ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A First Coast church that is a National Historic Landmark is getting a major overhaul.

The Cathedral Basilica in St. Augustine is the oldest Catholic parish in the country.

"It's a great renovation," Father Thomas Willis said, standing in the middle of a gutted sanctuary.

Willis leads the Cathedral Basilica while it goes through a renovation it hasn't seen in 50 years.

"It's fifty years later because the church was in desperate need of being addressed," Willis explained.

He said he was concerned about the cracks and water damage in the building, and so was the Bishop.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A massive historic preservation project is underway at Flagler College in St. Augustine.

Restoration work started this month on the entire exterior of Ponce de Leon Hall, the main building on campus. It was Henry Flagler's first hotel in Florida, built in 1888.

Nearly the entire building is hidden behind scaffolding in the courtyard.

"It's a lot of work. It's a major undertaking," Flagler College President Dr. William Abare nodded Tuesday. He said this is just the beginning of the biggest restoration project the campus has ever seen.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A St. Johns County woman is facing charges after deputies say the 34-year-old made up a story about being attacked and strangled with a dog leash.

Heather Alene Johnson was booked into the St. Johns County Jail on Friday and charged with making a false report.




Johnson reportedly told deputies in June that she was violently attacked with a dog leash and box cutter at her residence off of Lobelia Road.

Investigators believe she made up the story to avoid a meeting with her probation officer.

Johnson has since posted bond and awaits her next court appearance.