Tag: StJohnsCountySchools

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

Summary of the August 3 St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

The August 3 Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meeting had one lengthy discussion and some interesting conversation about the upcoming August 17 PZA meeting.

The first item on the Agenda was the annual election of the Chair and Vice-Chair. Teresa Bishop, of the Growth Management Department made a request to delay the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair to a future meeting. The rationale for the request was because of a highly controversial item to be heard at the August 17 Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting. After much discussion it was agreed to delay the election of a new Chair and Vice-Chair until after the upcoming review of the Ponte Vedra PUD Modification.

Agenda Item 2, a non-zoning variance for signage in The Shoppes of Tocoi Creek was approved with little debate.

Agenda Item 4 for the Katepally Community Commercial PUD to add a connectivity point and an additional vehicular access point was also approved with little discussion.

The big item of the day was the combined presentation on items 5 – 8, The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult.)

You can watch the full presentation at this link: August 3 PZA Meeting

I’ve shared screen shots from the presentation throughout the narrative below.

Dr. Hilsenback commented on their package having 946 pages to review. This is an indication of the size and complexity of the proposal.

The 4 items, presented in one presentation were:

  • Agenda Item 5 (370 pages) is “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.”
  • Agenda item 6 (87 pages) is “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 is a companion application to CPA (SS) 2022-01”
  • Agenda item 7 (340 pages) is “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.”
  • Agenda item 8 (149 pages) is “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.”

Links to each agenda item are here:

Agenda Item 5 – The Landings at Greenbriar

Agenda Item 6 – The Landings at Greenbriar PUD

Agenda Item 7 – The Landings at St. Johns Agenda

Item 8 – The Landings at St. Johns PUD

The Landings at Greenbriar is planned to have 588 single family residential units while the Landings at St. Johns is planned for 761 Age Restricted (55+) single family units.

Aerial view of Site location

To mitigate impacts to roads, the project includes a Proportionate Fair Share agreement that would:

  • Widen a portion of Greenbriar Road to 4-lanes from Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection west approximately .90 mile at an estimated cost of $8,162,869.
  • Widen an additional .5-mile segment of Greenbriar Road extending to approximately 930 feet west of Brambly Vine Drive/Project Entrance intersection for a total of 1.48 miles.
  • Include improvements to the intersection of Greenbriar Road and Longleaf Pine Pkwy.

The representative for the developer shared information about the status of road improvements.

Active and Funded Road Improvement Projects:

  • Longleaf Pine Parkway four-lane
  • CR 210 four-lane from Cimarrone to 210-West
  • Longleaf Pine improved with the Greenbriar Helow Mixed Use Development

A timeline was shared to demonstrate that the first homes will not be closing for new homeowners until 2026 and that much of the road improvement construction will be done before the new traffic is generated.

Also shared was two proposed road improvements that will be of benefit for school traffic and included in the package was a letter of support from Superintendent Forson about the benefit of these improvements;

The School District had previously determined there is no available capacity in the Concurrency Service Area impacted by this development. In the months since that determination the developer had been working with the School District and there is now an agreed Proportionate Fair Share Agreement with the School District.

The Developer shared information about the impacts on schools with these slides:

Public Comment

During Public Comment there were concerns raised that this is NOT compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. This was based on lot sizes and density in existing developments compared to the proposed development. There was frustration expressed with the number of expert witnesses in the room for the developer. A comment was made that the added turn lane for the schools was not helpful and only provided to win “brownie points.”

Concerns were raised about the overcrowding in the schools and the number of temporary classrooms already in place.

During rebuttal from the developer they pointed out the requirement for the expert witnesses for a quasi-judicial application such as this and that is why they have the experts who helped prepare the reports in the room to answer any potential questions.

They addressed concerns about compatibility by sharing the following slide and chart:

Discussion before the vote

After this discussion Dr. Hilsenbeck indicated he had more concerns about compatibility. He also asked about how many approved and platted but unbuilt lots are in the county today.

Ms. Bishop provided these numbers:

  • 142,555 approved lots
  • 83,888 are built
  • 58,267 unbuilt, county wide

Dr. Hilsenbeck went on to share that he felt the traffic would be “crushing” and that this development is premature until the roads and schools can catch up.

Mr. Matovina pointed out that there were other sources of funding for road improvements, not just those indicated for this development. He also shared his view that as road improvements come online, people will change their travel habits and that will alter the traffic patterns.

All four applications were approved 5-1 with Dr. Hilsenbeck being the Nay vote.

The next step is review with the County Commissioners on Sept. 5.

Staff Reports and Final Discussion

During staff reports, Ms. Bishop shared that the School Board is working on finding a replacement for their vacant PZA position.

There was discussion about the upcoming PZA meeting on August 17 where the controversial Ponte Vedra Resorts PUD will be reviewed.

-The hearing is set for a time certain at 3:00 and it is anticipated the meeting may go very long based on the recent community meeting with over 400 people in attendance.

-They are setting a time certain for the Chairman to be allowed to continue the meeting if it is still going at 8:00 PM.

-They could extend the meeting to 10:00 PM.

-If the meeting goes past 6:00, they will schedule a 30 minute dinner break.

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Posted in PZA, St. Johns County

August 3, St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

Big Agenda Items include The Landings at St. Johns and The Landings at Greenbriar

Planning and Zoning Agency (PZA) meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 1:30 PM in the Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View.

The scheduled PZA meeting has 8 items noted with the last 3 being of particular interest to the Northwest Sector of the County.

Link to the full agenda is here: PZA Agenda

Items of interest are below:

Agenda Item 1 is the annual election of the Chair and Vice-Chair. Will there be a change this year?

Agenda Item 2 is a non-zoning variance for signage in The Shoppes of Tocoi Creek. The monument sign should not be larger than 28 square feet. The applicant is requesting a variance for a 60.7 square foot sign to accommodate the large number of tenants in this shopping center (over 20.)

Details are at this link: Shoppes at Tocoi Creek Signage

Agenda Item 4 is for the Katepally Community Commercial PUD to add a connectivity point and an additional vechicular access point. This will require .58 acres of wetlands to be filled in. The intent of this change is to reduce traffic congestion related to the property.

Details are here: Katepally Community Commercial PUD

Agenda Items 5 – 8 are related to The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns (Active Adult.)

Agenda Item 5 (370 pages) is 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.”

Agenda item 6 (87 pages) is 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 is a companion application to CPA (SS) 2022-01”

Agenda item 7 (340 pages) is The Landings at Saint 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.”

Agenda item 8 (149 pages) is The Landings at Saint 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.”

Links to each agenda item are included below.

High level description of the project

These two communities have generated a lot of concern and interest in the Northwest sector. This is the Adoption Hearing for this development as it was approved for Transmittal in May of this year.

Location of the project

Residents Concerns

At the hearings for the transmittal, there were many residents who spoke both for and against the project. There were complaints raised by some of the residents opposed to the project that residents speaking in favor had some affiliation to the project, either directly or indirectly. Regardless of their affiliation, they are still residents of the county and are therefore able to share their opinions on the project.

The opposition to the project is largely around increased traffic on the roads, lack of capacity in the schools today, and the further eroding of Rural Silviculture in St. Johns County and thus the continued removal of trees and impact to wildlife.

What’s included

These items will probably be presented in one presentation that we can anticipate will be lengthy. The complete project is an overall “master planned and interconnected” residential community that will be made up of The Landings at Greenbriar and The Landings at St. Johns.

The Landings at Greenbriar is planned to have 588 single family residential units while the Landings at St. Johns is planned for 761 Age Restricted (55+) single family units.

To mitigate impacts to roads, the project includes a Proportionate Fair Share agreement that would:

  • Widen a portion of Greenbriar Road to 4-lanes from Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection west approximately .90 mile at an estimated cost of $8,162,869.
  • Widen an additional .5-mile segment of Greenbriar Road extending to approximately 930 feet west of Brambly Vine Drive/Project Entrance intersection for a total of 1.48 miles.
  • Include improvements to the intersection of Greenbriar Road and Longleaf Pine Pkwy.
Proposed road improvements

The School District has determined there is no available capacity in the Concurrency Service Area impacted by this development. The applicant has stated they are aware they will need to begin the proportionate fair share mitigation process or wait until there is available capacity.

In the staff review they noted that this region of the county has had “notable impacts” to school capacity and has deficient roadway segments.

The applicant has proposed traffic mitigation that they believe will provide a public benefit. This includes:

• Widen a one (1) mile segment of Greenbriar Road from two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes from just east of its intersection with Longleaf Pine Parkway to the west, including the widening of the Greenbriar Road/Longleaf Pine Parkway intersection to accommodate the four-lane reconfiguration of Greenbriar Road.

• Widen an additional one-half mile section of Greenbriar Road from the terminus of the Landings at Greenbriar project improvements (outlined above) just west of the project entrance.

• Turn lane improvements to Greenbriar Road at the entrances to Switzerland Point Middle School and Hickory Creek Elementary School, which the applicant attests will relieve traffic congestion on Greenbriar Road when school is starting and ending.

• Turn lane improvements to Longleaf Pine Parkway at the entrance to Bartram Trail High School, which the applicant attests will relieve traffic congestion on Longleaf Pine Parkway when school is starting.

Additionally, they note these benefits:

• Providing a provision of funds for the construction of roadway improvements to Greenbriar Road, Longleaf Pine Parkway, or other regional roads that are currently in need of widening.

• Provision of much-needed housing in an area that is surrounded by existing residential communities, schools, parks and other public facilities that are already available to serve project residents.

• The age restricted community will have no impact on school capacity and yet contribute ad valorem tax revenue to the St. Johns County School District.

There is a lot to digest and a lot of background reading necessary to understand the full proposals. For more of the details, check the links below.

Links to each submission are here:

Agenda Item 5 – The Landings at Greenbriar Plan Amendment

Agenda Item 6 – The Landings at Greenbriar PUD

Agenda Item 7 – The Landings at St. Johns Plan Amendment

Agenda Item 8 – The Landings at St. Johns PUD

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Posted in BOCC, St. Johns County

What’s on the August 1, 2023 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioner’s Agenda

Posted on by Beth Tate

The August 1 agenda is a little lighter than recent agendas, perhaps a welcome break for all!

There is only one Proclamation on the agenda and that is one recognizing 25 years of service for the St. Johns Housing Partnership.

Consent Agenda Items of Interest

There are 28 items on the Consent Agenda. Here are a few that may be of interest:

Consent Agenda Item 3

IFT 2023-11 Park Impact Fee Credit Transfer – Marshall Creek PUD (Palencia) to Ravenswood Village. Impact Fee Credit Transfer

Recently Impact Fee Credit Transfers have been generating public comment on the Consent Agenda. This Credit Transfer is to transfer $166,870.00 of the remaining park impact fee credit from Marshall Creek PUD (Palencia) to the Ravenswood Village Workforce Housing Development that is south of SR 16 and west of Masters Drive. This transfer is from District 2 to District 3. Because the credit will be transferred outside of the original Impact Fee Zone, into an adjoining Impact Fee Zone, this is a waiver request.

Consent Agenda Item 4

CONSCA 2023-03 Secession School Concurrency Proportionate Share Mitigation Agreement. Concurrency Agreement

School Concurrency Mitigation is a hot topic because of the perpetual overcrowding in the schools. This Concurrency Proportionate Share Mitigation Agreement was approved by the School Board at the June 13, 2023 Board Meeting and now must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.

This mitigation is specific to the Secession Subdivision that was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on August 22, 2006. There were 2 parcels approved, Watson Village and Phase II of Watson Woods. The proportionate share mitigation is $126,678.00, or $1,056.0 per unit (120 units.)

Consent Agenda Item 15

 “A Resolution approving the terms and authorizing the County Administrator, or designee, to execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement for acquisition of approximately 46 acres of land located off A1A South for conservation and accepting donation of the contiguous 2.8 acres.” Lamp Purchase

On March 7, 2023, the Board approved the LAMP Ranking List and directed staff to initiate purchase negoations for the properties on the list. This is one of those parcels and will result in the county acquiring approximately 48.8 acres of land for conservation.

Consent Agenda Item 18

Engage SJSO Public Service Assistants for traffic control at the Intersection of CR 210 and Cumberland Park Drive. Traffic Control Agreement

The project to widen CR 210 between CE Wilson road and the 6 lane portion of CR 210 in Twin Creeks will include a signalized intersection at Cumberland Park Drive/Badger Park Drive and CR 210. The project has not yet gone to bid and construction will last between 9 and 12 months once begun. This item is an agreement for the Sheriff’s Office to provide Public Service Assistants for temporary traffic control at this intersection until this intersection is completed. It is anticipated that the Developer will reimburse the County for their portion of the required responsibility including costs for this temporary traffic control.

Consent Agenda Item 19

Interlocal Agreement Between City of Jacksonville and St. Johns County Regarding Maintenance of Race Track Road. Interlocal Agreement – Race Track Road

This is an agreement between the City of Jacksonville and St. Johns County relative to the funding and construction of widening a portion of Race Track Road from 2 lanes to 4 lanes from approximately Bartram Park Blvd. to the intersection of East Payton Parkway and Race Track Road. If you are a resident of the northwest sector, you know the 2 lane section referenced here!

This interlocal agreement allows for the City of Jacksonville and Eastland Development group to fund and construct this portion of Race Track Road and St. Johns County to operate, maintain and repair this section of road going forward. This will give St. Johns County maintenance of the entire 10 miles of Race Track Road from SR 13 to US 1. This 2 lane section of road is already maintained by the county and adding the additional lanes here will not impact funding.

Public Comment is Time Certain from 11:30 – 12:00

Regular Agenda items of interest

Agenda Item 1

Item 1 is another Waiver of Time Limits request. October 18, 2022, the Board denied a request for Mills Place with a 4/0 vote. The application is ready to resubmit however there is a one year waiting period. This request is to waive the 1 year requirement and allow the property owner to pursue building Workforce Housing on this parcel. Waiver for Development of Workforce Housing

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. Updated Prohibited Holiday Activities

The proposed amendments include additional prohibitions on participation in holiday activities by sexual offenders and sexual predators and remove a requirement regarding signage that may be subject to constitutional challenge under the First Amendment.

Agenda Item 6

This is the Second Reading of the Floating Structures Ordinance. This created some discussion at the First Reading on June 20, as there was confusion about the definition of a Floating Structure. There has been much feedback since the original reading. Some of that has been incorporated into the current version of the Ordinance. Floating Structures Ordinance

Agenda Item 7

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

Budget Summaries can be found at this link: 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

The last Regular Agenda Item of the day is the Employment Agreement for the Interim County Administrator. Interim County Administrator Employment Agreement

Link to full Agenda: BOCC Full Agenda for August 1, 2023

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Posted in BOCC, Growth & Development, St Johns County Schools, St. Johns County

Recap of the May 16 St. Johns County Commissioner’s Meeting

Posted on by Beth Tate

A very long day, indeed! The theme for the day was Schools!

The meeting began with a moving presentation of a Certificate of Remembrance for the Tristyn Bailey family honoring 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey who was murdered on Mother’s Day in 2021.

During the Public Safety Report, Director Skip Cole also spoke to the Bailey Family, honoring their grace and actions during such a difficult ordeal. He focused his remarks to the Commissioners on National Police Officer’s Memorial Day and noted that 1 fallen officer from St. Johns County was being added to the Memorial Wall and that the SJSO Honor Guard traveled to Washington to support and honor his placement on the wall. Director Cole then read out the names of St. Johns County officers lost in the line of duty.

The Clerk of Court’s Report included an interesting presentation on some of the oldest historic records maintained in the Clerk’s office. Included were historic deeds, including one for a property on Aviles Street, recorded in 1821. The oldest County Commissioner meeting records were from April 30, 1866. It was noted they did not meet during the Civil War and the Sheriff was asking for reimbursement of expenses incurred prior to the start of the war!

Consent Agenda

There was one public comment on the Consent Agenda with a representative from CARE expressing appreciation for the approval of the contract for Home Again St. Johns. This was long awaited funding for a permanent facility on SR 16.

More about the Home Again contract here: Consent Agenda Item 16

Regular Agenda

Agenda Item 1 – The Landings at St. Johns was one of the highly anticipated presentations. This development on the south side of Greenbriar Road, 1.5 miles east of State Road 13 is planned to be an Age Restricted community (55+) and thus would have in impact on the school system while generating about $1 million in annual ad valorem revenue that could be used to fund schools. The developer has committed to upfront road way improvements and, importantly, is paying for road improvements at Switzerland Middle School and Bartram Trail High School that would alleviate the traffic backups during school opening and closing times. These improvements were not required but included by the builder to provide benefit to the county.

Commissioner Joseph had several questions about the development related as related to school concerns. The developer’s representative referred back to this development not adding children to the school system and generating tax revenue that would benefit the school system.

Commissioner Joseph noted 130 letters against the development. Questions were asked by the developers representative about the letters because there is insufficient indication of where the letters originated (in the impacted area or even within the county.)

Side note: This highlights the need of residents who write to the Commissioners to include their property address so there is no question if they are part of the impacted communities. This comes up often in discussions.

During Public Comment on The Landings, Christine Mullis, representing the Greenbriar Preservation Group, presented concerns about traffic in the area and the inadequate infrastructure. A second representative from the group spoke about concerns related to the wetlands in the area. She noted some of the comments made by staff in the application process about the wetlands area.

During rebuttal, the developer’s representative pointed out that the comments made by staff about environmental concerns during the application process had all been cleared or they would not have been able to move forward to the application hearing today.

Several other residents spoke both for and against the development with those in favor noting the upfront infrastructure improvements and that this was active adult and not impacting the schools.

Some residents spoke on the need to slow down development in general because of the impact on schools in the County.

During the Commissioner’s discussion, Commissioner Dean noted the argument for compatibility as this property is surrounded on 3 sides by Res B zoning. He noted that you can’t have improved infrastructure without the development happening and that the timeline shows that the infrastructure needs will be addressed by the time the housing is complete. He also noted that new schools will be opening in 2025 – 2026.

Commissioner Whitehurst noted in his comments that when he graduated from Nease High School in 2000, it was over capacity at that time. He went on to talk about the constraints in the school budgets around not being able to build schools until they are over capacity. He commented that “that’s a bad policy.” He acknowledged the school related concerns and referenced a comment made by a resident that approval of this portion of the project is tacit approval of the remaining portions that will impact schools. He does not believe that is the case.

The Landings was approved 3:1 with the No vote from Commissioner Joseph. Commissioner Alaimo was absent.

General Public Comment

During General Public Comment, there were many residents of Rock Springs Farms speaking about a county managed park that somehow became the responsibility of the Roxbury Farms HOA to fund. Residents have spoken with Commissioner Alaimo and staff is working on a presentation to discuss this at the June 6 County Commissioner’s Meeting.

One resident wanted to share with the Commissioner’s the results of the ALICE Report for St. Johns County. The ALICE report is published by the United Way each year with ALICE being Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed residents. These are residents who make more than the poverty level so don’t qualify for financial assistance yet cannot afford rent and food in our county.

You can read the ALICE report for yourself here, ALICE Report

Kerri Gustafson spoke on behalf of teachers and the group she started (with over 3000 members on FB) SOS, Save Our Schools, and expressed concern about the pay for teachers. She referenced the recent magistrate’s report stating that the school system does not have funds to build new schools. She stressed that the schools need help both from Tallahassee and the County.

Agenda Item 2 – Marsh Landing

After a break for lunch, the long awaited Hamstra report on the conditions in Marsh Landing was presented by Mr. Hamstra. This was followed by a report from Attorney Wayne Flowers regarding the County Ordinances that are relevant to the Marsh Landing Storm Water Management System concerns.

After hearing both reports and public comment, staff agreed they have the necessary information to proceed with analysis and follow through on any violations that need to be addressed.

Agenda Item 5 – Project Krew

Project Krew is the code name for a “large scale manufacturing facility” slated to open in 4Q 2025. This project would bring $70 Million in tangible personal property and $14 million in building improvements to the county. The building improvements are anticipated to be robotics equipment.

Initially the project would provide 116 jobs, growing to 324 producing about $7.8 million in labor income at the beginning of the project. No land use or zoning changes would be required for this project.

They are requesting a $4.6 million dollar incentive via ad valorem taxes and expedited permitting.

The project was approved unanimously.

Closing Public Comment

The auditorium was fairly empty by the time we got to Closing comments however one stalwart resident spoke about the danger of St. Johns County losing its status of the #1 School District in the state because of over-crowding and the inability to hire enough teachers to support the growth.

Commissioner’s Reports

During Commissioner’s Reports, Commissioner Joseph shared her recent awareness of the University of Florida IFAS Extension service. Our residents in the agricultural areas of the county and those of us who grew up in 4-H have long benefited from the Extension Service. You can learn more about the many services provided by the IFAS Extension service here: St. Johns County Extension Service

Commissioner Dean suggested that it is time for a review of how much money has been spent and how it has been spent for schools in the county. His perception is that a tremendous amount of money has been allocated for schools and it is not clear that the problem is related to growth but related to the timing of schools being built.

Commissioner Joseph asked if the Commissioners could meet with the School Board to have these discussions. (Indicative that she has not been in such discussions since joining the Board.)

Commissioner Arnold noted that there has not been such a meeting since she has been on the Board (since 2021.)

There was agreement that there needs to be more communication between the School Board and the Commissioner’s regarding the growth in the county and impact on schools.

Commissioner Whitehurst noted that there is currently a slowdown in Building Permits with a 29% decrease compared to 2022.

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