Category: BOCC

Posted in Politics, St. Johns County, BOCC

St. Johns County and the 2026 Election Year

Posted on by Beth Tate

Updated to correct a missing website link!

It’s an election year! And we already have some very heated races in St. Johns County!

Having lived here 23 years, I know that for those of us who work in Jacksonville or travel a lot for our work, we often don’t even have time to pay attention to local elections.

Many of us have no idea who our Commissioners are or what they do for the County. Not too long ago a local business person told me he was reaching out to Mayor Deegan for help on something. I asked him why, and he said because she’s the Mayor! I pointed out his business is in St. Johns County and he might want to reach out to our County Commissioners. He didn’t know who any of them are.

That’s not a reflection on this individual – it’s just an example of how in the northern part of the county so many of us work, shop and play in Jacksonville that we naturally know more about the Jacksonville scene than what is happening in St. Johns County.

Today I thought I would spend a little time sharing information about the 2026 Election process in St. Johns County so you can start educating yourself and be prepared to get out and vote in the Primary (August 18,2026) or General Election (November 3, 2026.)

Let’s start with, are you registered to vote? And is your voter registration current? Check out the Supervisor of Elections website and confirm your status. You can do that here: Check My Status

And if you are a newcomer to St. Johns County or Florida, you may not be familiar with our Closed Primary process. If there are qualified candidates from more than one Party, it will be a closed Primary. That means when you go to the polls you will be presented with a Ballot showing only the candidates in your registered party. As an example, if you are a registered Republican, you will only see the Republican candidates on your ballot. If you are a registered Democrat, you will only see the Democratic candidates on your ballot. And if you are not affiliated with any party (No Party Affiliation) you will only see candidates for Non Partisan positions.

Before a candidate appears on a ballot, they have to go through Qualifying. You can see the Qualifying dates for St. Johns County positions on this page: Qualifying Dates & Fees

Most of our County offices have a Qualifying date of June 12. That means that any candidates currently showing on the Candidate List have not yet qualified to be on the Primary Ballot in August.

Today I’ll share known info about 2 of our most visible elected positions, County Commissioners.

We have two County Commissioner seats up for election this year, District 2 and District 4. Those seats are currently held by Sarah Arnold, District 2 and Krista Keating Joseph, District 4.

Commissioner Joseph has filed and shared about her desire to return to the Board for another term. Commissioner Arnold has not filed and all indications are that she is not going to run for re-election.

For District 2, we have 3 Active Candidates. That means they have filed but have not yet qualified.

Timothy Ray Burres is a former SJSO Law Enforcement Officer and is actively running. He has a registered website that is not yet active: VoteTimBurres and has an active FaceBook (FB) page: Vote Tim Burres for SJC Commissioenr

Wilson Malcolm McMullan is a lifelong Floridian actively running. He has an active website: Save St. Johns County.com and FB page: Will McMullan for County Commissioner

Martin Valerian Pyszczymuka is a 4 year resident of St. Johns County. He has an active website and indicates that he has gathered enough petitions to qualify for the ballot. His website is here: VoteMartin2026.com and his FB page is here: VoteMartinForCountyCommissioner Interesting note on his website is that he is opposing Sarah Arnold who has not filed to run. His website also addresses questions regarding residency eligibility and states that he plans to relocate into District 2 prior to the election.

District 4 has 4 Active Candidates. Again, they have filed but not yet qualified.

James Austin Galloway – At the time of writing, I was unable to locate an active campaign website. Mr. Galloway appears to be using his personal FB page for his platform: James Galloway

Krista Keating Joseph – Sitting District 4 Commissioner. Thanks to the alert reader who pointed me Commissioner Joseph’s active website: Vote Krista She also appears to be using her personal FB page for her campaigning. KristaKeatingJoseph

Heather Lane Neville – Born and raised in Northeast Florida and resident of St. Johns County since 2007.  Has an active website: VoteHeatherLaneNeville and FB Page ElectHeatherLaneNeville

Samuel Paul Willaims – Also a former SJSO Law Enforcement Officer with an active website: samforstjohns.com and FB page: Williams for St. Johns County Commissioner

As you evaluate candidates this year, I encourage you to spend time learning what each candidate stands FOR — their priorities, leadership style, and vision for the future of St. Johns County.

Local government decisions shape our roads, growth, schools, public safety, and quality of life in very real ways. Thoughtful participation matters.

In a climate where political conversations can quickly become negative, perhaps we can focus more on ideas, solutions, and the future we want to build for our County together.

If you are finding value in these updates, please subscribe to my blog so you get notifications when I publish an update. Feel free to share with others who may find value in the content.

Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Recap of Key Items from the May 5 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

I’ve been away for a break but back to providing updates on the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meetings.

The County Public Relations staff has been doing an excellent job of publicizing the Commissioner’s Meetings and making them available not only through the County GTV but also broadcasting on social media.

It is so important, especially this year, an election year, to get your information about what is discussed directly from the meetings. I strive to always share with you the direct links to the information so you can watch and hear for yourself what was said. No filter, no bias. I’ll continue to do that throughout 2026.

The May 5 meeting opened with several Proclamations:

  • Recognizing George Ceccanese and William West for reaching their 100th birthdays!
  • National Correctional Officers and Employees Week 2026
  • 41 Years of Hope through St. Gerard Campus
  • Juror Appreciation Month
  • Foster Parent Appreciation Month

Watch the heartwarming recognitions here: Proclamations

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item #1 – Outpost at Old Moultrie Administrative Interpretation Appeal

This item has been trending high on social media for St. Augustine and the southern part of the County for a few weeks.

This is an “Appeal of Administrative Interpretation Letter ADMI 2026-01 regarding whether the subject parcel constitutes a lawfully developed or previously developed commercial site, whether mobile food vendors qualify as a permitted accessory use, and whether any specific provision of the Land Development Code requires a previously developed commercial site to undergo full redevelopment or site plan approval as a prerequisite.”

In short, the owner of the property had been operating a location with food trucks and current interpretation of the Land Development Code had caused the location to be shut down. A special magistrate was appointed to review the decision and ruled the county was correct to shut the location down. This morning’s hearing was to appeal the ruling.

Background Materials are here: Agenda Item 1

This was a complicated situation and emotions around the decision have been running high. While all the Commissioners expressed a desire to get the business back in operations, there were differences in how to best accomplish that goal.

Rather than rely on soundbites or social media interpretations of what happened at the meeting, I encourage you to listen to the discussion among the Commissioners before their vote at this link: Commissioner Discussion on Agenda Item 1

The Appeal was upheld and the ruling overturned by a 3:2 vote (Murphy, Joseph voting no)

Commissioner Whitehurst followed up with a motion for staff to work to update the LDC to not require paved parking spots for food trucks, not just at this parcel, but for any other similar uses. Commissioner Taylor asked if something could be added for temporary usage. Growth Management Director Roberson shared that there IS a provision for temporary usage that can be applied.

The motion was clarified that the staff is being asked to come up with wording that recognizes Food Trucks are separate from other Commercial structures.

That motion passed 5:0.

You can watch the entire presentation and discussion here:

Full Agenda Item 1 presentation and discussion

Regular Agenda Item 2 – Golfway Center PUD – this was a “Request for a Major Modification to the Golfway Centre PUD (Ordinance 1997-67, as amended) to revise the MDP Map and MDP Text to allow the remaining development to occur on the property as either Commercial Retail and Commercial Office uses; revise the phasing schedule to a single 10- year phase; add Church and Large Places of Assembly as allowable uses; allow details of future buildings and associated development to be shown on Incremental MDP Maps; and eliminate the requirement to preserve the isolated wetland on site.The Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) heard this request at their regularly scheduled public hearing on April 2, 2026. The Agency recommended approval with a vote of 7-0. During the hearing, there were discussions regarding the traffic impacts to International Golf Parkway and impacts to the remaining wetlands located onsite.”

They requested 5 updates:

  • 221,032 sq ft of already approved Commercial Retail and Office uses to be located anywhere within the PUD.
  • Remove development acreage
  • Eliminate the requirement ot presereve the isolated wetland on site
  • Add Church and large Places of Assembly as allowable uses
  • Single 10 year Phase

After presentation and discussion at the Board, a motion was made to deny the request. That was approved 3-2, Whitehurst and Arnold voting no.

Regular Agenda Item 3 – Enclave at World Golf – “On August 5, 2025, the Board denied John Troy and Buffie Marie Hilberts’ request to rezone approximately 18.5 acres of land from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Workforce Housing (WH). The property is located at 3740 Pacetti Road. The Hilberts filed a request for relief from the denial under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act (“FLUEDRA”). FLUEDRA provides a means to potentially resolve disputes pre-suit through a special magistrate mediation and hearing process. The FLUEDRA special magistrate mediation occurred on October 29, 2025. During the mediation, the Hilberts presented a plan to reduce the number of units in their proposed development. The parties agreed that, contingent on Board approval, the Hilberts could proceed to a public hearing on their revised proposal. If the Board does not approve scheduling a new rezoning hearing, the parties will proceed to a public FLUEDRA special magistrate hearing regarding the August 2025 rezoning denial.”

The presentation and vote can be found here: Agenda Item 2

This was not a rezoning request but a consideration of whether to schedule it for a rezoning hearing or allow it to continue to a FLUEDRA hearing. No action was taken by the Board so it will continue to a public FLUEDRA hearing.

Regular Agenda Item 4 – Appointment the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) – Tom Turner was appointed to the AHAC with a unanimous vote

Commissioner’s Reports

Commissioner Arnold brought forth complaints being raised aboutstreet parking in Silverleaf and impacton school bus drop-offs. She requested and received consensus for staff to meet with SJSO and the School District to come up with solutions.

Commissioner Joseph recognized the loss of a long time employee at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Lodge, Sidey Austin. He was a part of the community and his loss is felt. She also brought up concerns about Home Rule. She referenced comments from Commissioner Whitehurst at a previous meeting and asked to form a task force to push back on home rule. As part of establishing the task force, she suggested firing the Lobbying firm, The Florida Group, because she felt they have not done enough to bring these type of bills to the attention of the Commissioners. She indicated that the lobbying group not providing information is probably a breach of contract. She also feels that there is a conflict of interest because the lobbying firm also represents clients who support items that the Commission is opposed to. After discussion, Administrator Andrews indicated that staff can and will look at the contract and advise if there are any items that would be considered a breach of contract.

You can watch Commissioner Joseph’s comments and the following discussion here: Commissioner Joseph Concerns about Lobbying Firm

Commissioner Whitehurst had no Report

Commissioner Taylor brought forward concerns about Data centers and the amount of water and electricity they can take. She asked that staff draft an ordinance to eliminate Data Centers from businesses that could qualify for economic incentives, tax exemptions or abatements. And additionally, she would like to have the LDC amended to limit zoning categories where these could be located. Commissioners Whitehurst and Murphy indicated they would like more information before such a vote. Commissioner Whitehurst asked for consensus for a presentation from staff on pros and cons of data centers. Consensus was achieved.

Commissioner Murphy had no report.

Administrator Report – Administrator Andrews shared information about the upcoming budget sessions beginning May 11. You can watch the Budget sessions on-line here: https://www.sjcfl.us/watch-govtv-live/

Attorney’s Report

Only item was to discuss who will be on the Canvassing Board this year. That will be Commissioners Murphy and Whitehurst.

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Recap of Key Items from the December 2 Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Just when you think it’s going to be a short, routine Board meeting, surprises happen!

Tuesday began with recognition of Graduation of the third St. Johns County 101 Citizens Academy Graduation. County Administrator Andrews shared there are 150 people on the wait list for the program; and 29 in the current graduating class.

Check out the County Announcement about the class, with a link to the program information, at this site: Citizens Academy Graduation

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item 1 – Sebastian Oaks

“Request to amend the conditions of REZ 2023-16 (Ordinance 2024-09) to eliminate the requirement to construct a roundabout at the southern intersection of Old Lewis Speedway and Lewis Speedway and replace it with a condition that the developer shall adhere to St. Johns County’s standard requirement for proportionate fair share transportation mitigation, as outlined within Part 11.09.00 of the Land Development Code. The Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) heard this request at their regularly scheduled public hearing on November 6, 2025. The Agency made a motion to recommend approval, which failed with a vote of 3-3. Support of the approval motion was made by members Spiegel, Matovina, and Perkins. Dissenting votes were made by members Olson, Hilsenbeck, and Labanowski. Member Green was absent. Discussion from the Agency members and the public was centered on the history of the project and the proposed roundabout that was included with the approval of REZ 2023-16 on 3/5/2024.”

This project was approved in March of 2024. One of the key elements in the approval was to include a roundabout for traffic calming on Lewis Speedway. The applicant is now requesting to eliminate the roundabout and pay the proportionate fair share transportation mitigation fee.

During discussion at the Board there were many questions raised about the location of the roundabout and if it would be appropriate to remove the roundabout and change back to paying the mitigation fees. There was a bit of confusion as some public comments were urging to not approve the project. This was not about the project – it is approved. It is only about the change on the roundabout. A motion was made to defer the discussion to the December 17 meeting to allow time to gather answers to the questions. The motion was approved 4:1 (Joseph.)

Details about the request are here: Agenda Item 1

Watch the presentation here: Video of Agenda Item 1

Agenda Item 2 – Second Reading – Amendment to Impact Fee Ordinance

This is second and final reading of the Impact Fee Ordinance. Details are at this link: Impact Fee Ordinance Change

This was approved 5:0.

Agenda item 3 – Second Reading of Ordinance amending the St. Johns County Park Ordinance, adding definitions; adding prohibition of smoking and vaping in St. Johns County beaches and parks; amending to include cigarette butts and vaping paraphernalia as defined litter.

Key Slides from the presentation:

Commissioner Whitehurst clarified with Attorney Lex Taylor that the State of Florida has a carveout for cigars so this ordinance will NOT apply to smoking cigars on the beach.

Motion to approve passed unanimously.

The remainder of the agenda items were quick discussions – you can watch the full meeting here: Dec 2 SJC Board of County Commssioners Mtg

During Commissioner’s Reports, discussions took an interesting turn.

Commissioner Murphy began with reading a prepared response to the accusations levied against him at the previous Commissioner’s Meeting. He ended his remarks with a motion to recall Commissioner Joseph as Board Chair and nominated himself for the position of Board Chair. Commissioner Whitehurst seconded the motion.

After Public Comment, Commissioner Joseph spoke in rebuttal to his comments and reiterated the concerns she raised in the previous meeting.

After more discussion at the Board, vote was cast 3:2 (Joseph, Taylor voting No) and Commissioner Murphy became the Board Chair for the coming year.

As usual, I do encourage you to watch the full discussion at this link rather than rely on soundbites and edited clips that may be out of context of the full discussion. Commissioner Murphy Comments and Discussion

After this surprising twist there was little else to be share by the Commissioners.

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Key Takeaways from the November 18 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Tuesday began with what is typically a straightforward agenda item — the annual re-organizational meeting of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners. In recent years, however, this meeting has become less predictable, with outcomes that depart from long-standing practice.

Traditionally, the Vice-Chair has been elevated to the role of Chair, with the Vice-Chair position often assigned to a newer Commissioner as preparation for future leadership. Since 2023, that tradition has shifted. Commissioner Joseph, elected in 2022, did not serve as Vice-Chair during the 2022–2023 or 2023–2024 terms. For the 2024–2025 term, she was elevated directly to Chair, and newly elected Commissioner Murphy was selected as Vice-Chair. Many observers assumed this year’s reorganization would follow past precedent, with Commissioner Murphy moving into the Chair role and Commissioner Taylor potentially stepping into Vice-Chair.

Following the Invocation and Pledge, County Attorney Kommando outlined the procedures for the re-organizational meeting. Commissioner Taylor nominated Commissioner Murphy for Chair, and Chair Joseph nominated Commissioner Whitehurst. Chair Joseph then asked Commissioner Murphy whether he would support Commissioner Taylor for Vice-Chair; he responded, “No.” Chair Joseph stated that she could not support Commissioner Murphy for Chair.

Commissioner Whitehurst thanked Chair Joseph for the nomination but expressed a desire to uphold the traditional progression of Vice-Chair to Chair. He withdrew his name from consideration and indicated support for Commissioner Murphy.

Chair Joseph then asked Commissioner Whitehurst about his certifications and training as a Commissioner, specifically referencing Ethics training. She expressed concern that Commissioner Murphy had not attended the required training and therefore could not support him for Chair. Commissioner Murphy responded that he had completed the Ethics training over the summer, leading to additional discussion about the training and about his reasons for not supporting Commissioner Taylor for Vice-Chair.

Commissioner Murphy countered that he HAD attended the ethics training over the summer.

What followed was some debate about whether Commissioner Murphy had attended the training and why he would not support Commissioner Taylor for Vice-Chair.

During Public Comment a suggestion was made to keep the current chair. After Public Comment, the first vote was called for Commissioner Murphy. That vote failed in a 3-2 vote with the No votes being Taylor, Joseph, and in a surprise move, Commissioner Murphy himself.

Because Commissioner Whitehurst had withdrawn from consideration, Commissioner Taylor followed up on recommendations from Public Comment and nominated Commissioner Joseph to be Chair. During a long pause, Commissioner Joseph asked Commissioner Whitehurst if he was sure he didn’t want to do it; his response was to indicate he supported her for Chair.

That vote passed 3-2 with Arnold and Murphy voting no.

I encourage you to watch the discussion, public comments and following vote at this link: Re-organizational Meeting

The special meeting was adjourned and followed by the Regular Board Meeting.

Key Highlights from the Regular Board Meeting were:

Agenda Item 1 – Request to split precinct 209 and add precinct 214; reequst to reconfigure precincts 501 and 502 and add precinct 512 to allow for efficient operations on Election Day. Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes presented the request and it was approved unanimously.

Below are the new precinct lines. Always check with St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections for your voter status and current precinct information.

New Precinct 512
New Precinct 214

Agenda item 2 – Total Earned Unused and Undistributed Revenue – “In compliance with Florida Statute, 218.36, the St. Johns County Tax Collector, Jennifer Ravan, will present a report of unused earned revenue collected for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Please note that these unused revenues have already been estimated as part of the County budget process and therefore they do not necessarily represent additional County revenue.” This was approved unanimously.

Discussion on E-Bikes – Chair Joseph recognized Director Martin of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department to address the Board about e-bikes. He shared they have made great progress with the educational piece. House Bill 243 (HB243) has been filed with our Representative Kim Kendall being a co-sponsor of the bill. Sheriff Hardwick is participating on a committee for the bill, sharing learnings from St. Johns County.

 Read the bill here: HB243 – E-Bikes

The Sheriff’s department has purchased e-bikes of their own so they can meet the riders where they are. The focus is to make contact with riders and educate them on safety rules when needed; holding accountable if necessary.

Watch the update here: E-Bike Update

Agenda Item 3 – this was a very lengthy request to “appeal the Planning and Zoning Agency’s (PZA) denial of a Special Use Permit to Section 2.03.26 of the Land Development Code to allow for the construction of a 150-foot monopole communication tower and support facilities within Open Rural (OR) zoning, located specifically at 1152 Fort Peyton Drive, came before the Planning and Zoning Agency for public hearing on July 17, 2025. The Planning and Zoning Agency denied the application with a vote of 6-0, Member Green was absent.”

Motion to deny the appeal was approved unanimously.

Agenda Item 4 – Epic-cure Warehouse “Request to rezone approximately 0.90 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Commercial Warehouse (CW) with conditions to provide consistent zoning across the overall 2.82 acre property. This request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at their regularly scheduled public hearing on Thursday, October 16, 2025, and was recommended for approval by a vote of 5-0.”

This was also approved unanimously.

Agenda Item 5 – Project Dark Horse – a request to rezone approximately 11.86 acres of land from Open Rural to Planned Unit development for a 21,000 sq. ft. health/fitness facility and a 12,250 sq. ft. covered turf field on the north side of Greenbriar Rd. approximately 1.25 miles west of Longleaf Pine Pkwy.

There has been some publicity about this project as local basketball star turned ESPN broadcaster, Steffi Sorenson, is the owner of the project.

Watch her pitch to the Commissioner’s here: Dark Horse Request

The rezoning was approved unanimously. See coverage of the project here: Dark Horse News Coverage

We’ll now jump ahead to the Commissioner’s reports:

Commissioner Whitehurst offered Happy Thanksgiving greetings and shared his views that there are still many opportunities in this country  for those who work hard to succeed.

Commissioner Murphy asked for consensus to extend December 26th as a Holiday for the staff in addition to Christmas Day. County Administrator Andrews added that she was going to ask if the County could follow the Governor’s new additional Holidays, November 26th, December 26th and January 2nd. This was granted by consensus.

Commissioner Taylor shared about the recent opportunity to meet Judy Benjamin, an 81 year old Alzheimer’s Survivor who completed her almost 3000 mile walk by touching the water in St. Augustine Beach. Read more about Ms. Benjamin and her journey on her website, Judy Walks Website

She also shared about the successful start to Nights of Lights and success from improvements made to this years event. Learn more here: Night Of Lights

County Administrator Report

Administrator Andrews had 3 updates for the Commissioners. The first was a response to a request from Commissioner Taylor about LAMP Funding. They are still reviewing opportunities for additional funding including identification of possible grants in collaboration with state and federal agencies. Second was an update on the $200,000 approved for the food pantries – $117,000 has been disbursed to the 10 agencies approved thus far.

The 3rd update was presented by Jamie Locklear and Christine Valliere. In relation to the World Golf Village properties, the new owners of the Renaissance Hotel have announced a $20 Million renovation project. This shifts the negotiating position of the county considerably as there is now private sector investment coming into play for the adjacent properties. A motion was made to reject the current bids for the WGV properties in order to continue negotiations.

Deputy Attorney Lex Taylor gave a good explanation of the proposal. Watch it here: World Golf Village Motion Explained

The motion passed unanimously.

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Key Takeaways from the September 16 BOCC Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Tuesday had the very meaty topic of Impact Fees on the Agenda along with several other items. You can watch the entire meeting at this link: September 16 BOCC Meeting

The blog update today will focus on the 3 most critical items of the day and cover an overarching them of the day; turn down the temperature.

Commission Chair Krista Joseph was absent and Commissioner Whitehurst served as Vice-Chair for this meeting. No comment was provided about why Commissioner Joseph was absent although there were hints in closing remarks of the day.

The Meeting opened with a Proclamation Recognizing Constitution Week.

In public comments there were calls to be more civil and to be kind in remarks. This popped up a few times during the day.

Agenda Item 1 – Impact Fee Schedule Update

Please take the time to watch the discussion on the Impact Fees. Impact Fees are widely misunderstood. Soundbites presented on social media are often inaccurate. This was pointed out during the discussion on Impact Fees. Do your own research. Don’t rely on social media posts that may sound confidently correct.

You can watch the full discussion here: Agenda Item 1 – Impact Fees

And the backup documentation is here: Agenda Item 1 – Impact Fee Documentation

There is a new Conservation Impact Fee that was proposed. All the Commissioners were in favor of the Conservation Impact Fee. However, there are still questions lingering. They wanted to understand these questions before raising the fees to the maximum allowed under state law.

Commissioner Whitehurst recommended cutting it in half, with the idea that it could be raised in the future, to give people time to get accustomed to the new fee. If we think this through, there are probably already developments in the works that have built their budgets and plans based on current fee structures. They will need to adjust for this additional fee.

There was also discussion to clarify some misunderstanding about how to set impact fee rates.

Commissioner Murphy indicated he was comfortable that the proposed impact fee increases would satisfy the concerns about paying for new development without going to extraordinary circumstance.

There was consensus to go with the 50% increase and not follow the Extraordinary Circumstances

Commissioner Whitehurst then took the time to address some erroneous information that had been spreading on social media. Watch what he had to say and the explanations here: Commissioner Whitehurst’s Comments on social media posts

Specifically he was addressing some comments that Commissioners had lowered impact fees in 2018. Director Roberson addressed the misunderstandings about what had happened in 2018.

In 2018 the Board chose to implement maximum impact fees. They also chose to ease the transition to the new fees by implementing only 75% of the maximum fees for the first year, from March of 2018 through the end of 2018 (about 9 months.) However, in 2019, the full impact fee kicked in. And in 2019 they implemented the 40% buy down for non-residential impact fees.

Affordable Housing Waiver – 50% reduction for housing built for residents with 80% of AMI

Consensus was reached to apply the Affordable Housing Waiver

Eliminating the Non-Residential Buy-downs

In 2018 the Board established a maximum rate for impact fees and implemented a “buy-down” program for commercial development. The intent was to create incentives for more commercial development in the county and help shift the reliance on residential for Property Tax income. It has not achieved the desired result and the ratio of residential to commercial remains about the same; 85% residential to 15% non-residential. After some discussion confirming that they could still issue economic incentives on a case by case basis, they agreed to eliminate the buy-down.

It was pointed out in the closing discussion on the dais that Impact Fees are NOT borne by the developer but by the end user, the purchaser of the home. Impact fees are paid by the builder, and they passed on to the initial buyer of the home. That increases the cost of a new home for residents in the county. This does not create a scenario of the Developer paying for new construction.

In public comment following the impact Fee discussion, a point was raised that the Commissioners seemed to be listening to each other and having positive dialog on the item in a positive change from recent meetings. Appreciation was expressed for this change in tone during discussion.

Agenda Item 2 – Robinson Improvement Company land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act – “On November 5, 2024, the Board denied Robinson Improvement Company’s request to rezone 2,763 acres to PUD (PUD2024-09). Robinson Improvement filed a request for relief from the denial under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act (“FLUEDRA”). Pursuant to FLUEDRA, the parties mediated the dispute and agreed to ask the Board to schedule a new rezoning hearing. The Board declined. The parties then proceeded to a public hearing before Special Magistrate J. Michael Traynor. Special Magistrate Traynor issued his Report and Recommendations on August 19, 2025. FLUEDRA now requires the Board to consider accepting, modifying, rejecting, or not taking action on the Report and Recommendation.”

Read the back-up materials here: Robinson Improvements

Discussion among the Commissioners resulted in Commissioner Whitehurst making a motion to postpone to seek more information. There was a 2-2 vote which is a technical denial meaning the item will now come back before the board for a hearing.

Agenda Item 3 – Presentation of Phase 1 Proposals for the World Golf Hall of Fame

You can watch the presentation here: Agenda item 3 – World Golf Hall of Fame

Read the presentation here: Agenda Item 3 – Backup Materials

Key slides are below:

The Board voted to move both proposals to Phase 2 for consideration.

While there were several other items on the agenda Tuesday, these were the most critical items and I’ll jump to the Commissioner’s Reports to wrap up the day.

Commissioner’s Reports

Commissioner Taylor shared that she has gained consensus from St. Augustine Beach to support a letter to congress regarding funding for the Guana Preserve. And she shared information about the joint meeting she had with Sheriff Hardwick on the topic of e-bike safety.  Sheriff Hardwick and Representative Kendall are pursuing state level legislation around e-bike safety. She also revisited concerns about Nights of Light funding and a desire to have more accountability for how the money is spent. She wanted to form a task force to address these concerns. More information is needed before that can move forward as legal will need to review and make recommendations.

Commissioner Whitehurst reported he is headed to the Innovation and Policy Conference. He has been appointed to be Vice President on the Water and Environmental and Sustainability committee. He will be working with other counties on best practices before the upcoming legislative session. He also took the time to raise concerns about rising violence over the past year  the rising number of people willing to justify killing in the name of politics. He brings this forward because he is shifting to a stance to begin bringing forward when people are being ugly and threatening in their rhetoric and asked to “lower the temperature and be more respectiful.”

Watch his comments here: Commissioner Whitehurst Comments

Commissioner Arnold invited all to the Ceremony to celebrate the Black History Museum at 9:00 on Thursday. She also thanked Commissioner Murphy for a smooth, productive and drama free meeting noting that the people in the room and watching could feel and see the difference.

Commissioner Murphy made a motion to provide 10 – 12 loads of available milling asphalt to the American Legion on Pearl Street. Approved 4-0. He also added his own comments piggybacking on Commissioner Whitehurst’s comments about the heated rhetoric. He is also concerned about the uptick in rhetoric that purports to violence on the political scene. His concern is that we should be able to discuss differing opinions if not peacefully, nonviolently.

County Attorney’s Report

Attorney Kommando only asked to keep Commissioner Joseph in your prayers.

Commissioner Murphy added that while respecting her privacy, please keep Commissioner Joseph in your prayers for health.

Editorial Comment:
Tuesday’s meeting was noticeably calmer, with repeated reminders to treat one another with respect. Many left hopeful that civility could finally replace the constant conflict.

Yet, instead of honoring that call, some voices online have chosen to double down on personal attacks and spread inaccurate claims. In the meeting itself, Commissioner Joseph’s privacy was respected and prayers were offered for her health. The suggestion that anything else was said is simply false — and continuing to stir anger only harms our community.

With the 2026 election ahead, St. Johns County deserves better than agendas driven by outrage. We need conversations rooted in truth, not distortion; in collaboration, not division. Turning down the heat is how we protect our county’s future and ensure decisions are made with clarity and respect.

Because in the end, progress doesn’t come from tearing each other down — it comes from connecting people and solving problems together.

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As it becomes clear who is running in 2026, i will be providing links to their websites and FaceBook pages so you can follow them, learn more about them, and make up your own mind. Links will be posted to the right on my blog page. If you see links I should add, send them over.