St. Augustine will honor former Florida State Representative Cyndi Stevenson with the prestigious 2025 Adelaide Sanchez Award for her contributions to historic and cultural preservation. According to the city’s announcement on Monday, her recognition—along with that of the Sisters of St. Joseph—stems from her years of service as a dedicated advocate for St. Augustine's heritage, during which she took significant legislative steps to protect Florida's historical treasures.
The accolade, awarded during Historic Preservation Month, celebrates individuals who have made substantial efforts to conserve St. Augustine's historical fabric, with the public ceremony set to take place at The Alcazar Room of City Hall at 4:30pm, which will also be live-streamed for those who cannot attend. Stevenson, who also served on the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners prior to her legislative tenure, helped halt bad legislation which would've jeopardized the city's historic integrity, she also played a key role in securing funding for grants supporting the Division of Historic Resources.
Named after local journalist and preservation advocate Adelaide Sanchez, the award reflects her deep love and active efforts toward protecting St. Augustine's historic sites. In fact, posthumously her legacy continued when her estate funnelled into a foundation dedicated to preservation endeavors, allowing her commitment to shape the city even from beyond the grave.
Stevenson's past victories include the defeat of a 2016 bill threatening the sanctity of public historical sites by permitting unauthorized digging, in addition to securing land for Fort Mose through the St. Johns County Land Acquisition Management Program in 2003, Stevenson has been noted for her strong stance against such risks and work towards safeguarding the area's cultural resources – a fitting recipient for the award which includes a statuette of the iconic Bridge of Lions, sculpted by renowned local artist Enzo Torcoletti. Details of the award and the presentation are available for review on the City of St. Augustine’s website.
