By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Al and Phyllis Abbatiello are well known for their many years of volunteer service, trying to keep growth under control in NW St. Johns County. The couple, originally from Chicago, moved here in 1998. It was at about that same time that they made the acquaintance of Mary Cornwell, who had been instrumental in securing a Scenic Highway designation from the State of Florida for State Road 13. They formed the William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway Group, which continues today. As of Jan. 1, 2025, Al and Phyllis are taking a well deserved retirement from their many years on the board and are happy to have handed over the reins to a new team who is also passionate about the cause. The couple lives in Fruit Cove, still in the original home they moved into in 1998, and next year will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. They have two daughters and a son as well as five grandchildren.
Q: How did you two meet?
Al: We actually met in front of a grocery store in Chicago as teenagers. On my part, it was love at first sight, but we didn’t start dating until after I returned from my two-year stint in the Navy.
Phyllis: When we first met and I knew he liked me, I was a little nervous because I wasn’t dating yet. After high school, I attended Mundelein College in Chicago, which was a Catholic college. I considered becoming a nun, but all the nuns at the convent told me “No!” because they liked Al. They must have sensed that we’d be good together. Al is such a kind hearted person and it was easy for me to fall for him.
Q: What were your careers?
Al: I had a 32-year career in radio communications working for Motorola. We moved to multiple different states for my job over the years, including Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas, and St. Louis, Missouri before I retired as a regional manager.
Phyllis: I worked in the banking industry at a savings and loan when we first got married, but I had to quit when I became pregnant. It’s just what was done back then. Then I had a second career as a realtor after the children were older.
Al: I also decided to become a realtor after I retired from Motorola, since Phyllis was working as one.
Q: What brought you to NW St. Johns County?
Al: Our daughter lived in Orlando and she wanted us to move to Florida, but we didn’t want to live in “touristy” Florida.
Phyllis: We decided on the Jacksonville area, and then did what we always did when we moved our family before and what we knew to be best as realtors — move to the area with the best school system. We could tell this area would be popular and grow and would be good for our careers as realtors.
Q: What led you to join the William Bartram Scenic Highway Group?
Al: As background, when we lived in St. Louis, the HOA there spent lots of money and it seemed no one knew what it was spent on. We decided that when we moved, we would make it a point to get more involved in our community.
Phyllis: We were concerned about all the growth in Florida and we wanted to preserve the natural beauty of this area. We felt if we didn’t step up and try to preserve it, who would? So Al was elected chairman of the group and remained that until the end of 2024.
Q: What do you see as the future for the group? And do you feel it’s been successful?
Al: Well, we had a very large group at first, but over the years the group got smaller. We had a successful campaign a few years ago to attract new members, but membership has dwindled again. I know everyone is very busy.
Phyllis: But we are busy too!
Al: In some respects, I feel we’ve been effective, especially in slowing the growth on State Road 13. The Scenic Highway designation is so important to our efforts. I plan to still be involved with our new team for a while, as I have so much information and knowledge to share. But the time has come for us to step aside. There is still much work to be done.
Phyllis: I’m proud of Al for keeping the scenic highway, right next to a Heritage River, beautiful.
[Visit https://bartramscenichighway.com for more information about the William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway Group.]
Photo courtesy Al Abbatiello
Al and Phyllis Abbatiello
