AffordableHousing – Beth Tate

Key Takeaways from the September 16 BOCC Meeting

Posted on September 21, 2025 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.

Affordable Housing, BOCC, St. Johns County

What’s Ahead at the December 17 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Beth Tate

Recap of the December 3rd meeting coming soon!

Opening Agenda:

Call to Order by Chair
Roll Call by the Clerk of the Court
Invocation v Pledge of Allegiance
Deletions to Consent Agenda
Approval of Consent Agenda
Additions/Deletions to Regular Agenda
Approval of Regular Agenda
Public Comment

Note that at the December 3 meeting Public Comment went for just over 50 minutes.

Consent Agenda Items of Interest

Within the Consent Agenda are some board and committee assignments.

Consent Agenda Item 25 – elect Commissioner Krista Joseph as a member and chair of the St. Johns County Value Adjustment Board and to elect Commissioner Christian Whitehurst as a member of the St. Johns County Value Adjustment Board.

Consent Agenda Item 26 – appoint Kyle Sawchuk to the North Coastal Design Review Board.

Consent Agenda Item 27 – appoint Commissioner Krista Joseph to the Northeast Florida Regional Council Board of Directors and to appoint Commissioner Clay Murphy to the Northeast Florida Regional Council Board of Directors.

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item 1 is the 2025 Roadway and Transportation Alternatives List of Priority Projects (LOPP)

“The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) requests project priorities from local governments for potential funding of new transportation projects to be considered for inclusion in the new fiscal year of FDOT’s Work Program. This is an annual recurring request sent to local governments. The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners is charged with prioritizing all projects within the County, including those within municipal boundaries. The Transportation Advisory Group (TAG), consisting of County staff, representatives of the City of St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, St. Johns County School District, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Augustine-St. Johns County Airport Authority met on November 14, 2024 to review last year’s priorities and recommend this year’s priorities. The attached LOPP includes TAG’s recommendations for both highway and alternatives projects. This meeting staff is requesting the approval of the Regional Priority list.”

The link to the materials is here: LOPP Materials

Agenda Item 2 is a Change Order for the Greenbriar to Cimmarone Widening Project.

There is an existing project to widen CR 210 from Greenbriar to Cimmarrone. It has been determined it is necessary to include the Greenbriar Road/Veterans Parkway Intersection in this project.

Details of the project and the change order are here: Agenda Item 2

Agenda Item 3 – FEMA Public Assistance

This is an opportunity to add North Ponte Vedra Beach to the existing South Ponte Vedra Beach restoration Project being funded through a Federal Grant.

Details are here: Agenda Item 3

Agenda Item 4 – Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) update

This is the required annual update from the AHAC. This includes a current state view and recommendations on how to address the growing problem of affordable housing in St. Johns County for not only low income families but our “missing middle.”

Materials are here: AHAC Update

Agenda Items 5 & 6 – Hardee Family request to rezone approx. 30 acres of land from Planned Rural Development to Open Rural. This is located at the corner of Oscar Ashton Road and county Road 13A North and approx. 30 acres of land from Rural/Silviculture to Residential A with a text amendment limiting the property to a maximum of 5 single family dwelling units.

Materials are here: Agenda Item 5 and here: Agenda Item 6

Agenda Item 7 is under the auspices of the St. Johns County CRA.

This item is the Vilano Beach Main Street Contract for the purposes of providing services and projects “consistent with the community redevelopment plan” for the Vilano Beach Redevelopment Area.

Materials are here: Agenda Item 7

Agenda Item 8 is the Second Presentation of the Draft Countywide Strategic Plan

“This draft outlines the proposed strategic priorities and objectives for the Board’s discussion and consideration. The Board can choose to approve the draft as it is or make additional changes. The next phase of the project will involve finalizing the implementation plan, which includes specific action items to achieve these objectives, identifying performance measures, and developing a graphic version of the final plan to share with the community.”

Materials, including a red-line version, are found here: Draft County Strategic Plan

Agenda Item 9 is the confirmation of Desiree Woroner as Human Resources & Risk Management Director

Background information is here: Agenda Item 9

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Affordable Housing, BOCC, Comprehensive Plan, St. Johns County

What’s Ahead at the May 7 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Beth Tate

After a brief hiatus related to a death in the family, I’m resuming my Blog covering the Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting.

The May 7 meeting is packed with a number of important items. Anticipate Public Comment to be heard at the time certain mark of 11:30 (or close to it) and at the end of the day.

There are 4 Proclamations being presented on May 7:

Juror Appreciation Week

National Drug Court Month

Correctional Officers and Employees Week

Water Safety Month

Consent Agenda Items:

There are 38 items in the Consent Agenda. Of interest:

Consent Agenda Item 10 – Request approval to submit Federal grants based on the Program of Projects for Bus and Bus facilities programs. This is to request funding for the Sunshine Bus deviated fixed route and paratransit service.

Consent Agenda Item 11 – a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extending the timeline for the completion of the Veterans Parkway Intersection construction on CR 210. The delay is caused by the County’s road improvement project. The project will still be completed in 2024.

Interestingly – Consent Agenda Items 34 and 35 are to appoint members of the Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. Curious that these are in the Consent Agenda and not Regular Agenda items as has been the practice in the past.

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item 1 – SJC Ordinance amending SJC Ordinance 2022-22, 2^nd Reading. This is related to the County’s Local Preference Policy for purchasing.

The details are at this link: Local Preference Policy

Agenda Item 2– Public Hearing on Acquisition of North Beach Utilities, Inc. Water and Wastewater System. At the March 19, 2024 meeting the BOCC authorized the Utility department to continue negotiations for the purchase of the North Beach Utilities. Due Diligence has been completed and the Utility Department is recommending completion of the purchase.

Details can be found here: Agenda Item 2

Agenda Items 3 and 4 are for the Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Planned Unit Development to build the Preserve at Wards Creek. This item has been highly controversial in community meetings and at the PZA meeting. The project involves an Affordable Housing Project on 19 acres of land at the intersection of 16 and 16A. The land is currently zoned Agricultural-Intensive and this request changes it to Residential D. This was approved at the PZA with a 4:3 vote.

Details are at these links: Agenda Item 3 and Agenda Iem 4

This item is anticipated to be a lengthy discussion with lots of public comment.

Agenda Item 5 – Pappy and 210 Commercial This is a modification to the Fiore Industrial Park PUD, Phase III to include:

Clarify the permitted uses for Phase III to allow a Self-Storage Facility
Increase the total allowable building area for Phase III from 59,000 sqft to 145,000 sqft
Increase the maximum height of buildings from 35 feet to 60 feet for Phase III only
Revise the Accesses to Phase III
Reduce and Update the Buffering requirements
Update the Phasing Dates

Details are here: Agenda Item 5

Agenda Item 8 – Mai Office Complex – request to rezone 1.65 acres from Open Rural to Commercial Neighborhood to build an office complex on the north side of the property.

Details are here: Mai Office Complex

Agenda Item 9 – St. Marks Industrial Park

Request to rezone 7.43 acres of land from Industrial Warehousing to Planned Unit Development for a maximum of 78,000 sq. ft of Business Commerce, Light Manufacturing, Warehousing and Outdoor Storage uses. This property is at the corner of St. Marks Blvd and International Golf Parkway, west of US 1.

Details are here: Agenda item 9

Agenda Item 12 – Amendments to the Land Development Code for Special Care Housing – Second Reading. Details are here: Agenda Item 12

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St. Johns County

What Happened at the March 19 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Beth Tate

While it was a short agenda, there were some meaty topics of discussion.

The Meeting began with a Certificate of Recognition welcoming the Open World Armenian Delegation to St. Johns County. The delegation was here as part of a Open World Cultural Exchange program to bring representative of the former Soviet Republic to the United States to learn about American values and our democratic institutions. The Rotary Club puts together the programming for the delegation to learn about participatory government. This delegation was made up of women leaders and St. Johns County was proud to connect them with First Coast women leaders.

Public Safety Update

SJSO assisted with the incident in Jacksonville Beach Sunday night. They also were busy last week with The Player’s Championship and the associated traffic problems. The Corrections Department had their facility and medical inspections, with no violations found. They also shared that Discover and Recover had their grand opening last week. They are focused on helping people with opioid addiction. Learn more at this link: DiscoverRecover

Fire Rescue provided an update on Justin Daily, the firefighter mentioned at the last Commissioner’s meeting who underwent surgery for a brain tumor. He is recovering but still in the hospital. Fire Rescue also had a busy week at The Players last week. They had 100 calls resulting in 22 transports to local hospitals. People are heading out to the beaches – there was a reminder that there are no lifeguards until Memorial Day weekend.

Clerk of the Court’s Report

Focus this week was on Government Finance Professionals Week, recognizing the team focused on finance operations for St. Johns County. These include payroll, accounts receivable, investment management and asset management.

Service Delivery Update

The Service Delivery team focused on libraries and playgrounds Tuesday. If you’re in the northern part of the county, be sure to plan for the “Enjoy, Don’t Destroy” even at Julington Creek Plantation park with Commissioner Whitehurst, a Julington Creek resident, speaking along side representatives from the Sheriff’s Office and Parks and Recreation. Date is April 5, at 10:00 AM.

Consent Agenda

Commissioner Joseph asked to move Consent Agenda Item 8 to the Regular Agenda.

Regular Agenda Items

Agenda Item 3 (the Dobbs Road project) was pulled from the Agenda and continued to the second meeting in April.

Agenda Item 1 was a Request for Approval to Continue Acquisition Process for North Beach Utilities Water/Wastewater System and to Schedule a Required Public Hearing. In August of 2022, the North Beach Utilities system that provides water and wastewater services to 1400 users in Vilano Beach, approached the county with an offer to sell itself to the county. At the time, there was a request for a feasibility review. Having completed that review, they are now requesting the Board to continue the process for the acquisitor. That would include a required public hearing to determine if this acquisition is in the public interest. The public hearing will be held at the May 7, 2024 Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting.

Passed 5-0

Agenda Item 1A was pulled up from the Consent Agenda.

This item is a request to vacate a portion of the Second Street North right of way (in the Sun Valley subdivision in Ponte Vedra.)

A public hearing will be held April 16, 2024. Commissioner Joseph asked for the item to be pulled to the Regular Agenda to make sure the public knew when the hearing would be held.

Agenda Item 2 was the Confirmation of Sean McGee as Fire Chief. Mr. McGee has been serving in this role since October of 2023.

The confirmation was approved unanimously with little public comment.

Agenda Item 4 is a request to rezone 2 acres of land from Residential Single-Family 3 to a PUD for a 19,000 seq ft. freestanding Emergency Room, medical office, and ancillary commercial office space at the corner of Woodlawn Road and SR 16.

Proposed location for ER/Medical Services

This passed 5-0

Agenda Item 5 was a request to rezone .47 acres of land from Commercial General to Residential to allow the build of 3 single-family homes.

Background materials are here: Agenda Item 5

Commissioner Joseph raised a concern that the homes may be used as AirBnBs and there was some public comment regarding the same concern. There was some argument that government cannot tell property owners what to do with their property.

The project was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the no vote.

Agenda Item 6 is the First Reading of a proposed Ordinance to Establish a Boating Restricted Area at the double-blind curve on Pablo Creek. This began at the October 3 meeting when the Board gave consensus to proceed with an application from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to address a safety concern for this area. Under Florida Statutes put in place in 2023, a business impact statement was required and is included in the presentation. The statement indicates there is no business impact associated with this ordinance.

Background materials here: Agenda Item 6

Agenda Item 7 was the County Administrator Contract. As anticipated there was some pointed public comment about the contract.

There were questions raised about the salary, about the travel compensation, and the time off due to the County Administrator.

The contract details are at this link: Agenda Item 7 – County Administrator Contract

The contract was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the no vote.

Commissioner’s Report

Commissioner Joseph talked about the Library Book Mobile.

Commissioner Whitehurst congratulated Ms. Andrews on the completion of the contract. He also responded to a public comment that the Commissioners do not listen to the public. He pointed out that they did listen to the concerns of the public regarding the moving of the Canright House. The Commissioners approved spending $230,000 to move the house to another location in response to resident’s concerns. Additionally, he wanted to address “perception vs. reality” regarding the growth rate in St. Johns County. He referenced a recent news article pointing the fastest growing counties in Florida and noted that St. Johns County is not in that list.

Commissioner Dean talked about the important work done by Bill Sadowski during his time in the Florida legislature. The Sadowski Coalition is important for creating funding for affordable housing across the state of Florida.

Learn more here: Sadowski Coalition

Commissioner Arnold congratulated both the new Fire Chief and the County Administrator.

Administrator’s Report

Ms. Andrews provided an update on the upcoming Comprehensive Plan public meetings:

St. Johns County will hold three more public meetings as part of the Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan public outreach in March.

Tuesday, March 26th, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at W.E. Harris Community Center, 400 E. Harris St., Hastings
Wednesday, March 27th, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at The Waterworks Building, 184 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine
Thursday, March 28th, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at Creekside High School, 100 Knights Lane, St. Johns

And Ms. Andrews spoke to her commitment to professional integrity and her 100% support to all Commissioners, no matter how they voted on her contract.

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BOCC, St. Johns County

Summary of the February 6 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on February 11, 2024 by Beth Tate

The February 6, 2024 Board of County Commissioner’s meeting began with a Proclamation recognizing February 2024 as Black History Month. The proclamation was accepted by Greg White, Robert Nimmons, Chair of the West Augustine CRA Steering Committee, and Dwala Willis, Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee.

Mr. White gave an interesting acceptance speech worth listening to at this link: Greg White Acceptance Speech

The Second proclamation of the morning commemorated the Life and Legacy of Dr. Otis A. Mason. This proclamation was accepted by Pamela Mason, daughter of Dr. Mason. You can watch that presentation at this link: Dr. Otis Mason Proclamation

The Proclamation and Ms. Mason provides some interesting history of St. Johns County while covering the significant accomplishments of Dr. Mason. It’s well worth the watch.

Read more about Dr. Mason here: Dr. Otis Mason News Story

Public Safety Report

SJSO highlighted this is Teen Dating Violence awareness month and there are resources available through the Sheriff’s department. There was a fundraiser for Big Brother/Big Sisters Tuesday night. And Open Arms Recovery, an organization focused on supporting opioid addiction, is opening an office in St. Johns County in March to help combat the opioid crisis in St. Johns County.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue –highlighted the Rapid Intervention Team Competition in Orlando, January 11 – 12. Two teams from SJC made it to 1^st and 3^rd place overall in the competition.

Clerk of the Court Report included a warning about fraudulent calls to residents claiming the person has missed jury duty and a warrant has been issued for their arrest and demanding payment. This is not how it works. If someone misses jury duty, they are issued a summons by the Clerk of the court. Please contact the Clerk’s office at 904-819-3629 if you have received one of these phone calls.

Public Infrastructure Update

The Public Infrastructure Update focused on the community of Hastings. Watch the full presentation here: Hastings Infrastructure Update

Below are some key slides from the presentation.

Hastings Water Infrastructure Improvements

Repurpose Historic Hastings High School for First Coast Technical College

The Legislative Update was moved to the February 20 meeting to give more time to focus on the many items moving through the legislature now.

Consent Agenda

There was some movement of items on the Consent Agenda Tuesday.

Items 7 and 13 were moved to the Regular Agenda becoming (1a) and (1b) respectively.

As anticipated, during public comment on the Consent Agenda there was commentary about Consent Agenda Item 29, the separation agreement for County Attorney David Migut.

Read the Consent Agenda Item here: Consent Agenda Item 29

The Consent Agenda was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the dissenting vote.

Regular Agenda

Agenda Items 2 and 3 were continued to future dates.

The applicant for Agenda item 2 (Mills Creek Workforce Housing) asked to withdraw this item and continue to a time certain. Based on information provided by the Growth Management department this appears to be delayed because of information related to transportation. This was continued to March 5.

The applicant for Agenda Item 3 (Wedding Venue on CR 13) has also requested a continuance and this was continued to February 20.

The Regular Agenda was amended with those changes.

Agenda Item 1 – This was a request to designate the building at 165 Vilano Road as a Local Landmark.

Read the presentation here: 165 Vilano Road Landmark Designation

This item was approved 5-0

Agenda Item 1A – formerly consent agenda item 7 Consent Agenda Item 7

“The Board of County Commissioners has the authority to grant permissive use agreements for the temporary use of County owned property to property owners and/or their contractors. Property owners may request a permissive use agreement to utilize adjacent County property for access, staging and temporary storage to construct improvements or effect repairs to their property. Approval of this Resolution will authorize the County Administrator to execute the Non-Exclusive Permissive Use Agreement as necessary without further Board action, allowing greater flexibility for staff to coordinate the timing of the proposed use with minimal disruption to normal operations and/or typical public use of the property. St. Johns County Real Estate Division and the office of the County Attorney will draft and review all requests prior to issuing the Non-Exclusive Permissive Use Agreement.”

Commissioner Joseph had concerns that someone could take advantage of this agreement without some time parameters in place.

County Administrator Andrews indicated she thought the item was being pulled for a date in the future to give staff time to address the concern about time parameters.

By consensus the item was pulled from the agenda and will be brought back at a time in the future.

Agenda Item 1B – formerly consent agenda item 13 Consent Agenda Item 13

“For the past year, the Utility Department has been working to develop a career path for its staff. The career path is aimed at staff training, retention, development and growth. Over the past 3-5 years, the Utility has not been able to compete with regional, neighboring Utilities such as Clay County, JEA and Palm Coast and consequently lost several of its talents, especially within its technical space. Last year, the Utility initiated a career path for most of its maintenance and treatment plant operators. The program focused on establishing a highly-qualified, highly-trained technical and professional workforce by providing a sequence of training segments wherein employees could develop and grow in their position and be fairly compensated. The program has been a huge success with almost zero turnover. The Utility is now proposing to extend this program to all its remaining divisions. The Utility has also identified a few improvement areas within its organizational structure to consolidate some of its management positions. In the short-term, this proposal will require upgrades to certain positions, however, in the long-run these changes will provide tremendous savings to our operational budget. Funding needed for both, the career path and position upgrades (due to the re-organization) will be provided by existing vacancies, budgeted special pay, savings from budgeted capital vehicles and other budgeted line items that have surplus balances. Consequently, there will be NO FY 2024 budget increase. Over 90 utility department positions will benefit from this program. The Utility department currently serves over 57,500 water customer accounts with an FY 2024 operational budget of approximately $45 million. The Utility Capital Improvement plan for FY 2024 is approximately $280 million. Details of the budget transfers are attached.”

Commissioner Joseph indicated she wanted this to be discussed on the Regular Agenda to highlight good practices in the County budget.

This item was approved 5-0.

Agenda Item 1C – was a “red folder” item seeking approval of a nonexclusive permissive use agreement on behalf of a Parks and Recreation contractor.

This was approved 5-1.

Agenda Item 4 is a Request for a Reconsideration or Waiver of One-Year Time Limit to Reapply for the Deer Run PUD.

What does that mean? The Deer Run PUD request was denied by the Board of County Commissioners on September 19, 2023. Under the Land Development code, the applicant cannot reapply for 1 year after the denial. The applicant is requesting the Board to either reconsider their denial or waive the one-year requirement. Deer Run PUD Request

This request was denied 5 -0

Agenda Item 5 – Proposed Ordinance Amendments for Special Care Housing

This is the first reading of an amendment to the LDC regarding Assisted Living Facilities. This comes at a request made at the September 19, 2023 Board of County Commissioners Meeting. Special Care Housing Ordinance Amendment

Proposed Assisted Living Facilities Ordinance Change

During public comment it appeared some were confusing Assisted Living Facilities with Affordable Housing. Commissioner Whitehurst asked for clarification that this was not about affordable housing. It was confirmed – this is Assisted Living, not Affordable Housing.

The proposed amendment was approved 5-0.

Agenda item 6 – Appointment to the Land Acquisition Management Program (LAMP)

Conservation Board. There is one vacancy on the Board because of the resignation of Jimmy Watson from District 3. There are 3 applications, Lauren Howington, George Spiegel, and Kevin Gamble. LAMP Appointees

After hearing dissenting public comment and much discussion at the Board, Lauren Howington was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the No vote.

Watch the discussion/debate here: LAMP Board discussion

Agenda Item 7 – Appointment to the North Coastal Design Review Board

There are 3 vacancies on the North Coastal Design Review Board created by 2 expired terms and an alternate member being appointed as a regular member. There are 3 applications, Sacha Martin, Linda LaCerva, and William Morton.

All 3 applicants were approved unanimously.

Agenda Item 8 – Appointment to the Tourist Development Council

Under Saint Johns County Ordinances, 2 elected municipal officials must serve on the council. This is a request to have St. Augustine Beach City Mayor Dylan Rumrell appointed as the representative for St. Augustine Beach. TDC Appointment

There was some interesting debate about the appointment of Mayor Rumrell. The requirement is that there be 2 municipal officers. The representative from St. Augustine Beach had been former Mayor Donald Samora. The City Manager submitted a letter recommending new Mayor Dylan Rumrell replace Donald Samora on the TDC.

Commissioner Joseph raised concerns that there is a conflict of interest because Mayor Rumrell is head of the Ampitheater who hosts Sing Out Loud and TDC dollars are often allocated to Sing Out Loud.

After hearing public comment echoing similar concerns, Mayor Rumrell spoke and indicated he would recuse himself whenever there was a conflict of interest.

The appointment was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the No vote.

Public Comment

During Public Comment, many residents spoke out about the potential move of the historic Canright House from it’s current location to Windswept Acres Park. It appeared this move was a surprise to many local residents.

This item was first brought to the County Commissioners for review in August of 2022. During Commissioners reports on that date, Commissioner Waldron asked for information related to a letter from the St. Johns County Cultural Resource Review Board asking the Canright Houses be identified as a significant structure associated with the Civil Rights Movement. After discussion, the Commissioners approved a letter of support from the Board and to have staff research the potential relocation of the structure from 5480 Atlantic View to Windswept Acres Park. Minutes are here: Board Minutes for the first mention of saving the Canright House

There was more discussion on this topic during Commissioner’s Reports.

Commissioner’s reports

Commissioner Whitehurst began with asking for some clarification on items mentioned during public comment. One item was that the Board had at some time voted to not include Public Comment in the recorded minutes of the meetings. Commissioner Whitehurst did not recall such a vote and asked Administrator Andrews if she had recollection of such a vote. She did not. With further discussion it was clarified that neither recalled any direction to the Clerk of the Court in how to record the minutes.

His second clarification was about the movement of the Canright House. He recalled that perhaps 2 years ago, Commissioner Waldron had seen something about the preservation of the home. He recalled some discussion about bringing this back on a future agenda and there had been a handful of people who had expressed support for moving the house. He noted now they are hearing opposition to the move.

Administrator Andrews shared that they were doing a Public Meeting on Thursday, February 8^th from 5 – 6 to discuss all the facts related to the house. She shared that Commissioner Waldron had been very supportive of saving the building but was concerned about funding the move. The Parks Foundation was able to secure a little over $400,000 from the state to cover the cost of the relocation. The Parks Foundation came back to the Board and received unanimous approval to move forward with the move.

Commissioner Joseph asked if another location could be found for the move of the Canright House. She also asked to look at other counties to see how they take public record and what the do online. She also shared that She will be doing a listening hour at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library on March 26^th at 5:30 PM.

Commissioner Alaimo recognized the St. Johns County Teacher of the Year, Tina Hemby, and the Rookie Teacher of the Year, Aimee Monie. He also highlighted the community meeting on the Canright home on Thursday and is continuing to meet with residents who are concerned about the Shore Drive Trail. There is a Community Meeting on the Shore Drive Trail scheduled for February 14, 5:00 PM at the Southeast Branch Library.

After thanking David Migut for his service as attorney, Commissioner Alaimo made a motion to bring in an external counsel to serve as interim County Attorney while they are recruiting to replace Mr. Migut. He recommended Rich Kommando, who currently serves as the Housing Finance Authority Counsel for the County. His rationale was to have an outside view from someone who does not want the position full time.

During Board discussion about this motion, Commissioner Joseph recommended placing Christine Valliere in the interim role. Mr. Lex Taylor was also recommended as being able to fill the interim role.

A motion was made to authorize the chair and the county administrator to work toward an interim contract for county attorney. The motion was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the no vote.

Commissioner Whitehurst commended the Public Works Department for the 1000’ extension of the west bound turn lane on Race Track Road at Veterans Parkway. It greatly improved the safety on that section of Race Track Road.

Commissioner Dean brought up the conference on Beach Preservation where he will be giving the welcoming remarks at the Embassy Suites where the beach renourishment project is just about to get under way.

County Administrator’s report

Administrator Andrews requested a letter of support from the Board for the request to locate the Black History Museum in St. Johns County.

She also provided an update on the lawsuit involving the Clerk of the Court. The County has received a notice from the court that an order of dismissal due to the former IG not responding to the suit.

Additionally, she shared that there are 3 Joint Town Hall meetings to cover the Comprehensive Plan and the Strategic Plan update.

Upcoming meetings will be:

Feb. 20, 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Pacetti Bay Middle School Auditorium, 245 Meadowlark Lane
Feb. 21, 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Southeast Branch Library, 6670 US 1 South
Feb. 22, 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A North

Ms. Andrews also expressed appreciation to the board for approving the Publix incentive. She wanted to clarify that this was not an expenditure of taxpayer funds but operates like a rebate. Publix is investing $145 million in the county. The incentive dollars are a rebate back in the amount of $5 million that will help fund that $145 Million investment that is bringing jobs and long term tax revenue to the county.

County Attorney’s Report

Thank you to the Board members and all county employees he has worked with.

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