There were only 2 items on the Regular Agenda for March 21, but the meeting still ran about 4 hours. There was much discussion on Agenda Item 2, the Comprehensive Plan and a few lengthy topics during Public Comment.
Public Safety Update – included a report on a recent DUI Enforcement action that did result in a large number of DUI arrests. The hope is this will deter drunk driving in the county.
The Sheriff’s department has opened a Reentry Department with the goal of preventing folks from re-entering the system. They work with inmates to help them find jobs and housing when they leave the jail. One obstacle to gaining employment is having ID or a Driver’s License. They have set up a way, at the jail, to provide them a path to IDs and/or Driver’s Licenses.
The Clerk of Court’s report included assurances that they had been monitoring the 2 recent bank failures and inspecting the County’s banking relationships. They are closely watching to make sure the county’s tax dollars are protected.
The first item up for discussion on the Regular Agenda was the modification for the RiverTown DRI, continued from the March 7 meeting. One of the main items of concern was the continuation of the Veterans Parkway construction.
During the presentation it was confirmed the school mitigation was changed because of the modification to include 770 Age Restricted homes (55+) and that reduces the number of children in the school zones.
It was again confirmed that the Eagle’s Nest tree had been destroyed by fire and abandoned therefore they wish to modify the Eagle Protection Zone. It has been 5 years since there was an eagle in the nest.
The modifications were approved.
The second item on the agenda was discussion of the updates for the Comprehensive Plan.
Every 7 years the County or jurisdiction must decide if they are going to change the Comprehensive Plan. This presentation was to ask for direction from the Commissioners on how they want to proceed with the update.
During public comment concerns were raised about including affordable housing, preserving agricultural lands, and cultural preservation. There was a recommendation from the St. Johns County Civic Round Table (full transparency, I serve on the Board) to hire an independent consultant to facilitate the workshops.
Commissioner Dean made a recommendation to have the independent facilitator to lead the discussions, to have a 60-day comment period, and to have 5 Town Halls, one in each District.
Commissioner Whitehurst made note that with 300,000 residents, the Commissioners have to listen to all the input, and that input at times is in opposition to each other. All input will have to be weighed as they go through this process. He also noted that some of the suggestions could be considered moving against personal property rights. It will be a tough path forward through the updating of the Plan.
The motion was passed to proceed with Commissioner Dean’s recommendation with the initial step to be finding the independent facilitator.
During Public Comment, a representative from the Rock Springs Farms HOA in St. Augustine presented a concern to the Commissioners about an agreement that had been made between the developer and the County regarding maintenance of a Public Park.
When management of the HOA was turned over from the Developer to the HOA Owners in January of 2023, the HOA Board learned of this agreement that had been signed between the County and the Developer. This agreement requires the HOA to maintain the Public Park in perpetuity. This is unusual in that no other HOA is required to pay for a Public Park. The Park is owned by the County but is expected to be maintained by the residents of the HOA.
Further, the community learned that they are required to hold insurance on this park, even though they are not the owners. They cannot purchase insurance for a property they do not own.
Commissioner Alaimo is working with the community to address the concerns.
Once again there was representation from Marsh Landing residents wanting help with their drainage issues. It was again explained to the residents that the County does not have jurisdiction over the Storm Water Management System; that is in the purview of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD.) The residents were urged to address their concerns with the SJRWMD Board.
During Commissioner Reports a motion was made and approved to match funds of $50,000 for a grant to reinstate a Mental Health Court in St. Johns County.
Beth Tate 