.

Joseph says she isn’t upset. With a full plate of her own, including serving as a caretaker for her husband, Joseph said she has accomplished much of what she set out to when she was elected. 

While Murphy will serve as the board’s new chair, Taylor’s role as vice chair was not put to a vote. 

The Board of County Commissioners will meet next at 9 a.m. Dec. 16.