🏞 The walls are falling down

Happy Monday! Surprise, surprise, the weather and the feel like factor will take a slight deep as the sun plays hide and seek with the clouds.

Today, we start with a simple picture of Sargassum fluitans (Broadleaf gulfweed) as noted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission . I snapped the photo because the naturally settling gulfweed (I did not manipulate the bunch to take the photo) reminded me of angel wings perfectly coiffed on the shores of Anastasia Island. Life is a beach in St. Augustine, and we have the angels to prove it!

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Our beloved monument needs your help! 🏞

The National Park Service is requesting public input for a project proposal designed to raise, repair and rehabilitate the failing seawalls surrounding St. Augustine's Castillo de San Marcos National Monument .

Funded by the 2023 Disaster Supplement Bill, the multimillion-dollar project is designed to repair damage caused by storms while improving the fort’s safety and resiliency with minimal impact on the area’s surroundings. The conditions of the existing seawalls are described as poor and fair.

Click here to read the story.

What else you should know today: 🔊

🏍A cool new ride: The St. Johns County Sheriff Office Motor Unit is now riding 2024 Harley Davidson Road Kings decked out in black and green. Kudos to Adamec Harley-Davidson and SJSO Fleet Services.

♦You're invited: The County's Comprehensive Plan Update is scheduled for July 23, 10 a.m.-noon and 5:30-7:30 p.m.) at the county auditorium, located on 500 San Sebastian View.

📣Hear ye, hear ye: County Commissioner Krista Keating-Joseph , accused of violating the policy of decorum and civility for “campaigning” during a November 2023 BOCC meeting, learned from a federal judge that she didn't violate Florida Election Law as protected by the First Amendment. Joseph was voted into office by 175 votes over incumbent Jeremiah Blocker in 2022 .

Best thing I ate... Pizzalley’s Chianti Room Italian Ristorante Bruschetta and Margharita Pizza🍕

Manufactured and bred in a small Italian town and groomed in "Da Bronx," I unabashedly declare myself an Italian food snob. With pizza topping the list, I rank Italy, New York, and St. Augustine's Pizzalley’s Chianti Room Italian Ristorante , among the world's premiere Italian food hotspots.

Located in the heart of America's oldest city, the award-winning pizza is only the beginning. For the true Italian food connoisseur, or spoiled brat like me, the menu is loaded with choices that make choosing arduous. With Executive Chef Curtis Henry's Pastabilities — create your own pasta dish — and personal Pizzas Forno a Legna , pizzas cooked in a brick oven — along with the Ingresso Stanza del Chianti - house specialties consisting of fish, chicken, rib-eye, pork plates, lasagna, ravioli and more — expect to be transported to a large dining room table surrounded by family on a Sunday afternoon with the adults clinking wine glasses celebrating centi' anni and mangia!

I enjoyed Bruschetta with a side order of pesto (I told you, I'm a brat), plus a Pizza Margherita with add-ons. How many add-ons will remain my secret but suffice to say my tummy was happy!

The service was top-notch, as was the ambiance. The kicker? I've been back. Yup. Took another pizza flavor home to carefully wrap and freeze on days that nothing else will hit the spot like a Pizzalley’s Chianti Room pizza.

May this day be a great start to a superb week! Share your favorite St. Augustine moments with us via pictures and stories of family celebrations, friends, and solo days brimming with funny, historical or simply pleasant moments as well as the "Hey, I have an idea; and did you know; and why is this happening in St. Augustine?" and of course, Tuesday's, "I've got a question" notes to Lviti@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: 🏞 The walls are falling down