By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
NW St. Johns County resident Sarah Arnold was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Dec. 13 to fill the unexpired term of St. Johns County Commissioner for District 2 Jeb Smith, who resigned to become the president of the Florida Farm Bureau. She will serve the remainder of the unexpired term, until the 2022 election for the seat, at which time she could run for election to a full term if she chose.
Arnold is a northeast Florida native who grew up in Mandarin. She is married to Casey Arnold, who also grew up in Mandarin, although she said they didn’t start dating until they both attended the University of Florida. After Casey Arnold completed law school, the young couple moved back to Mandarin to be near their families. By the time they had their first child, they decided to move across the Julington Creek Bridge to St. Johns County for the well-regarded schools and quality of life.
Sarah Arnold remained busy as a stay at home mom to the family’s four children, who now range in age from six to 13. Both she and her husband found time to volunteer at the United Way, which eventually led to a paid position for Sarah.
“After hurricanes Matthew and Irma, I began working part time at United Way,” Arnold said. “Our youngest had just started preschool, so I worked the hours she was in school and the position grew from there.”
Arnold, who said her passion is service, worked primarily with fundraising and fundraising events for United Way as she worked her way up to a full time position as the Resource Development Director.
“It was a great position, because it allowed me to see all the facets of our community via not only our donors, but also those we serve,” Arnold said.
She worked approximately three years until the pandemic hit and then, like so many parents, she became responsible for homeschooling her children. She came back on board with United Way last October to be the event coordinator for the agency’s largest fundraiser, the Givers Gala, in late January. About the same time, Smith announced his resignation and she became aware of the County Commission seat being open.
“It was a natural extension of my work with United Way to be drawn to the opportunity to effect change in a greater way,” Arnold said. “I truly thought I would make an excellent commissioner with my background in the local schools and community.”
So, in November, she filled out a written application and was interviewed for the position. The governor’s office called her in mid-December to let her know she was selected, which she said was much quicker than she expected.
“I was surprised and most importantly, very honored,” she said. “I’m glad to bring a woman’s and a mother’s perspective to the Board of County Commissioners. The governor’s office said that I have ‘skin in the game’ with my children in public schools … and I agree. It’s important to me that we continue our high quality of life in St. Johns County.”
Arnold was sworn in days after learning of her appointment and said she is experiencing a steep learning curve (“like drinking water from a firehose”).
Arnold said she has three main priorities as commissioner. First, with the rapid growth of St. Johns County, she said she wants to make sure that projects that the County Commissioners approve have net benefit to the community. She mentioned making sure that infrastructure could support proposed development. Secondly, she said she is a huge advocate for veterans (both of her grandfathers were in the military) and is passionate about making sure they have all the resources they need. And third, she believes that part of the reason people want to live in St. Johns County is because it is safe. She said it’s important to do everything possible to support the first responders who are responsible for this.
In her spare time, Arnold loves to spend time with her family, especially on the water — whether it is playing on the beach with her kids or out on the river on their boat, or paddleboarding. The Arnold family also includes two dogs and a bunny.
Photo courtesy Sarah Arnold
New St. Johns County Commissioner, District 2, Sarah Arnold.
