BOCC – Page 2 – Beth Tate

Recap of the June 3 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Beth Tate

The June 3 BOCC meeting was another long day and one full of overwhelming positivity and support!

The day began with a Retirement Recognition of Timothy Pugh, Fire Rescue Engineer. It is always heartwarming to see the outpouring of thanks for a first responder as they retire from the force. You can watch the recognition here Fire Rescue Retirement

Following that recognition was the Graduation of the Saint Johns County 101 Citizens Academy class of 2025. This is a new program started by County Administrator Joy Andrews and has been a great success. I spoke with a couple of the class members before the meeting began and they were so impressed with what they learned! They theme I heard was how much more appreciation they had for the dedicated and hard working county employees that we take for granted every day.

Watch the ceremony here: Graduation Ceremony

Learn more about the program here: SJC 101 Citizens Academy

Commissioner Whitehurst made a motion to move Agenda Item 1 (2050 Comprehensive Plan Workshop) to the end of the meeting.

Commission Chair Joseph was opposed to moving the item to the end because of its importance to the county’s future. She recognized that many in the auditorium were there to speak either in support of or against County Administrator Joy Andrews (Item 2 on the Agenda was discussion on Ms. Andrews contract.) Commissioner Joseph said it would be better for people to speak about that topic in Public Comment so they could keep Agenda Item #1 where it was on the agenda.

The Regular Agenda was approved as is and the Board moved into Public Comment. You can watch the full Public Comment here: 0603 Public Comment

Public Comment went on for almost 2 hours with 32 speakers (including myself) speaking in support of Ms. Andrews in her role as County Administrator. Four of the speakers brought up the very negative social media attacks and indicated they need to stop. Three speakers urged the Board to start working together in a more collegial manner.

By the conclusion of this Public Comment, it was close to lunch time, so recess was declared before getting into the Regular Agenda items.

Regular Agenda Item 1 – 2050 Comprehensive Plan Workshop

You can watch the workshop here: 2050 Comp Plan Workshop

I’ve included some key slides but do encourage you to watch the very important discussion on this topic. You’ll get a much better understanding of the proposed changes by watching rather than looking for key sound bites.

Agenda Item 2 – Board Discussion on the Terms of County Administrator’s Contract

Commissioner Whitehurst had asked that this be put on the Agenda following conversation at the May 20 evening meeting. He was concerned that some of the questions and commentary about Ms. Andrews at that meeting occurred at 10:00 at night and wanted the opportunity to have that discussion in the next meeting where more people could have visibility to the discussion.

Ms. Andrews was given an opportunity to explain her application for the position of County Administrator in Palm Beach County. In short, based on feedback she had recently from the board, she was concerned about the long term prospects of her role here in St. Johns County. She felt she had to make the right decision to be able to support her family so she applied for the other role. In response to the reaction from the public, her staff, and her children, she reconsidered and withdrew her application. St. Johns County is her home and she wants to continue her role here.

The discussion and additional public comment are here: Agenda Item 2

Again, I encourage you to watch for yourself to gain an understanding of the concerns and responses.

Commissioner Whitehurst offered his concerns about maintaining the stability of the staff in the County and made a motion to extend Ms. Andrews’ contract for 6 years. Commissioner Murphy countered with a 3 year extension.

Commissioner Murphy shared that in the months he has been on the Board he has heard nothing but accolades and he is fully supportive of Joy.

Commissioner Joseph commented that she hadn’t seen goals accomplished by Ms. Andrews, including not having landed the Black History Museum that was not voted on by the State Legislature as Commissioner Arnold reminded the Board.

Public comment from residents included a speaker on behalf of the St. Johns County Firefighters who are in full support of Ms. Andrews There were 4 other speakers supporting Ms. Andrews and more admonitions about the negativity on social media and requests for the Board to work together.

The Contract extension was approved 3:2 with Commissioners Joseph and Taylor being the no votes.

Regular Agenda Item 3 – Constitutional Officers’ Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Presentations

Tuesday’s presentation was from the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller and the Property Appraiser. It was pointed out that the budgets of the Tax Collector and the Property Appraiser are approved by the State Department of Revenue, not the local Commission, as their budgets are fee based. They are not required to submit their budgets to the county but the Property Appraiser has elected to do so. The Sheriff and Supervisor of Elections will be presenting their budgets at the June 17 Board meeting.

It was noticed that TRIM notices are scheduled to be mailed August 15 to the 181,000 Taxpayers in St. Johns County.

Agenda Item 4 – O’Hara Family Property – Public Hearing to vacate a portion of Poinsettia Road Right-of-way. Little discussion on a minor request, approved unanimously.

Agenda Item 5 – SJC Central Sportsplex – this request is for a Non-Zoning Variance to allow for a County Park to utilize Scenic Edge standards, to allow for reduced performance standards in a portion of the Development Edge, and to allow for overflow parking within the scenic Edge. The site is at the corner of County Road 16A and Timberwolf Trail. Approved unanimously.

Watch the presentation here: SJC Sports Complex

Agenda Item 6 – Proposed E-Bike Ordinance – discussion item

Watch the video here: E-Bike Discussion

Draft Ordinance is here: E-Bike Ordinance

There was robust discussion on the item; I encourage you to watch the discussion including the exchange with Director Martin from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Director Martin shared that SJSO has been reallocating manpower to educate students and issued a Call to Action to parents. They talked about the importance of working with HOAs to create new rules and regulations within their communities to assist with the issue, as well.

The overarching concern was the ability of SJSO to have the manpower and resources to enforce some of the proposed elements in the Ordinance.

The item concluded with consensus to draft a resolution about the education and enforcement of existing laws for e-bikes. This will come back to the Board for additional discussion.

Agenda item 7 – Adoption Hearing for a Comprehensive plan Amendment needed to comply with Section 163.3177 of the Florida Statutes related to the 2023 North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan.

“This is the adoption hearing for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to amend Goals, Objectives, and Policies of the St. Johns County 2025 Comprehensive Plan in order to comply with Section 163.3177, Florida Statutes, with the issuance of the 2023 North Florida Regional Water Supply Plan. The statute requires local governments to amend their Comprehensive Plans to include selected projects from the updated regional water supply plan and to update its Water Supply Facilities Work Plan, adopted by reference in the Comprehensive Plan. The amendment was brought before the PZA on March 6, 2025, for a motion to recommend transmittal to state agencies for review. There were minor comments and questions from Agency members along with one public comment on aquifer withdrawal. The Agency subsequently voted unanimously to approve the motion. On April 1, 2025, the amendment was brought in front of the BCC for a motion to transmit to state agencies for review. Staff answered questions from the Chair on alternative water supply projects that the County has selected. In addition, a public comment was discussed on gray water availability for reuse. The BCC subsequently unanimously approved the motion to transmit. The amendment was sent out for state agency review on April 4, 2025. No substantial comments or concerns with the amendment were received from the state agencies by the 30-day deadline. Staff intends to bring the amendment to the PZA again on May 15, 2025, for a recommendation to adopt and will verbally advise the Board of any issues or questions asked.”

This was approved unanimously.

Agenda Item 8 – “Adopting and approving the final schedules of rates, deposits, charges, fees, and costs relating to the use or availability of water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services pursuant to the St. Johns County Utility Ordinance for FY2025, creating a single set of rates for the North Beach and Main System and establishing an effective date.”

Approved unanimously

Agenda Item 9 – Appointments to the Planning and Zoning Agency due to the resignation of Elvis Pierre. Commissioner Joseph made a motion to appoint Bob Olson. She indicated her support for Joe McAnarney but felt the rest of the Board would not support him so she wanted to put forward Bob Olson. Commissioners Whitehurst and Arnold asked if Dick Williams couldn’t be discussed.

Commissioner Joseph indicated she felt Mr. Olson would be fair and objective. He was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Arnold being the no vote.

Agenda Item 10 – Appointment to the Industrial Development Authority – Susan Phillips was the recommended appointee and approved 5-0.

Commissioner’s Reports

Commissioner Joseph shared a video from about Veterans Village. You can watch the video here: Veterans Village

Commissioner Whitehurst invited Misty Dzion to share about the loss of her son that led to the enactment of Connor’s Law, requiring truck drivers to be proficient in the English Language. Watch her presentation here: Connor’s Law Presentation

Commissioner Taylor asked for consensus for the County to send a letter of opposition to SB 180, asking that Governor DeSantis veto the bill. That bill includes more local preemption language. Commissioner Arnold shared that she had already reached out to members of our local delegation “who have unanimously voted yes” on this bill. She was reluctant to sign on to this letter when our entire delegation had voted in favor of it. Commissioner Whitehurst added that he had spoken with Senator Leek and Representative Kendall about the bill. In their view this bill helps people get back in their homes more quickly. While he also disagrees with parts of the Bill, he was also reluctant to sign onto the letter asking Governor DeSantis to veto a bill that our state delegation had voted to pass. Commissioner Joseph stated she would be sending a letter to Governor DeSantis asking him to veto it because she is concerned about the trees.

County Administrator’s Report – Ms. Andrews congratulated the staff on receiving the 2025 Urban Deal of the Year from the Florida Economic Development Council for the Publix pharmaceutical manufacturing facility to be built on 210. The project is planned to open in 2026 and will bring 400 new jobs with a salary over $100,00. Learn more about the project here: Urban Deal of the Year

She asked for, and received, consensus to promote a St. Johns County Day for the 2026 Legislative Session.

County Attorney’s Report – reminder that financial disclosure reports are due at the end of the month and announced the promotion of Kealey West to Deputy Attorney.

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BOCC, Comprehensive Plan, Uncategorized

May 20 St. Johns County BOCC Meeting – Change in Time!

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Beth Tate

Since the 2024 election we’ve heard about the desire to try an evening Board of County Commissioner’s meeting to give more people the opportunity to attend.

Well – that time is here! The May 20 BOCC meeting will begin at 5:00 PM in the Auditorium or you can watch on GTV, here: Link to GTV

Be prepared for a late evening. It usually takes an hour or more to get to the Regular Agenda, depending on how many people participate in Public Comment at the beginning of the meeting.

There are only 3 items on the Regular Agenda, a Non-Zoning Variance, review of the Comprehensive Plan, and review of a Reclaimed Water Meter Fee in Beacon Lakes.

The full agenda can be found here: May 20 Agenda

Interesting to see that one of the most impactful conversations of the year for the Commissioner’s will be on the agenda, Item 2, the review of the Comprehensive Plan update. This is a discussion only item with no vote scheduled on Tuesday evening.

We’ve already seen 2 Commissioners voicing their opposition to the plan on social media and asking people to show up at the meeting to express their opposition. You may want to read the proposed changes yourself before deciding if you agree or disagree.

You can read the full red-lined version at this link: 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update

For those not familiar with a red-line – you can see in red the proposed changes, omissions, modifications, deletions. It is a lengthy document, 289 pages, so be prepared to take some time to read it!

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BOCC, Budget, St. Johns County

What’s Ahead in St. Johns County the week of May 5

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Beth Tate

There is no shortage of public meetings of importance to the county next week. Let’s take a look at the most critical.

Budget Meetings

Budget season for St. Johns County begins in earnest next week with scheduled presentations of departmental budgets.

County Administrator Joy Andrews released a newsletter last week sharing how to listen in to the Budget process. The Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Disclosure Series begins next week and everyone can watch and ask questions!

These meetings are meetings between the Operational Department leaders and the County Administrator, reviewing their “proposed levels of service and requested funding need to accomplish those service goals and operations.”

Between May 8 and May 13, 2025, each County department will be presenting their operational needs and priorities. If you’ve ever wondered how they come up with these numbers or where the money goes, this is great opportunity to watch the process!

Each session will be broadcast live and recorded so you can watch in real-time or later. They will also have available public viewing areas if you want to be “in the room”.

The meetings will be held at the St. Johns County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine. There will be limited seating in the conference room for in-person attendance and additional space in the auditorium where they will broadcast the meetings live. Or you can watch from the comfort of home on GTV. Link here: St. Johns County GTV

If you have feedback or questions, you can email the team at budget2026@sjcfl.us

If you are interested in specific topics, here is the line-up:

May 8 – 1:00 – 5:00 PM

Health & Human Services
Office of Performance & Transparency
Purchasing and Contract Management
Economic Development
Public Works and Solid Waste

May 9 – 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Building Services and Code Enforcement
Growth Management
Medical Examiner
Utility Services

May 9 – 2 – 4:30 PM

Health Department
Administration/Board of County Commissioners/Office of Management & Budget
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Office of Public Affairs

May 12 – 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Library Services
Parks & Recreation
County Attorney
Management Information Systems

May 12 – 2 – 4:00 PM

Community Partners

May 13 – 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Public Safety
Human Resources and Risk Management
Agricultural Extension Services
Veterans Services

May 13 – 2 – 5:00 PM

Facilities Management
Land Management
Emergency Management/Coastal Management/Disaster Recovery
Tourism and Development

Learn more about the process here: 2026 Budget

Besides the Budget series beginning next week, there is the regularly scheduled BOCC meeting. There are some interesting topics on the agenda and I’ve already seen some mis-representation on social media. Before you plan to show up about a specific topic, learn more about what will be presented.

Let’s walk through the Agenda.

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item 1 – Tidal 210 – Request to rezone approximately 65 acres of land from Commercial Highway and Tourist to Planned Unit Development for the development of a maximum of 297 townhome units. This was heard by the PZA and failed with a 3:3 vote (Labanowski, Hilsenbeck, Speigel voting no.

Background materials can be found here: Tidal 210 PUD

Agenda Item 2 – Comprehensive Plan Update: Population Projections – the vendor supporting the process for the Comprehensive Plan was instructed to use Medium Population projections for the County as they prepare the Comprehensive Plan. This is their assessment.

Materials are here: Comp Plan Update

Agenda Item 3 – Amendment to the Irrigation Ordinance regulating the consumptive use of water for landscape irrigation. Proposed change will bring St. Johns County Utilities in conformity with best practices suggested by the St. Johns River Water Management District’s goals for water conservation.

The amended section is here (change in red):

Section 5. Exceptions to Landscape Irrigation Schedule. Landscape irrigation shall be subject to the following irrigation schedule exceptions:

A. Irrigation using a micro-spray, micro-jet, drip or bubbler irrigation system is allowed anytime.

B. Irrigation of new landscape is allowed at any time of day on any day for 30 days immediately following planting/installation and every other day for the next 30 days for a total of one 60- day period, provided that the irrigation is limited to the minimum amount necessary for such landscape establishment.

C. Watering in of chemicals, including insecticides, pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and herbicides, when required by law, the manufacturer, or best management practices, is allowed at any time of day on any day within 24 hours of application. Watering in of chemicals shall not exceed ¼ inch of water per application except as otherwise required by law, the manufacturer, or best management practices.

D. Irrigation systems may be operated at any time of day on any day for necessary maintenance and repair purposes not to exceed 20 minutes per hour per zone.

E. Irrigation using a hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle is allowed at any time of day on any day.

F. Discharge of water from a water-to-air air-conditioning unit or other water-dependent cooling system is not limited by this Ordinance.

G. The use of water from a reclaimed water system is allowed anytime unless restricted by a utility provider for operational needs as permitted by law. For the purpose of this paragraph, a reclaimed water system includes systems in which the primary source is reclaimed water, which may or may not be supplemented from another source during peak demand periods.

Agenda Item 4 – Amending the SJC Utilities Ordinance – Second Reading

“During a recent Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) inspection of the Utilities Pretreatment Program, it was discovered that the current Utility Ordinance did not give delegation authorization from the Utility Director to the Pretreatment Coordinator. It was also noted that the Ordinance did not define a timeline for reviewing data and issuing or denying Pretreatment permits. These minor amendments (pages 42 and 52) to the Utility Ordinance will address the changes FDEP requested during the Pretreatment inspection. First Reading was held April 1, 2025.”

Agenda Item 5 – Rezoning SR 207/Helen Road Commercial – Request to rezone approximately .97 acres of land at 180 State Road 207 from Residential, Manufactured/Mobile Home to Commercial Intensive. The applicant intends to develop the overall site to include office, self-storage and flex warehousing.

Materials are here: Agenda Item 5

Agenda Item 6 – 1235 S. Winterhawk Drive – Request for a Non-Zoning variance to allow for an access easement within a platted subdivision

Agenda Item 7 – FLUEDRA Mediation update: Robinson Improvement Company – This is an item that needs to be understood in it’s entirety. I’ve seen encouragement to show up on Tuesday to tell the BOCC to deny this request. That is not one of the options for Tuesday. Read on.

“On November 5, 2024, the Board denied Robinson Improvement Company’s request to rezone 2,763 acres to PUD (PUD2024-09). The property is located north of County Road 214, south of County Road 208, and between I-95 and County Road 13A. Robinson Improvement 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 special magistrate mediation occurred on March 28, 2025. During the mediation, Robinson Improvement presented a revised plan providing more site detail, including a neighborhood commercial component. The parties agreed that, contingent on Board approval, Robinson Improvement could proceed to a public rezoning hearing on the revised plan. If the Board does not approve scheduling the new rezoning hearing, the parties will proceed to a public hearing before the special magistrate regarding the FLUEDRA request.”

Relief is being sought by the developer under FLUEDRA, aimed at resolving the dispute between the developer and the county without litigation.

You can read the FLUEDRA statute here: FLUEDRA Statute

There are two options for the Commission on Tuesday:

OPTION 1: Motion to rehear PUD2024-09 and authorize the scheduling of a public rezoning hearing complying with public notice and advertising requirements.

OPTION 2: Take no action and allow the matter to proceed to a public hearing before the special magistrate.

Note that there is no option to deny the development at this meeting. Either it gets scheduled for another rezoning hearing or no action is taken, allowing this challenge to go before the special magistrate.

This article in the Jacksonville Daily Record lays out some of the details: Agrihood – Second Chance

The full agenda for Tuesday can be found here: May 6 BOCC Agenda

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BOCC, St. Johns County

Recap of the April 15, 2025 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Beth Tate

The meeting began and ended with important discussions that highlight the on-going discord with the current Board of County Commissioners. Residents have expressed their desire to see some of these disagreements put aside so the Commissioners can get on with the business of the County. Read on for more information.

Mental Health Awareness Month

Commissioner Sarah Arnold presented the Proclamation for Mental Health Awareness Month. Accepting the proclamation were representatives from families and organizations working with Mental Health issues in the community.

Watch the Proclamation presentation here: Mental Health Awareness Month

Learn more about two of the organizations at these links: Patients not Prisoners and SMA Healthcare

As someone who has seen first hand what mental health struggles can do to a family, I’m grateful for organizations like these and the Proclamation for Mental Health Awareness.

Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

The second proclamation of the day was for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Appropriately presented by Commissioner Murphy, who began his law enforcement career in this field, this proclamation recognizes the work done by the dedicated folks who answer the call to 911, handling over 414,000 incoming and outgoing calls in St. Johns County last year.

You can watch the presentation here: Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

There were no additions or deletions to the Consent Agenda and it was approved.

Regular Agenda

Regular Agenda Item 1 – Request for Reimbursement of Attorney’s Fees.

Commissioner Joseph is requesting reimbursement of her attorney fees incurred when she filed suit against the Florida State’s Attorney and the County Commissioners. See the slides for more details on the events.

Following her attorney’s presentation, Commissioner Joseph asked if she was ever going to be put in jail. The attorney responded that at one point there were law enforcement vehicles outside her home in early morning hours and that caused her to worry that there would be a predawn raid. The attorney contacted the State’s Attorney’s office to discuss arranging a surrender for her arrest so that her husband would not be left without care. The State’s Attorney would not have the discussion.

Commissioner Taylor made a motion to move funds from the General Reserve fund and approve the amount of $139,005 in attorney’s fees for Commissioner Joseph. Commissioner Joseph seconded the motion.

After public comment, there were questions from the other Commissioners. Some of the questions and answers are paraphrased here:

Q – Has Commissioner Joseph paid this bill?

Answer – No, she still owes the attorney so the request is for the county taxpayers to pay the attorney’s fees for Commissioner Joseph

Q – What gave Commissioner Joseph the impression that there was going to be a pre-dawn raid?

Answer – There were law enforcement cards idling outside her house in the pre-dawn hours an that gave her concern. There was never any verification about why the law enforcement cars were outside of her home and never an arrest. She did believe they were there at the direction of the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Q – Why is Commissioner Joseph pursuing the County to reimburse her rather than the State’s Attorney’s Office which was pursuing the prosecution after the County Commissioners were dismissed from the lawsuit.

Answer – She is seeking reimbursement because these were fees incurred as part of her public duty.

Commissioner Murphy noted during discussions that the taxpayer is getting the bill both ways – to defend the Commissioners and to reimburse Commissioner Joseph for her fees.

Commissioner Murphy questioned the amount being requested and referred to an amount of $110,242 that had been deemed to be a “reasonable fee” and said he would support an amended motion for that amount. He would not support the total requested without an itemized bill for that amount.

Commissioner Arnold also asked about itemized bills and questioned the request being a reimbursement when the bill has not yet been paid. She would like for the topic to come back with more information in the request.

Commisioner Taylor amended her motion to $110,000, it was seconded by Commissioner Murphy and passed 3-2 with Arnold and Whitehurst being the No votes.

You can watch the presentation here: Agenda Item 1 – Reimbursement of Legal Fees

Agenda item 2 – The Shell at St. Augustine -a project to benefit local arts, culture and heritage organizations, provide a pathway to sustainability for the participating non-profits, increase tourism dollars for St. Johns County and enrich quality of life for local residents.

The organization has funding to build the building and are looking for a location to build. Consensus from the Board was for staff to work with the organization to help finding a location for this facility.

Watch the presentation here: The Shell

Agenda item 3 – Dog and Bog withdrawal of request. The applicants have determined they cannot develop the project and have located a local partner, Habitat for Humanity of St. Johns County, who are in discussions to purchase the project. Habitat for Humanity CEO Malinda Everson confirmed that Habitat is in the due diligence phase of moving forward with the purchase.

(Disclosure: I currently serve as the Treasurer on the Habitat for Humanity Board and did vote affirmatively to move forward with this purchase, dependent upon the outcome of the due diligence.)

Agenda Item 5 – change order to Phase 1 Design-Build Agreement for Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Design-Build services for Silverleaf Fire Station #22 and Sheriff’s Operations Center. This was an item to process a change order to include Early Works in the project at a cost of $2,288,800. Approved unanimously

Agenda Item 6 – Amendment for Early Works packages for Central Community and Community Sportsplex Parks. Approved unanimously

Agenda Items 7– Appointment to the Housing Finance Authority. Robin Pfalzgraf was appointed unanimously.

Agenda Item 8 – County Attorney Agreement for Legal Services.

After discussion on the agreement and minor modifications, it was approved 3-2 (Taylor and Joseph being no votes.)

Once approved, Commissioner Joseph expressed her concern about signing the contract without confirmation that there would be no criminal repercussions. Attorney Kommando indicated there was no reason he knows of that she could not sign the agreement but if she were uncomfortable, she could delegate to someone else. She stated that is what she would do.

The agreement can be found here: County Attorney’s Legal Agreement

You can watch the video here: Discussion on County Attorney Agreement

Commissioner’s reports

Commissioner Whitehurst – Congratulations to the Gators on recent athletic wins. Very impressed with his tour of Saint Augustine Youth Services (SAYS) and recommended all commissioners should take that tour. Learn more about SAYS here: SAYS Website

Commissioner Whitehurst also shared a recap of his recent visits to Tallahassee and all the legislators he met with while in Tallahassee pursuing actions and funding on behalf of St. Johns County.

And concluded with Happy Easter to all those who celebrate

Commissioner Arnold – Also shared an update on the visits to Tallahassee. Taking off her Commissioner hat for a moment, she spoke about bills moving through the House and Senate right now that could potentially result in loss of funding to special programs in St. Johns County included IP, AP, AICE, CTE and Dual Enrollment programs. She encouraged all parents to do their own research, come to their own conclusions and reach out to the legislators if they are so inclined.

Commission Taylor – Shared an update on her visits to Tallahassee. She asked for clarification about the bill related to funding for the IGP and I-95 interchange. Senator Leek had pointed out that this item was number 6 on the priority list and she wanted clarification to Senator Leek that it is one the County’s Top priorities. She talked about a letter requesting the funding and wanted to include in the letter that the county is requesting $10 Million dollars in federal funding.

See previous post about the requested appropriations for IGP and I-95 improvements here: Florida Legislative Appropriations Process Blog

Commissioner Murphy – Shared he was wearing his Autism Awareness hat he got while attending a recent Re-Certification class with Old Town Trolley Tours.

He asked for consensus to direct staff to review some standing committees that have been inactive for some time. This will come back to the Board as an Agenda item.

He also talked about the trips to Tallahassee and the importance of the Commissioners going to Tallahassee and developing relationships that will allow them to bring home more money from Tallahassee. In order to meet the goal of a tax rollback, the county must have money from Tallahassee.

Commissioner Joseph raised a point that when they were in Tallahassee, Commissioners Arnold and Whitehurst were meeting with the legislators separately from Commissioners Joseph, Murphy, and Taylor. This devolved into a bit of a debate between Commissioners Joseph and Whitehurst that is worth watching at the link below.

Commissioner Joseph asked about updating the letter to Senator Leek about funding for the IGP-I-95 exchange. County Administrator Andrews explained that there are very careful discussions with Congressman Rutherford’s office about what that number might be and they do not want to submit a number that has not been agreed to by his office. (Again reference the process outlined in the link to a previous blog post above.)

Commissioner Joseph also sent Happy Anniversary wishes to her husband on their 35^th Anniversary on April 16.

Watch the Reports here for more context and detail: Commissioner’s Reports

County Administrator’s Report

Administrator Andrews expressed appreciation to the Board for Rich Kommando’s contract and expressed that this is the most impressive legal team they have had at the county during her tenure. She also had the Director of Growth Management Mike Roberson provide an update on the Comprehensive Plan timeline.

Administrator Andrews provided an update on the situation with Indianhead Biomass. A letter was issued to the business with code violations. The county is working with them to address the violations. She shared that the company does provide a valuable service to the county as they are the only vendor who addresses our biomass collection. They are still awaiting results of a study to determine if the odor violates current standards but are also talking with the company to bring down the odors.

County Attorney’s Report

Attorney Kommando pointed out to the Board that there are more than Appropriations of concern in Tallahassee this session including bills concerning condo associations and local preemptions. Deputy Attorney Kealey West thanked the Board for the decision about Attorney Kommando, commenting that he has been here for a year, guiding through a tumultuous time and they office looks forward to his continued leadership.

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BOCC, Comprehensive Plan, St. Johns County

What’s Ahead at the March 18 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting?

Posted on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by Beth Tate

While many County Residents are on Spring Break next week, our County Commissioners have some meaty topics on the agenda!

Consent Agenda Items

Did you know there is a Northeast Florida Coordinated Mobility Plan? Consent Agenda Item 3 is Approval of the Northeast Florida Coordinated Mobility Plan. Essentially, this provides funding through Federal Transit Administration grants to cover the Sunshine Bus Program.

Read more about it here: Northeast Florida Coordinated Mobility Plan Item

Regular Agenda Items

Item 1 on the Regular Agenda is Board Discussion of Land Development Code Article IV (Tree Ordinance.) There has been a lot of social media chatter about this one. Important to note, this is NOT a reading of a new Ordinance. That requires public notice and two formal hearings. Instead, this is a presentation to seek Board Guidance on updates to the code. There should not be any vote on an ordinance at this point.

At the March 4, 2025 BOCC Meeting, Commissioner Whitehurst made a motion to move the meeting to March 25 (one week later) because so many people would be away on Spring Break vacation March 18. Commissioners Joseph and Taylor felt very strongly that the discussion could not be moved to allow more people to attend.

Here’s the discussion item: Agenda Item 1

Reading the social media posts, one might think Tuesday is the day to vote on the ordinance, but it is not. Again, Ordinance changes have to be published and then go through 2 readings before being voted on. It will be interesting to see why there is such a push to have this discussion on March 18.

“Objective: Facilitate BCC discussion on the previously proposed 14 Tree Goals. Background: On October 17, 2023 BCC directed staff to bring a discussion item on current St. Johns County tree protection regulations in the Land Development Code (LDC) and to revisit the 14 Tree Goals in the context of the Comprehensive Plan amendment process. On December 17, 2024 BCC directed staff to again present the 14 Tree Goals for further discussion. Since December 17, 2024 staff has met with Chair Joseph twice to discuss the goals. Table 1 is a summary of the original 14 Goals with notation of considerations of changes from these 2 discussions.”

The requested outcome of the discussion on the 18^th is:

“Staff is seeking Board direction on either of the following: 1. Provide staff with direction to bring further analysis on one or more goals for further discussion at a future date TBD. 2. No further action.”

Here’s a link to the October 2023 discussion item, that may be important to review prior to reading the proposed changes: Analysis of Proposed 14 Points to Save Trees

Those who proposed the 14 points have been vocal that this will mostly impact developers as they develop new communities. Any of us who live in St. Johns County appreciate the beauty of the trees in our county and are in favor of preserving as many trees as we can! And those of us who are homeowners enjoy having trees in our landscaping for the beauty and shade provided. As homeowners, we also know the cost of maintaining trees, especially in new developments where trees are often planted too close to the foundation or lot lines and have to be managed in later years as root systems develop, not always in ways that are good!

There are some elements to the Land Development Code changes that would impact all homeowners, including new homebuyers. While it is easy to say, the developers will pay for this, as anyone who has built a home knows, these costs just get passed on to home buyers.

One proposed change that could have unintended consequences for homeowners is under Goal 5, More strongly discourage non-permitted tree removal. This is proposed to take place with increased fines for non-permitted tree removal.

Increase Fine (Goal 5)

Current: LDC 4.01.05.E.3 provides a tiered approach to fines based on the size of the tree, with fines ranging from $200 to $1,000 per tree removed. If unable to assess the number and size of Protected trees removed due to the site being completely cleared and graded, such violation shall be subject to a fine of $30,000 per acre.
Proposed: Trees removed illegally should be subject to a fine 10X the current fine to discourage such violations.
Background: Ordinance 2020-23 amended the LDC to add Sec. 4.01.05.E.3 fines for Protected tree removal without a permit.
Cost: The current fine ranges from $200 to $1,000 per tree or $30,000 per acre. Therefore, the proposed fines would range from $2,000 to $10,000 per tree or $300,000 per acre.

While this may be intended to stop developers and builders from removing too many trees, the unintended consequence is that as a homeowner, you are subject to tohese same fines if you remove a protected tree without a permit.

If you are a homeowner, or plan to be a homeowner in St. Johns County, it is worth your time to read through the proposal and make your thoughts known to our County Commissioners.

Agenda Item 2 is a discussion on Residential Entitlements Data. What is that? We often hear that there in the neighborhood of 60,000 homes that are entitled to be built but have not been built, therefore no new homes need to be approved until the Infrastructure catches up. The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) has long said that the number is not correct. This discussion item is to explore the differences in what NEFBA believes is remaining to be built and what the County database shows is remaining to be built.

There was an article about this in the Jacksonville Business Journal March 10. I think this link is behind a paywall, Builders Want Accurate Lot Count so I’ll summarize.

The article by Stuart Korfhage, who has long covered St. Johns County, begins with this statement, “When it comes to planning for growth in St. Johns County, there are two main camps: those who want a major slowdown and those who want a practical path forward.”

The divide between those two camps is evident on our Commission and in our communities as the county continues to evolve and grow.

The difference in numbers is large – NEFBA says the number is really around 25,000. As an example from the article, Sawgrass is showing a remaining 5,700 residential units to be built that are highly unlikely to be built.

At the March 4 Commission Meeting, Commissioner Murphy asked Growth Management to come back to the Board with more data on the actual count that they can use for future planning.

NEFBA Analysis of Residential Entitlements

Agenda Item 3 is the 2050 Comprehensive Plan Update: Data and Analysis. An update was provided on February 18 and the Commissioners had questions. This is a response to those questions. Information is here: Comp Plan Discussion

Agenda Item 4 – World Golf Village Hall of Fame Discussion. Another follow up item from a previous meeting, materials are here, but very high level. World Golf Hall of Fame

Agenda Item 5 – Hearing to vacate a portion of an unopened 16’ wide alley right-of-way in Hastings Villa, in Hastings.

Agenda Item 6 – Rivertown Forest Phase 1 – this is the platting of 152 single family lots on 65.261 acres.

Check out the details here: Rivertown Plat

Agenda Item 7 – Silverleaf Market Loop Road – final plat approval for Silverleaf Market Loop road – no residential lots.

Details here: Silverleaf Market

Agenda Item 8 – County Attorney Advisory Review Committee Recruitment Update – status update on selection of the County Attorney. Recommended candidates for the final section by the Board and details about the special meeting scheduled for March 25.

The Jax Daily Record reports on the 3 finalists here: County Attorney Recommendations

The finalists are, Rich Kommando (current interim attorney), Brad Bulthius (former assistant county attorney) and Michael Rodriguez (attorney in Boca Raton.)

Agenda Item 9 – Appointments to the Affordabe Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) – Due to resignation and end of term for 2 members, 3 candidates are under consideration. CVs and recommendations here: AHAC Appointments

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