Tuesday’s meeting was long and contentious. No doubt you’ve seen some social media coverage and local news coverage of some of the topics covered.
I’ll try to break it down for you here and provide you links and source information to form your own opinions.
The meeting opened with a Recognition Award for Commissioner Sarah Arnold.
The St. Johns County Professional Firefighters Association presented an award to Commissioner Arnold in recognition of her efforts to establish a Mental Health program for the Firefighters. The award was presented by David Stevens, President of the St. Johns County Professional Fire Fighters. He shared a moving story about what it is like being a firefighter and the mental/emotional toll it takes to do the job day-in and day-out. He reminded us of the 3 firefighters lost to mental health issues in last year.
He explained the tradition of the presentation of the fire ax to an individual. Because the fire ax is a tool that represents saving lives, it is generally reserved for those who have saved lives, like a retired fireman who spent his entire career helping people. On special occasions, they present that ax to elected officials who have put forward legislation or initiatives that help and save firemen.
He noted that one year ago, Commissioner Arnold proclaimed men and women in fire rescue are in crisis and rallied her fellow commissioners to put forward the initiative for mental health that is in place today. They declared, “Commissioner Arnold, you are our hero.”
The representation from the fire department was large. It was quite moving to see the presentation.
You can watch it here: Firefighter’s Presentation to Sarah Arnold
This was followed by a Proclamation recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Kiwanis of St. Augustine
The third proclamation of the morning was timely. St. Johns County has been recognizing St Johns County Israel Friendship Day for 3 years. The timing of this year’s proclamation falls during a horrific time for Israel.
You can watch the presentation here: St. Johns County Israel Friendship Day
We learned during the acceptance of the proclamation that much aid has been sent from St. Johns County already. The Rabbis who spoke expressed appreciation for the support and love that they have felt from the community.
Commissioner Dean read a resolution of support for Israel into the record, as it defends itself from the war from Hamas. You can watch and hear the resolution here: St. Johns County Resolution for Israel
Public Safety Update
Director Beaver from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that the Jewish community should know SJSO is staying on top of what is going on and monitoring. Sheriff Hardwick has been reaching out personally to the Jewish Community. He shared that just a few months ago members of the staff visited Israel.
Interim Fire Chief Sean McGhee shared a story from last week’s news of a St. Johns County Fire Rescue K-9 providing a blood transfusion for a K-9s for Warriors K-9 in Duval County.
Consent Agenda
For the Consent Agenda, Commissioner Joseph asked to pull Items 8 and 33, suggesting that Item 8 should be sent back to the LAMP Board for review. Both items were moved to the Regular Agenda for discussion.
Attorney Migut reported that the applicant would like to pull Agenda Item 2.
Regular Agenda
Before beginning the Regular Agenda, Commissioner Joseph asked if Item 3 could be moved forward to Item 1, because there were many in the audience there for just Item 3.
Commissioner Whitehurst expressed concern that there were many residents from Rock Springs Farms for Item 2 and they had been waiting several months for this item to make it to the agenda. He indicated items 1 and 2 should go quickly so the agenda was not altered.
Item 1 was a request for a Non-Zoning variance to waive roadway standards to allow the building of a single-family home on a lot on Hickory Lane. This item was presented by the landowner who wishes to build a home on the property they purchased on Hickory Lane. Three neighbors spoke in opposition to the request. The variance was approved unanimously.
Item 2 was the long awaited Rock Springs Farms PUD modification that would release the HOA from maintaining the county owned public park. For several months residents of Rock Springs Farms have been coming and asking for relief from maintaining the County owned park. Commissioner Alaimo championed addressing the situation and it was finally brought to the Agenda. After a very well done presentation by the President of the HOA, the modification was approved unanimously.
Agenda Item 3 was a discussion item for the Review and Analysis of 14 Goals introduced at the July 18, 2023 Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting. In the published materials for this item there was no ordinance proposed, just an analysis of the goals and how they might become part of the Land Development Code.
This was the hot topic of the day and took a long time, interrupted by General Public Comment at Time Certain of 11:30. I’ll consolidate the Tree discussion and update on the General Public Comment in a separate section.
The discussion on trees spanned over three hours with the break for public comment. While it was posted on the Agenda as a Discussion item, there were many emails and social media posts encouraging people to attend and make their voices heard. Many people came into the meeting expecting this to be a vote on a new Ordinance to protect trees.
I’m including a link that starts at the beginning of the discussion and will also include a link to the subsequent discussions with the Board that will be of interest. My intent is to make it easier for all to follow and learn.
Here is the presentation on the 14 goals: Background materials on the Tree Goals
Pages 1 – 38 of the presentation are largely background.
Staff found several of the goals were interrelated, so they combined items where appropriate.
You can watch the presentation by staff here: Staff Presentation on Tree Recommendations
Goals 1 and 2 – Lots of Record – Proposed: Lots of Record east of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and Lots one acre or larger west of the ICW shall provide 80” of trees per acre through preservation or replanting.
Goal 6 is for the Tree Bank – Proposed: Update the Tree Bank Fund Fee
Two options presented.
- Option 1: Payment is the current market value of average cost of the purchase of replacement trees.
- Option 2: $150 per lost tree inch.
Goal 11 is for the Commercial Exemption – Proposed: Delete the exemption for commercial projects.
Three Options presented:
- Current Tree Bank Fee – Cost: 80” removed = 80” X $25 = $2000
- Average cost of a 2” Live Oak is $442. Cost: 80” removed = 4:2” trees or 40 X $442 = $17,680
- $150 per lost tree inch. Cost: 80” removed = 80” X $150 = $12,000
Goal 3 is for Specimen Trees – Here are the three slides explaining Specimen Trees:
Goals 4, 8, and 9 were for Development Buffers, Natural Vegetation, and Grading. Proposed:
- Keep natural or undisturbed as much as possible buffers of original, natural vegetation/trees to protect neighboring properties.
- Preserve minimum of 20% of upland natural vegetation, not including Upland Buffers
- Disallow grading with 15 feet of a property line or buffer
Goal 7 is for Early Clearing – Proposed: Eliminate the Clearing and Grading Construction Plan application. Developers that do have clear plans for construction will submit construction plans and request early land clearing with the first round of construction plan review, tying the clearing to eminent construction of the development.
Goal 10 is for Drainage – Proposed: Attention must be given in the planning stage by county staff to drainage so that the water table in preserves does not change post-construction.
Goal 12 is Tree Bank Fund Use – Proposed: Ensure that disbursement of funds from the county’s tree bank goes 100% towards the purchase and installation of trees. Disbursement of the Tree Bank Fund shall be made only with approval of the BCC.
Goal 13 is for Pine Trees – Pine Trees are typically grown as “crop trees” and are an important part of our silviculture. They have been on the “Exempt” list of trees considered for tree inch value. The proposal is to keep exempt, except for Slash and Longleaf Pines.
Goal 14 is Notifications – Proposed: Notice to homeowners within 300’ of clear cutting, prior to cutting.
Goal 5 is Increase Fines – Proposed: Trees removed illegally should be subject to a fine 10X the current fine to discourage such violations.
At the conclusion of the staff presentation, Commissioner Joseph clarified that it was not her intent to force people to put trees on their property.
Public Comment – 39 people spoke during Public Comment on the analysis. The majority were for doing something to save the trees. Some agreed that something needs to be done, but to proceed with thought and caution. No one was in direct and full opposition to updating the Land Development Code to provide for saving trees.
The topic then came back to the Board for discussion.
You can watch the discussion at this link: Board Discussion on Tree Goals
It’s worth a watch to get the full context of the discussion and form your own opinions. Here’s a brief synopsis:
Commissioner Joseph asked for consensus to move through each item, one by one. Other Board members did not respond to that request.
Commissioner Joseph tried to initiate discussion about Item one with no response from the other Commissioners. She then moved onto item six about the Tree Bank. Again, there was no input from others.
Commissioner Dean spoke and shared that he had come into the meeting with the expectation that this was a “listening and learning” experience. He thanked Commissioner Joseph for bring it forward and said he had thought today was a day to listen and learn, hear from the public, give it further thought and then come back with a suggestion going forward.
Commissioner Dean called out areas that he thought he could support:
- Some limitation on clear cutting
- Preserving our buffers
- Higher permit fees
- Higher fines for violations
- Some increase in conservation of trees for PUDs.
He did want to hear more from the public and wants to look at this in the context of Comp Plan amendments that the county is undertaking.
He stated he was impressed with a number of the recommendations but was just not prepared to vote on them Tuesday. He said that did not mean he was not in favor of the others; it just meant he didn’t have enough information on the other 9 items.
Commissioner Whitehurst added his thoughts that he was very much in favor of conservation but wanted to understand any negative consequences. He has concerns that this could violate Florida statutes and could cause higher prices for homes and that would harm the middle classes in St. Johns County.
Commissioner Joseph made a point that many people had come to the meeting Tuesday with the expectation that something would be voted on. Her view was this was “sad” and she hoped “everybody remembers this in a year when some of those people run for re-election.”
Commissioner Alaimo spoke up and echoed Commissioner Dean’s thoughts that he wasn’t prepared to vote on these items thinking it was just a discussion item. He referenced the work on the Comp Plan and shared that he thought this would be the time to review and get input from experts on the revisions. He expressed the concern that if this was going to cost the developers money, they would just pass that on to the home buyer. He wants to get more input from the public during the Comp Plan related Town Halls.
Commissioner Arnold thanked the staff for all the work they had put into the analysis. Her opinion was they need more analysis with subject matter experts and that this is premature.
Commissioner Whitehurst said he just couldn’t vote on something that could increase the cost of a home in St. Johns County.
Commissioner Joseph made a motion to move forward the 5 items Commissioner Dean had mentioned. Commissioner Dean seconded the motion.
There was additional public comment on the motion with 10 people speaking.
Interim Administrator Andrews brought up the Comprehensive Plan updates and that this is one element of the Comprehensive Plan. She shared the timeline for the process and the Town Halls that are to begin in November.
Commissioner Alaimo asked for clarification on the Motion that had been put on the floor.
Editorial Note: No one could clearly articulate what the actual motion was. I have received calls, emails, and texts during and since the meeting asking me for clarity on the motion. In the video you can see the confusion about what was being voted on.
Commissioner Dean shared more insight into his thinking. He clarified that the reason he made the second for the motion was that there is a clear path to use the plan and the process to engage the public more and to engage the staff to address questions and get any misconceptions cleared up. He wanted to be clear that the changes need to be clearly vetted and understood before they make a decision.
Commissioner Joseph wanted to keep the motion as made today because it will be a year before the Comp Plan changes come to fruition.
Commissioner Alaimo shared that he believes this should be part of the Comprehensive Plan and the process in place for that plan.
Commissioner Arnold agreed with that position.
The motion was finally voted on and failed, 3-2, with Arnold, Whitehurst, and Alaimo voting No.
General Public Comment
General Public Comment at time certain 11:30 started with a surprise entry from former Fire Chief Scott Bullard.
You can watch Mr. Bullard’s comments, followed by others in support of Mr. Bullard, at this link; Bullard’s Public Comment
Mr. Bullard spoke in defense of his career and spoke against recent actions of the Interim County Administrator and one Commissioner. He is seeking to be returned to his former role of Battalion Chief and be allowed to finish his career in St. Johns County.
Others, including Mr. Bullard’s wife, spoke in his defense, as well.
David Stevens, President of the Firefighter’s Association, spoke up and shared examples of actions that Mr. Bullard had taken that led to the complaints levied against Mr. Bullard.
Mr. Stevens comments can be heard here: David Stevens Comments
Regular Agenda Item 5 was the Agreement between the St. Johns County Community Redevelopment Agency and Vilano Beach Main Street, Inc. This was approved unanimously.
Regular Agenda Item 6 was an update from County Attorney David Migut on the County Administrator Recruitment Process.
The list of candidates had been narrowed down from 105 to 5 by the selection committee:
- Joy Andrews
- Scott Andrews
- Sarah Campbell
- James “Jim” G. Doar
- James “Jim” K. Harriott, Jr.
Mr. Scott Andrews has withdrawn from the process.
The Board was able to vote on the final interview slate. They could have added to or taken away from the candidates recommended by the selection committee.
Previous meetings regarding the selection process can be reviewed here:
October 6 – Public Meeting for County Administrator Recruitment
October 9 – Selection Committee Interviews
October 30 has been set aside as a day that the Commissioners can interview the finalists one on one, in private, if they choose.
Also on October 30, there will be a public “Meet the Next county Administrator” ice cream social event from 4 – 6 PM on October 30th in the Rotunda of the Administration Building.
There will be a special Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, October 31 at 9:00 AM. The Board will interview the candidates selected Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public. Candidates have been asked to recuse themselves from the meeting so as not to give any candidate an advantage, having seen the other questions and answers provided.
They chose to proceed with the 4 candidates.
Agenda Item 7 was the Consent Agenda Item 8 regarding a proposed Land Management Plan from the LAMP Board. This item was sent back to the LAMP board for further discussion and a more clear recommendation.
Agenda Item 8 was the Consent Agenda Item 33 about a resident serving on 2 appointed Boards. After discusson with the attorney, it was determined this would be allowed and did not set a precedent as the Board as the ability to approve any future such situations.
Commissioner’s reports
After a very long day, the Commissioner’s reports were rather light. Of note was Commissioner Whitehurst’s comments that Wednesday, October 18 marked the one year anniversary of the loss of Commissioner Paul Waldron. There will be a memorial celebration of his life sometime in December.
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Beth Tate 