The St. Johns County Primary Election is on August 20. This is an important election for the County as 3 Commissioners are up for re-election.
The Ponte Vedra and Palm Valley Community Associations held a Candidate Forum on July 9. It was moderated by a UNF professor. All candidates were present.
The Community Associations have graciously made available a video of the evening. It is about an hour in length.
Please watch and vote in the upcoming Primary election.
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Tuesday was a busy and interesting day for the County Commissioners!
The day started with the annual Re-Organizational meeting. This is the meeting when the Chair and Vice-Chair for the upcoming year are elected by the sitting Board Members. As anticipated, Commissioner Sarah Arnold, who has served as Vice-Chair for the past year, was elevated to Chair. The question of the morning was who would be selected as Vice-Chair. Commissioner Roy Alaimo was elected to that position.
After a 10-minute recess, allowing the Board time to re-organize on the dais, the Regular meeting began.
Proclamations
A Certificate of Recognition was presented to Westminster St. Augustine receiving the Gold Seal Award for Excellence in Long Term Care.
A Proclamation recognizing national Hospice and Palliative Care Month was presented by Commissioner Whitehurst and received by Haven Hopice.
Public Safety Update
Chief McGhee from the St. Johns County Fire Rescue highlighted the Firefighters for Families charity run by the firefighters. This year they are providing assistance to 293 families (722 children) during the Christmas season. During their recent Golf Tournament at Marsh Creek they raised $7,000 to support the program. Between now and Christmas they will be accepting donations of toys for gifts to the children. They will also be sponsoring gift wrapping days. Watch their social media pages for opportunities to participate.
Director Beaver from SJSO – highlighted that the county is on a projected path to significantly reduce traffic crashes in the county. They will have lots of cars out and about to keep on eye on high traffic areas, like 16 and I-95. They ask for drivers to be vigilant and patient.
Consent Agenda
Administrator Joy Andrews asked to move items Item 5 & 6 from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda and to postpone Consent Agenda Item 9 to a December meeting.
There was some confusion about the deadline to respond to Consent Agenda Item 9 and it was also moved to the Regular Agenda.
Regular Agenda
Agenda Item 1 – Sheriff’s Office Proposed Settlement Agreement to Civil Case
Presented by the SJSO Legal Council, Matt Cline, this item is about the settlement of a civil case filed against St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on March 25, 2020. An automobile accident occurred on SR 16 when a deputy sheriff in a marked patrol vehicle pulled in front of a motorcyclist causing serious bodily injury. The net settlement amount is $6.3 million after Sheriff’s Office insurance coverage of $200,000.
This is NOT a request to approve a payment. This is a request to approve the Sheriff to enter negotiations on the settlement. A “Claims Bill” has been filed in the Florida Legislature, Senate Bill 10.
Mr. Cline did not go into specifics of the case. If a settlement is not reached, this could go to a jury trial and the potential jury pool could have access to discussions in the Commissioner’s meeting.
The motion to approve the sheriff to enter negotiations on the settlement was approved 5-0. The matter will come back to the Board for final approval pending the negotiations and the outcome of the Florida Legislature Claims Relief Bill.
These items are for the transfer of impact free credits from Twin Creeks DRI to The Fountains and to the 2020 SR 16 PUD.
These items were moved to the Regular Agenda because there are still outstanding comments from staff on the “as builts” that need to be addressed before the credits can be awarded.
Passed 5-0
Agenda item 2 was an exciting presentation from County Administrator Joy Andrews introducing a framework “aimed at enhancing open governance and operational efficiency within the County.”
Included in the presentation was a new organizational chart for the county and descriptions of the new functions.
The presentation demonstrated how Ms. Andrews is working on updating the way the county operates as she institutes transparency and efficiency into the county operations.
You can access the Comprehensive Plan Update website here: Inspire County Website You’ll want to bookmark that and refer to the schedule and surveys over the coming months.
Agenda Item 5 – St. Marks Industrial – This request is to rezone 13.26 acres of land from Open Rural to Industrial Warehousing. It was approved by the PZA 5-0. The parcel is designated Industrial on the Future Land Use Map.
The project has an anchor tenant of Vermeer Southeast.
From an article in the Jacksonville Business Journal,
“Headquartered in Orlando, Vermeer Southeast is a full-service dealer of Vermeer industrial equipment across Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
According to its website, the company has Florida store locations in Boynton Beach, Clearwater, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Pensacola. Georgia locations include Buford, Marietta and Savannah. It Alabama location is in Birmingham. Vermeer Southeast also serves the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda as Vermeer Islands.”
Commissioner Dean asked questions about the plans for improving International Golf Parkway because it is a 2 lane road at that access point. Dick D’Souza, Assistant Director of Growth Management provided information that there is an obligation from the St. Johns DRI to improve that roadway and they are close to the “trip count” trigger to start those improvements. The improvements include widening the travel lanes and the shoulders. Additionally, there is a Public Works project to improve the curve on IGP, making it more gradual, to address concerns about the sharp curve and dangerous speeds.
The request was approved 4-1.
Agenda Item 6 – Orchard Park Phase 3
This was a request with a twist. It is the final approval for the Orchard Park PUD with an option to have the county maintain the access road. The motion that was presented and approved 4-1 (Joseph voting no) was for the Homeowner’s Association to maintain the access road, rather than the County.
“APPLICATION SUMMARY This project consists of 23.7 acres and 128 single-family townhome lots. The road rights of way designated as Gentle Fern Drive, Pittman Court and Beach Palm Court are proposed to be dedicated to St. Johns County. Per the Orchard Park II PUD (Ordinance 2022-27), the internal roadways may be publicly owned and maintained, at the County’s sole discretion. Orchard Park Phase 1 & 2 are within the Treaty Ground Planned Unit Development. Phase 3 is an addition to the existing Orchard Park community; however, it accesses directly to Wildwood Drive and does not connect to previous phases. This is the first and only plat within the Orchard Park II Development and has been found to be in compliance with the Orchard Park II Planned Unit Development. This project proposes parking within the right of way; therefore, if the Board of County Commissioners approves this plat with St. Johns County dedicated roads, a maintenance agreement will need to be executed prior to as-built approval in a form acceptable to St. Johns County.”
Agenda Item 7 – FEMA Public Assistance for Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, specifically South Ponte Vedra Beach.
The motion below was approved 5-0.
Agenda Item 9 – First Reading of Proposed Amendment to St. Johns County Ordinance regulating the operation of Golf Carts, Low Speed Vehicles, and Minitrucks within St. Johns County
This was the reading of the change of the county ordinance to align with the new Florida law that went into effect October 1, 2023.
Agenda Item 10 – First Reading of Proposed Amendment to St. Johns County Ordinance regarding St. Johns County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
Interesting discussion about this amendment. These are statutory categories that the county must include because of State Statutes. Commissioner Joseph expressed concerns about the use of these categories and wanted to change some of them. The attorney explained that because they are required in order to receive SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) funding, the county cannot change them.
You can learn more about SHIP funding here: SHIP Website
It was also interesting to see members of the public take this opportunity to speak up against Affordable Housing in St. Johns County.
Agenda Item 11 – Proposed Settlement of Southeast Development Partners, LLC v. St. Johns County State Court Litigation
This was a request from the County Attorney’s office:
“St. Johns County (“County”) is currently defendant in Case No. CA23-1265 in the Circuit Court in and for St. Johns County, filed by Southeast Development Partners, LLC (“Southeast”), relating to certain record requests. The County has defended, and continues to defend, its responses as consistent with Florida law. Pursuant to court order, the parties participated in mediation on October 30, 2023, and produced a tentative mediated settlement agreement, subject to approval of the Board of County Commissioners, to avoid the costs and uncertainty of further litigation of this matter. A copy of the mediated settlement agreement is attached to this agenda item for review and consideration. (This proposed settlement does not resolve the pending federal litigation regarding Southeast’s concurrency obligations.)”
Commissioner Arnold expressed concerns that this settlement could set a precedent for other cases. After discussion at the Board, a motion to deny approval of the settlement was approved 4-1 (Joseph being the nay vote.)
Agenda Item 12 – Consider 4 appointments to the Land Acquisition Management (LAMP) Conservation Board.
Commissioner Dean made a motion to reappoint Shorty Robbins, Wayne Flowers, and J. B. Miller to the LAMP Board. This was approved 5-0.
The LAMP Board had recommended appointing Nicole Crosby for the 4th open position on the Board.
Commissioner Dean made a motion to appoint Anila Lahiri for the 4th position. This was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Joseph being the Nay vote.
Consent Agenda Item 9 – A Resolution authorizing the County Administrator, or designee, to terminate the Purchase and Sale Agreement dated September 8, 2023 between 400 Orange Ave, LLC and St. Johns County, Florida.
This item had been pulled from the Consent Agenda and moved to the last item to give staff time to do additional research.
The concern that led to the request to terminate the sales agreement was the discovery of decomposing barrels of agricultural chemicals on the property. This would require an additional environmental study to determine if the county would need to perform clean-up of the property. In addition, they would need to perform a new boundary survey which would have additional cost to the county.
The seller’s representative spoke and they believe the barrels are fertilizer. They are not opposed to an extension of the selling and inspection period for the property.
After discussion and public comment, the Board approved, 4-1, (Joseph voting no) to extend the inspection period and perform a Stage 2 Environmental Study.
Commissioner’s Reports
Commissioner’s Reports got very interesting very fast.
Commissioner Joseph led off with what she called a “public service announcement.” She read from a prepared statement, listing various items that she has championed, then pointed out there is an election in 2024.
She was stopped on a Point of Order raised by Commissioner Dean. Commissioner Dean asked the County Attorney if she could make a political speech during an official County Commissioner Meeting.
If you are finding value in these updates, please subscribe to my blog so you get notifications when I publish an update. Feel free to share with others who may find value in the content.
Beth Tate 