Category: St. Johns County

Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

What’s On the September 5 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting Agenda

Posted on by Beth Tate

September 5 finds us back to a long Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting. Pack a lunch! We will be there awhile!

Board of County Commissioner Meetings are the first and third Tuesdays of the Month, 9:00 AM, at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View.

Image from St. Johns County Facebook Page

Link to the full agenda is here: BOCC Agenda 9-5-23

There are 3 Proclamations being presented at the September 5 BOCC meeting.

  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Constitution Week
  • Library Card Sign-up Month

Consent Agenda Items of interest

There are 2 items on the Consent Agenda that are of great interest to those following The Landings development in Greenbriar.

Consent Agenda Item 3 is the School Concurrency Proportionate Share Mitigation Agreement and Consent Agenda Item 4 is the Proportionate Fair Share Agreement. What is most interesting is that the Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPA) and the Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement for both The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns are on the Regular Agenda for Sept. 5. This means that the Consent Agenda items could technically be approved before the CPA and PUD are even heard by the Commissioners at the September 5 meeting.

Consent Agenda Item 3 is the School Concurrency Proportionate Share Mitigation Agreement is an agreement that to mitigate for the lack of school capacity today, the proportionate share is $9,563,320 or $16,264 per dwelling unit. This will be satisfied by dedication of an off-site drainage easement to serve the existing elementary school site adjacent the proposed PUD. This is valued at $321,481. The balance of $9,241,845 will be a payment made prior to Construction Plan approval. The School Impact fee credits will be for the full amount of the $9,563,320. This was approved by the School Board on July 11, 2023.

Importantly, the School Distrct will apply this Proportionate Share Mitigation towards school capacity improvements to be added to the planned capital improvements in the next update of the Five Year District Facilities Work Plan.

Read the details here: Consent Agenda Item 3

Consent Agenda Item 4 is the Proportionate Fair Share Agreement to mitigate the transportation impacts to CR 210, Greenbriar Road, SR 13 and Longleaf Pine Parkway. The  proportionate fair share (PFS) for this project (The Landings at Greenbriar and St. Johns) is calculated to be $8,148,710.00. This would fund widening a portion of Greenbriar Road from a point just east of the Greenbriar Rd/Longleaf Pine Pkwy intersection to approximately nine-tenths (0.9) of a mile west of the intersection from 2 to 4 lanes, including improvements to the Greenbriar Rd/Longleaf Pine Pkwy intersection (Greenbriar Road Improvements), at an estimated cost of $8,162,869.

Read the details here: Consent Agenda Item 4

Consent Agenda item 5 is an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Bartram Park DRI (Race Track Road). This impacts a much needed widening of the only 2 lane portion of Race Track Road in the northern part of the county.

This MOU would be between Bartram Park, LTD, Bartram Park Associates, LLC and St. Johns County and details the obligations of the Bartram Park developer for the widening of Race Track Road from 2 to 4 lanes between Bartram park Blvd to Bartram Springs Pkway as required by the Bartram Park DRI Developoment Order. This MOU provides for the construction and partial funding of the design in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville and the Florida Department of Transportation.

Details are here: Consent Agenda Item 5

Consent Agenda Item 6 is a Resolution approving the terms and authorizing the County Administrator, or designee, to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement for acquisition of approximately 30 acres of land located off County Road 13 South for conservation and approving a transfer of LAMP reserves up to $735,000 for the purchase of the property. The purchase negotiations were previously approved by the Board and this the approval of the execution for the purchase of the property. There is no indication how the County will utilize the property in the future.

Details are here: Consent Agenda item 6

Consent Agenda Item 26 is an item that may bring criticism from the audience. The Cultural Events Division is requesting incremental future funding of $3,705,806 for renovation costs for the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Prices have been adjusted for construction inflation and other pricing increases. This will bring the total to $9,135,806 and would be part of the St. Johns County Capital Improvement Plan. This would be allocated for the Year 2025 budget cycle.

Details here: Consent Agenda Item 26

Regular Agenda Items

Moving into the Regular Agenda items,  1 – 4 will most likely be heard as one presentation. This is the Adoption Hearing for the Comprehensive Plan Amendment and PUD for The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult.) These were previously approved for transmittal and now comes the Adoption Hearing. As this will be the last opportunity for public comment on these projects, I anticipate a large audience for this item. Concerns raised by residents have included school capacity (mitigation in the Consent Agenda items above,) increased traffic on over-crowded roads, and incompatibility with surrounding developments.

The Landings south of Greenbriar Road

Regular readers may recall the builder is committing to road improvements in front of the schools as part of the application. The School Board has endorsed these improvements.

Switzerland Point & Hickory Creek access improvements

Bartram Trail Access Improvements

Details can be found at the links below.

CPA (SS) 2022-01 The Landings at Greenbriar Comprehensive Plan – The Landings at Greenbriar

“Request for a Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use designation of approximately 31.8 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road, approximately one (1) mile west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at St. Johns site, no Development Edges will be required. This request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at their regularly scheduled public hearing on Thursday, August 3, 2023, and was recommended for approval, 5-1.”

PUD 2022-03 The Landings at Greenbriar PUD – The Landings at Greenbriar

“Request to rezone approximately 382 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 588 single family residential dwelling units. This request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at their regularly scheduled public hearing on Thursday, August 3, 2023, and was recommended for approval, 5-1.”

COMPAMD 2022-06 The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult) Comprehensive Plan – The Landings at St. Johns

“Adoption hearing for a Large-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use Map designation of approximately 581 acres of land, located south of Greenbriar Road and west of Longleaf Pine Parkway, from Rural/Silviculture (R/S) to Residential-B (Res-B) with a site specific text amendment stating that in locations where the subject property is contiguous to The Landings at Greenbriar site, no Development Edges will be required. This request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at their regularly scheduled public hearing on Thursday, August 3, 2023, and was recommended for approval, 5-1.”

PUD 2022-20 The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult) PUD – The Landings at St. Johns

“Request to rezone approximately 581 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) and Residential, Single Family (RS-2) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum 761 age-restricted single family homes. This request is a companion application to COMPAMD 2022-06 The Landings at St. Johns. This request was heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at their regularly scheduled public hearing on Thursday, August 3, 2023, and was recommended for approval, 5 – 1.”

Agenda Items 5 and 6 also impact the Longleaf Pine Parkway/County Road 210 area. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment and PUD for the Mensforth Family Community Commercial are to change the zoning for approximately 4.25 acres of land from Rural/Silviculture to Community Commercial. The PUD will include about 25,000 sq. ft. of commercial activities.

Agenda Item 9 will be of interest to those who follow our Bald Eagle population.

Special Magistrate Recommendation in Day Late Enterprises, Inc. v. St. Johns County

“On June 9, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners (“Board”) rendered an order denying a nonzoning variance application by Day Late Enterprises, Inc. (“Day Late”) for a proposed alternative bald eagle management plan for certain property along State Road 16, the majority of which is undeveloped, but a portion of which is within the Grand Oaks PUD. Day Late filed a request for relief from the denial under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act, section 70.51, Florida Statutes (“FLUEDRA”), which provides means to potentially resolve disputes pre-suit through a special magistrate mediation and hearing process. After the conclusion of the hearing, the special magistrate is required to issue a written recommendation, which the governmental entity must accept, modify, or reject within 45 days after receipt. Failure to act within 45 days is deemed a rejection. Thirty days after any rejection, the government entity must issue a written decision of the uses available to the subject property. The special magistrate in this matter issued a written recommendation on August 8, 2023, which is attached here for the Board’s review and consideration for possible action.”

Details here: Agenda Item 9

At 5:01, time certain, will be an item of interest to all Property Owners in St. Johns County, the Public Hearing on the Adoption of Tentative Millage Rates & Budget for FY 2024.

With the receipt of TRIM notices last week, there has been much discussion and many questions about the increase in Property Tax bills across the county.

This will be the first public hearing with the final public hearing recommendation date being September 19. This is the first opportunity for the public to comment and ask questions prior to the adoption of the final budget for FY 2024.

Presentation and millage rates are at this link: Trim Notice Presentation

“In accordance with sections 129.03 and 200.065 of the Florida Statutes, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is required to hold public hearings to adopt its millage rates and budget for the next Fiscal Year (FY). Such hearings must be held after 5:00 PM if scheduled on a day other than Saturday. In the recently mailed Notices of Proposed Property Taxes (TRIM) by the County’s Property Appraiser, the date and time noticed for the required hearings is September 5, 2023, at 5:01 P.M. The Florida Statutes further prescribe the specific order for consideration of substantive issues to be discussed during the required public hearings. The first substantive issue of discussion must be the percentage increase in the County’s aggregate millage rate over the rolled-back rate necessary to fund the budget. The rolled-back rate is defined as the aggregate millage rate that would generate the same level of prior year tax revenues less certain defined allowances (such as new construction). During such discussion, the general public shall be allowed to speak and ask questions prior to the adoption of any measures by the BCC. The BCC shall adopt by resolution its tentative millage rates prior to adopting its tentative budget for FY 2024. Additionally, the BCC is required to establish a date, time, and place to conduct public hearings on the final millage and budget adoption for FY 2024. It is recommended that the BCC establish September 19, 2023, at 5:01 PM, in the County Auditorium to conduct such hearings. A copy of the FY 2024 Tentative Budget Workbook, including detail per line item, may be found on the County’s webpage at http://www.sjcfl.us/OMB/”

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Posted in PZA, St. Johns County, Workforce Housing

Summary of the August 17, St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Ponte Vedra Club PUD – Change in Date

The meeting started off with a statement from Chair Matovina that the Ponte Vedra Resort PUD would not be heard and has been continued to September 21.

For those interested in this PUD, there are other important meetings associated with this PUD review:

  • Sept 6, 5:00 PM, the Architectural Review Committee Meeting at the Sawgrass Mariott
  • Sept 11, 11:00 AM, the Ponte Vedra Planning and Adjustment Board at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine
  • Sept 21, the Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting, time certain of 10:00, at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine (subject to change.)
  • Nov 7 – the Board of County Commissioners meeting, 9:00 at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine (subject to change.)

Mr. Matovina then shared some additional information for the Board. These items are reported as recorded in the meeting transcript with some editing for grammar:

“I want to make sure that we all understand that staff doesn’t work for us. We don’t give instructions to staff. They work for the St. Johns County Manager who ten reports to the board so I think that, that is something we should understand. There is a lot of discussion about that item. And staff should not be asked to take direction from us. So that is number one.

Number two, I want to point out, the potential for conflict of interest. Because when we think of conflict of interest, we normally think of a monetary situation. Several that I have declared have been because DR Horton is my biggest customer.

If they have a rezoning up here, I clearly should declare a conflict of interest. But there are nonmonetary conflicts of interest. If you live next door to the development, you have a nonmonetary conflict of interest because you live next door to it. Our charge is to not only avoid an actual conflict of interest but also the perception of a conflict of interest.

So, I think thse are all things that are important for us to remember. Because there is going to be a lot of controversy surrounding this particular item on the 21st. And we could potentially, you know, put any decision that is made in danger by not following rules that we are supposed to follow.

So, That’s all I have to say about that matter.”

Items on the Regular Agenda

The first two items were minor and did not have extensive discussion. Approved by the PZA were a Zoning Variance in District 5 and a Minor Modification in District 4 to allow a Rear Yard setback to accommodate a swimming pool.

Item 3, in District 2

Elevation Pointe – Request for a Major Modification to the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD (Ordinance 1996-66, as amended) to increase wetland impacts with a corresponding decrease in preserved wetlands, open space and upland buffers; increase development area; reconfigure commercial outparcels; and decrease approved commercial entitlements from 190,000 SF to 170,000 SF.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY This is a request to modify the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD in order to accommodate a planned Publix Supermarket within the commercial portion of the development. The use is proposed at the corner of the future realigned CR 208 and SR 16. The applicant is seeking to reconfigure the commercial outparcels to allow for the use, which will result in additional impacts to adjoining wetlands and open space areas due to an increase in the development area. The applicant also proposes to decrease allowed commercial square footage within the PUD from a maximum 190,000 square feet to 170,000 square feet.”

Aerial view of the Elevation Pointe project

Included in the package for Thursday is a summary of comments received from the Public prior to the meeting.

“PHONE CALLS/CORRESPONDENCE Staff has received several phone calls regarding the proposed Major Modification. A majority of the calls were informational in nature with no stated objections. Several residential property owners to the west have called to express concerns about the proposed impacts to the wetlands, and the possibility of exacerbating drainage issues in the area. Several members of the public have also voiced frustration with regard to another Publix supermarket being built along SR 16, which would be the third Publix located along the SR 16 corridor between I-95 and International Golf Parkway. Staff noted to these callers that the County is unable to prohibit specific businesses from occupying designated commercial properties if the proposed use is allowed by right within the development.”

Elevation Pointe Presentation

This was approved 4-1

Item 4, in District 5

Whole 9 Yards. Request to rezone approximately 1.37 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Industrial Warehousing (IW), located at 5285 Big Oak Road S. This is property located in the Airport District.

Whole 9 Yards Presentation

Aerial View of The Whole 9 Yards project location

Several residents spoke against this development because of the impact on the residential nature of the area.

There was quite a bit of discussion about what is allowed in the Airport District. Of note, the Airport Authority will need to review this item before it is presented to the Commissioners in September.

The application was denied by the PZA.

Item 5, in District 2

Deer Run Road PUD. Request to Rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow up to 26 duplexes for a total of 52 dwelling units, specifically located at 2380 Deer Run Road, 1109 Fazio Road, and 1150 Fazio Road.

This development appears to represent more much needed attainable housing in St. Johns County.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY The Applicant is seeking to rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum of 52 dwelling units consisting of 26 residential duplexes. The applicant asserts that the development will provide multi-family housing options for residents that are employed at the area businesses near the SR 16 and I-95 corridor at a price that they can afford. The applicant points out that the proposed duplexes will provide a more affordable and lower maintenance option as compared to single-family homes without the higher density of multi-family townhomes and apartments.” Deer Run Road Presentation

Aerial view of Deer Run Road project location

Questions were asked of the applicant if this was truly Workforce Housing. They indicated they did not know the threshold for Workforce Housing. When told that the threshold was $260,000, the acknowledge this is not workforce housing but at a range of $300,000 would be more affordable than other homes in the area.

Local residents objected to the development because of the impact on traffic on 4-Mile Road.

After discussion, this was approved 3-2.

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Update on the August 15 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

The August 15 meeting was refreshingly short! With no Proclamations on the agenda, the Board was able to move quickly into the Public Safety Update

Public Safety Update

SJSO Director Scott Beaver reported that 54,000 kids have now returned to school in St. Johns County, across 43 public schools. Noting that traffic is always much worse during the first 2 weeks of school as everyone gets into a new routine, he asked for patience during this “chaotic” time. He also shared that SJSO has been working hard to cut down on crashes in the county through proactive actions by deputies. They are on a projected path to decrease 71% of our traffic crashes in SJC and 55% of traffic related deaths. He added, “ If you get mad because you get a ticket, we probably saved your life or someone else’s”

Fire Rescue Chief Bullard also commented on school starting and that usually being the signal of the end of summer. He reminded us that August is the hottest part of the year, please stay out of the sun if you have that option and please stay hydrated.  He recommended drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids and noted the fine line between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. His admonition was to give your body time to recover when you’ve been in the heat for an extended period of time.

The Clerk of the Court’s update was skipped as they are providing the Financial Report on Agenda Item 1.

Consent Agenda

The County Attorney asked for one item to be pulled from the Consent Agenda, Item 18.

Consent Agenda Item 18 was “Resolution approving the First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Utility Service and Refund Agreement for the SilverLeaf Development of Regional Impact.”

Regular Agenda

Item 1 – Comprehensive Financial Report – Brandon Patty

The Financial Report was a presentation by the external audit firm, MSL, on the completed audit for the Fiscal Year ended in June, 2022.

The audit report can be found at this link: St. Johns County Financial Report

There were no significant issues noted in the audit, internal controls are effective and the county is in sound financial status.

The presentation can be found here: Auditor’s Presentation on the Financial Report

Regular Agenda Item 2 – Hastings Main Street –  presented by Sally O’Hara and Jenna Davis.

“The Florida Main Street Program solicits communities annually to submit applications for Florida Main Street Program designations. Currently, there are 57 such programs in Florida whose purpose is to improve economic development within a context of historic preservation. The benefits of attaining designation contribute to increased professional technical assistance and training for participating communities, guidance for national best practices for community development, and advantageous grant scoring considerations for future funding. The focus of national and state Main Street programs is to: a) create jobs through revitalizing districts attracting new industry and strengthening services and retail job markets; b) save tax dollars through revitalization and strengthening of the area’s tax base, while also protecting existing investments; c) preserve the community’s historic resources for an economically healthy downtown and preservation of the community’s heritage; and d) build community pride providing a public space for members from all areas of the community to come together, create new partnerships, and celebrate their downtown. Hastings Main Street, Inc. is submitting an application to the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to be recognized as a Florida Main Street community. The Main Street Program application requires the support of the local government in the form of a resolution.”

There was unanimous approval for the resolution.

Read more about the Hasting Main Street Program here: Hastings Main Street

You can read more about the Florida Main Street program here: Florida Main Street Program

Item 3 – New Twin Creeks signage – this was a simple request to modify the PUD to allow for new signage in the Twin Creeks PUD.

Commissioner Whitehurst took the opportunity to ask County Attorney Migut for an update on negotiations with the developer regarding obligations for road improvements. Attorney Migut shared that there is good progress. There is already a bid package out with responses due 8/30 for a traffic light at Cumberland Park Drive and 210. Another package is being prepared for the widening of 210 and should be out for bid by 9/1.

Items 4 – 11 were relatively minor with no significant comments.

Jumping ahead to Agenda item 12, the “First Reading of Proposed Amendments to St. Johns County Ordinance No. 2009-36, the St. Johns County Ordinance which prohibits the presence of registered sexual offenders and sexual predators within 300 feet of specified locations designed for children.”

The full ordinance can be found here: Presentation on Sexual Offender/Predator Ordinance

This Ordinance specifically addresses “prohibiting the presence of registered sexual offenders and sexual predators from being present, loitering or prowling within three hundred (300) feet of specified locations that are primarily designed for used by, or are primarily used by children in St. Johns County (“County”)”

During public comment there was a question raised about some of the language in the ordinance.

  • Could the language be changed to match the state statute? Distance in the ordinance is 300 feet, State Statutes state 1000 feet.
  • Could the terminology of “Amenity Center” be added to the language? Amenity Centers in CDDs and HOAs are a large portion of HOAs and CDDs and a great area where residents congregate.

The Assistant Attorney clarified that the 1000 feet is in reference to registered sexual offenders and sexual predators cannot LIVE within 1000 feet of a school. It does not extend to parks.

As for adding Amenity Centers, the ordinance is targeting places that are designed primarily for the use of children. Amenity Centers are not designed primarily for children.

It would be up to the Board to direct the ordinance to be modified differently.

By consensus, the Board agreed they would like to see the distance changed to 1000 feet and to include Amenity Centers in the ordinance.

The Attorney’s office will research and confirm there would be no legal hurdles with modifying the ordinance to include those items and will bring that back to the Board for the Second Reading, possibly in September.

Commissioner’s Reports:

Commissioner Alaimo asked staff to review and come back to the Board recommendation for parking at Tortuga Beach Walkover.

Commissioner Dean provided an update on the beach renourishment projects and reminded residents that keeping our beaches viable is a benefit to all County residents because of the impact on our County economy.

Commissioner Joseph asked about options for providing funding to Fort Mose. By consensus, the board agreed to hear recommendations on how to accomplish this.

Commissioner Arnold requested agreement from the Board to support Flagler Estates in getting their own Zip Code. The Board agreed.

Commissioner Whitehurst talked about the return on investment the county gains as a member of the Northeast Florida Regional Council.

County Administrator Report

Interim County Administrator Joy Andrews shared several items with the Board including the creation of a new Infrastructure Team that will be working on ways to expedite strategic infrastructure projects. She asked for this to be a standing item on the first BOCC meeting each month, to follow right after the Clerk of the Court’s report.

She asked the Board for a motion to send letters of support for the widening of State Route 16 between International Golf Parkway and I-95 to the Florida Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation. Motion was passed.

Ms. Andrews also provided timeline clarifications on a project of great interest that will be coming before the Board in a few weeks. This project is the Ponte Vedra Resorts PUD. The applicant has pulled their application from the August 17 PZA meeting and there is a new schedule.

Ponte Vedra Resorts PUD Schedule:

  • Ponte Vedra Architecture Review Board – September 6
  • Ponte Vedra Zoning and Adjustment Board – September 11
  • Planning and Zoning Agency – September 21, at 10:00 AM time certain (tentative, could still be changed)
  • Board of County Commissioners Meeting – November 7

With no other business, the meeting was adjourned.

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Posted in St. Johns County

August 17, St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

The St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:30 PM in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View.

Ponte Vedra Club PUD – Change in Date

The agenda for August 17 has changed in a big way! As discussed at the August 3 Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meeting, the Ponte Vedra Club PUD had been on the agenda for a time certain of 3:00. There had been anticipation this would be a long meeting because of great public interest in the PUD.

That topic has now been moved to a “date certain” of September 21.

For those interested in this PUD, there are other important meetings associated with this PUD review:

  • Sept 6, 5:00 PM, the Architectural Review Committee Meeting at the Sawgrass Mariott
  • Sept 11, 11:00 AM, the Ponte Vedra Planning and Adjustment Board at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine
  • Sept 21, the Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting, most likely 1:30, at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine
  • Nov 7 – (unconfirmed) the Board of County Commissioners meeting, 9:00 at the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine

Here’s what’s happening at this week’s PZA meeting

Item 1, in District 5

Request for a Zoning Variance to Section 6.01.03.E.3 of the Land Development Code to allow for a Front Yard Setback of 5′-10″ in lieu of the 25 foot requirement, and a second Front Yard setback of 7′-10″ in lieu of the 20 foot requirement in the Residential, Single Family (RS-3) zoning district, located at 3020 Third Street.

Item 2, in District 4

Request for a Minor Modification the Ponte Vedra By-The-Sea Estates PSD (ORD. 2000-5) to allow a Rear Yard setback of six (6) feet in lieu of the ten (10) foot requirement to accommodate placement of a swimming pool.

Item 3, in District 2

Elevation Pointe – Request for a Major Modification to the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD (Ordinance 1996-66, as amended) to increase wetland impacts with a corresponding decrease in preserved wetlands, open space and upland buffers; increase development area; reconfigure commercial outparcels; and decrease approved commercial entitlements from 190,000 SF to 170,000 SF.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY This is a request to modify the Elevation Pointe at Anderson Park PUD in order to accommodate a planned Publix Supermarket within the commercial portion of the development. The use is proposed at the corner of the future realigned CR 208 and SR 16. The applicant is seeking to reconfigure the commercial outparcels to allow for the use, which will result in additional impacts to adjoining wetlands and open space areas due to an increase in the development area. The applicant also proposes to decrease allowed commercial square footage within the PUD from a maximum 190,000 square feet to 170,000 square feet.”

Aerial view of the Elevation Pointe project

Included in the package for Thursday is a summary of comments received from the Public prior to the meeting.

“PHONE CALLS/CORRESPONDENCE Staff has received several phone calls regarding the proposed Major Modification. A majority of the calls were informational in nature with no stated objections. Several residential property owners to the west have called to express concerns about the proposed impacts to the wetlands, and the possibility of exacerbating drainage issues in the area. Several members of the public have also voiced frustration with regard to another Publix supermarket being built along SR 16, which would be the third Publix located along the SR 16 corridor between I-95 and International Golf Parkway. Staff noted to these callers that the County is unable to prohibit specific businesses from occupying designated commercial properties if the proposed use is allowed by right within the development.”

Elevation Pointe Presentation

Item 4, in District 5

Whole 9 Yards. Request to rezone approximately 1.37 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Industrial Warehousing (IW), located at 5285 Big Oak Road S. This is property located in the Airport District.

Whole 9 Yards Presentation

Aerial View of The Whole 9 Yards project location

Item 5, in District 2

Deer Run Road PUD. Request to Rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow up to 26 duplexes for a total of 52 dwelling units, specifically located at 2380 Deer Run Road, 1109 Fazio Road, and 1150 Fazio Road.

This development appears to represent more much needed attainable housing in St. Johns County.

“APPLICATION SUMMARY The Applicant is seeking to rezone approximately 25.12 acres of land from Open Rural (OR) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow for a maximum of 52 dwelling units consisting of 26 residential duplexes. The applicant asserts that the development will provide multi-family housing options for residents that are employed at the area businesses near the SR 16 and I-95 corridor at a price that they can afford. The applicant points out that the proposed duplexes will provide a more affordable and lower maintenance option as compared to single-family homes without the higher density of multi-family townhomes and apartments.” Deer Run Road Presentation

Aerial view of Deer Run Road project location

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

Summary of the August 1 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Tuesday’s meeting began with a Proclamation recognizing St. Johns Housing Partnership’s 25 years of service. Bill Lazar and the Housing Partnership have been a vital part of the community for 25 years. Mr. Lazar commented on how far they have come and noted how much is yet to be done.

Public Safety Update

SJSO Director Tara Wildes presented on behalf of the Sheriff’s department reminded everyone about Back to School and the need to adjust your driving habits as school buses and children are back on the roads. She also shared information about the inaugural job fair held at the St. Johns County Jail. They had 8 employers and 100 participants, former inmates, who applied for a total of 200 jobs. This is part of the Sheriff’s program to reduce crime and repeat offenders. Having an education and a good job are ways to decrease criminal behavior in the community. This was so successful they plan to do this at least twice a year.

Chief Bullard shared that Fire Rescue has been doing a better job of collecting on billing for transports. They have been able to collect on 74% of the billing compared to a state average of 51%. For reference, in Fiscal Year 22 they billed for 70,230 transports which brought in $6.8 Million to Fire Rescue. This year, to date, they have collected $3.8 Million.

The Clerk of Court’s Report highlighted and upcoming Passport Saturday, August 12, from 8:30 to 2:30. This is intended to make applying for a passport more convenient for county residents. More info is at this link: Passport Saturday

Consent Agenda

There were 28 items on the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Joseph asked to pull items 15, 23, and 27 from the Consent Agenda and move to the Regular Agenda. Attorney Migut requested that Consent Agenda Item 2 be pulled and moved to August 15.

Regular Agenda Items

Consent Agenda Item 27 was moved to Regular Agenda Item 1A and was heard first. This item was “Allocation of Tourist Development Tax Reserves for Sing Out Loud.” This came out of a request from the Tourism Development Council to transfer $500,000 of Category 1 Reserve Funds to Contractual Services and allocate an additional $500,000 of Category 4 Reserve funds to Special Events to be expended for support of the upcoming September 2023 Sing Out Loud event.

Commissioner Joseph had concerns about the expenditure of these fund for advertising as she felt it was too late in the process to be helpful.

It was explained that the purpose of the Sing Out Loud Festival is to bolster tourism in what is traditionally one of the slowest tourism months of the year. Night of Lights was started with the intent of bolstering tourism during December, which at that time was the slowest month of the year and it is no longer a slow time.

After discussion, the motion to move these funds was approved with a 4-1 vote (nay was Commissioner Joseph.)

Regular Agenda Item 1

This item is for the Mills Place Time Limits Waiver. October 18, 2022, the Board denied a request for Mills Place with a 4/0 vote. The Mills Family is requesting the waiver to the 1 year limitation on refiling. Their plan is to refile with a request to rezone to Workforce Housing and no Comprehensive Plan Amendment and no Planned Unit Development. The attorney pointed out this would be an ideal placement for workforce housing with the proximity of major employers within 12 miles of the property.

There was public comment pushing back against the approval of the waiver. After discussion amongst the Commissioners, this was approved 3-2 (Whitehurst and Joseph Nay votes.)

Agenda Item 5

This is the First Reading of Proposed Amendments to the St. Johns County Ordinance 2009-43, the Prohibited Holiday Activity Ordinance for Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators.

Proposed changed include definitions for “non-familial children” and “practice” in relation to Holiday activities.

There will be a Second Reading of the Proposed Amendment at a later date.

Agenda Item 6

This is the Second Reading of the Floating Structures Ordinance. Further clarification was provided that Floating Structures are not self-propelled and may create a hazard in the event of an emergency situation. Additionally, it was noted they may leak hazardous materials. The ordinance would be applicable to all waters of St. Johns County. Some exceptions were added at the request of the State of Florida Navigation District in order to allow them to do necessary maintenance work.

Agenda Item 7

Presentation of the Fiscal Year 2024 Recommended Budget and Proposed Millage Rates.

Director Jesse Dunn presented the 2024 Budget proposal. Do check the link below to the Budget Summaries for specific details about what is proposed in next year’s budget. It is easy to navigate to specific areas of interest and you can print out for later reading if you desire.

The proposed budget is just under $1.2 Billion for the year. There will be some carryover items from the 2023 Capital budget that Director Dunn will present in the September budget presentation.

The county did receive $59 Million in appropriates from the State of Florida for specific projects.

  • Critically Eroded Beach Restoration – $25 Million
  • CR 2209 and International Golf Parkway Extension/4-Laning – $15 Million
  • CR 210A and US 1 Interchange – $6 Million
  • State Road A1A Intersection Enhancements – $6 Million
  • Summerhaven Managed Retreat – $5 Million
  • Pine Island and US 1 Intersection Improvements – $2 Million

Taxable values of property in St. Johns County increased by $16.5% resulting in a $43.6 million gain in property taxes for St. Johns County.

Florida’s Save Our Homes provision caps Homesteaded property owners so these properties will see an approximate 3% increase in their tax bills because of the increased property values.

At the last budget presentation, the Commissioners by Consensus asked the office of OMB to provide financial information on four proposed items in the 2024 budget. The items and incremental cost are:

  1. 7% employee inflationary adjustment and some micro adjustments for certain pay grades – $0.65 Million increase to the budget
  2. Addition of 18 firefighter positions — $1.9 Million
  3. Land Acquisition & Management Program (LAMP) $1.5 Million
  4. Reinstate Library Branch Hours to FY 2008 Levels – up to $0.49 Million

All four additions were approved by the Commissioners.

Director Dunn presented information about the TRIM (Truth In Millage) notices that will be mailed out in September. Once mailed, millage rates can go down but not up.

The proposed millage rates are flat to 2023.

The Public Hearing for the new budget will be September 5, at 5:01 PM in the County Auditorium.

Budget Summaries can be found at this link: 2024 Budget Summaries

Background information on the Budget:

“The annual County budget process requires a number of steps, ranging from its preparation through adoption, per Florida Statutes (F.S. 129.03(3) and F.S. 200.065, Truth in Millage requirements). The Truth in Millage (TRIM) process informs taxpayers and the public about the legislative process by which local taxing authorities determine ad valorem (property) taxes. On July 18, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners received the FY 2024 Recommended Budget, balanced with expenditures and adequate reserves within each County fund equal to projected fund revenues. County Administration’s Recommended Budget represents a funding level that can reasonably assure the achievement of St. Johns County’s operational needs while minimizing the tax impact on its citizenry. An electronic version (in pdf format) of the workbook may be found on the County’s website at: http://www.sjcfl.us/OMB. Following the development and presentation of a Recommended Budget, the County is obligated to provide certain information concerning that budget to the Property Appraiser. This information includes 1.) The FY 2023 adopted millage rates; 2.) The FY 2024 proposed millage rates; 3.) The FY 2024 calculated rolled-back rates; and 4.) The date, time, and meeting place of the tentative budget hearing. This information is placed on Department of Revenue DR–420 forms provided to the Property Appraiser. Those forms provide the basis for the “TRIM” notice mailed by the Property Appraiser to property owners in St. Johns County. The BCC will need to approve proposed Millage rates (see the attached sheet) for the County’s TRIM mailing, and approve September 5, 2023, at 5:01 PM in the County Auditorium as the Date, Time, and Place of the first public hearing for the adoption of the FY 2024 Annual Budget. For practical purposes, once the proposed Millage rates are set, they can still be decreased but not increased.”

Agenda Item 8

Regular Agenda 8 was the Employment Agreement for the Interim County Administrator. The contract is for an annual salary of $237,000 for a period of 90 – 120 days until a permanent County Administrator is hired.

Regular Agenda Item 9, formerly Consent Agenda Item 3

Commissioner Joseph requested this item be pulled to the Regular Agenda. This item is an Impact Fee Credit Transfer from the Marshall Creek PUD to Ravenswood Village. Commissioner Joseph was concerned that this is setting a precedent for other impact fee credit transfers.

The applicant explained that the reason for the cross-area transfer was based on drive times from the original Impact Fee area. It was noted the park in Palencia is already constructed so the impact fees are not needed.

The transfer was passed 4-1.

Agenda Item 10, formerly Consent Agenda Item 15, also pulled by Commissioner Joseph was for the LAMP acquisition of 46 acres of land.

Commissioner Joseph’s concerns were that the land in question is a salt marsh and can’t be used by the public. Discussion around the purchase identified that the purchase of the wetlands would allow the County to add to the mitigation banks for future development.

This was approved.

After additional Public Comment, they moved on to Commissioner’s Reports

Commissioner Joseph raised again her 14 Points of Revisions to the Land Development Code and shared that the Land Development Code related to tree preservation has not been updated in 25 years. She also shared information about the Friends of Anastasia State Park and challenged the other Commissioners to join the group.

You can learn more about the Friends of Anastasia State park at this link: Friends of Anastasia State Park

Commissioner Dean shared a request from our Florida Representative Cyndi Stevenson for the County to support the inclusion of the Orangedale to Mickler trail Corridor in the 2024-2028 Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan. The Board agreed to send the letter of support. If you subscribe to Commissioner Dean’s newsletter you will have seen his update on the letter being sent:

“I am eager to share that the Board wrote a letter to the Florida Greenways and Trails Council respectively requesting the inclusion of the Orangedale to Mickler Trail Corridor in the 2024-2028 Florida Greenways and Trails System Plan. This gorgeous proposed trail would begin at the new First Coast Expressway Bridge, proceed east over I-95 to US 1 before aligning with existing trails in Nocatee, and then continue farther east to State Road A1A. This corridor presents a unique opportunity to expand recreational options and multi-modal connectivity by linking the trail network in Clay County to the coastline of St. Johns County and other trail corridors, such as the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop. I look forward to sharing more with you soon on this exciting natural asset.”

Learn more about the Greenway at this link: Florida Office of Greenways & Trails

Commissioner Alaimo brought forward an item about the ability of the County to make use of SHIP funds to assist with Down Payment assistance. Commissioner Alaimo would like to see the Housing Finance Authority to review and make a recommendation to the County if these funds could be utilized.

The next Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting is August 15.

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