| St. Johns County Civic Roundtable to Host Public Meeting on 1 Cent Sales Tax Increase “Everything You Need to Know About the 1% Sales Tax Proposal” |
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| The St. Johns County Civic Roundtable will host a public meeting on Monday, October 10th at 12 noon to provide County residents more information about the proposed 1 Cent Sales Tax Increase. Chairman of the County Commission, Henry Dean will present information about the sales tax and how the proceeds of the sales tax will be used. Residents are invited to attend to hear the presentation and to ask questions so that they will be informed as this issue will be on the November 8th ballot. When: Tuesday, October 10 12 NOON Where: Waterworks Building 184 San Marco Avenue St. Augustine, FL |
| County Commission 9/20 Meeting Overview Public Safety Report The Fire and Rescue Department announced that Max Shafer, EMT Officer, has been awarded the prestigious honor of being selected as the EMT Engineer of the Year for the State of Florida. The Sheriff’s Office stated that fentanyl is not a border crisis but that it is right here in our county and there have been recent seizures of this very dangerous substance. The office responds to over 600 overdoses a year and there were 40 deaths as a result in St. Johns County. Clerk of the Court Report Under the Clerk of the Court, the Tax Collector reported that the office is $6 million ahead of what was collected last year. Since 1988, St. Johns County was one of the early counties to opt for the local option for tax collections rather than first sending the tax revenue to the state and then wait for the state agency to return its share to the county. Agenda Items Denied & Tabled Elkton Industrial Park was voted down 4-1 (Dean). The park of 92 acres of agriculture land located at SR 207 and CR 305 in the Elkton area was proposed for 1.2 million square feet of warehouses. Adler Creek PUD was denied by 4-0 vote (Waldron absent). This property of 734 acres located east of Pacetti Road, south of Staff Road and west of future CR 2209 was proposed for 1,682 residential homes. The presenter for Pacetti Homestead Property of 25 acres with 3 units per acre asked that the proposal be tabled (5-0) for a future date because of the rejection of the Adler Creek development nearby. Agenda Item Approved The Quadrant which is located at the southwest corner of I-95/SR 207 interchange was approved (5-0) for 1.35 million square feet of mixed-use development. The site is being promoted for a 300-room hotel, a hospital, medical and general office space and retail space. Other Agenda Items The first of two hearings for the Greenbriar Helow Development Agreement for transportation mitigation was heard with the second hearing in October. Greenbriar Helow in the northwest sector of the county is a very large development of 3,500 homes and 2.5 million square feet of retail, office and light industrial space. Reappointed to the Northwest Communications Tower Advisory Board are David Levy and George Vance, The Board directed staff to draft amendments to the St. Johns County Land Development Code to include Veterinary Services in the Office & Professional Use Classification. If the one-cent sales tax increase for infrastructure is approved in November, the Board asked staff to draft the formation of a Sales Tax Advisory Committee to advise the Board on funding of infrastructure projects after conducting public meetings throughout the county. Commissioner’s Reports Mr. Waldron thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers and hopes to be back soon. Ms. Arnold asked the Board to add the affordable housing project, Villages of West Augustine, to the next agenda to consider county assistance to meet the gap in construction costs for the 92 units. As Chairman, Mr. Dean conducts a performance review of the County Administrator and General Counsel and has approved a 3% plus $1.50 an hour increase (like the rest of the county employees) and commended the two individuals for their good work for the county. ______________________________________________________________ 2nd and Last Special Public Hearing on the County Budget The board held the second and final hearing on the budget for the next fiscal year. We have reported previously on budget details, so this is just a general overview. The high growth in St. Johns County has increased taxable value by 17.8% over last year. However, the State of Florida has a homestead exemption for residential homes which consists of 59% of total residences in St. Johns County and shelters these homeowners to an increase of around 3%. The final aggregate millage of 6.8266% was approved by a 4-1 vote (Waldron). The final FY 2023 budget of $1,550,104,053 was approved by 5-0 vote. ______________________________________________________________ Roundtable Submits Comments on Elkton Industrial Proposal Highlights Need for an Updated County Vision Roundtable Vice Chair and Treasurer, Lisa McGlynn submitted comments today in opposition to the Elkton Industrial proposal. One of her main points was related to the need for an updated County vision plan. “The Roundtable has been asking, advocating, suggesting and maybe now more forcefully pointing out (I’m trying to be polite to not say demanding) that we need a new long- term plan – A Vision for the Future of our County. The southwest part of the county should not be developed in a hodgepodge or piece meal fashion without a master plan. We are being asked to pay for the lack of adequate planning and the shortfall in infrastructure with a sales tax increase. How can we in good conscience move forward with opening up the southwest part of the county to development without a well thought infrastructure plan. The Roundtable stands ready to assist with a visioning process and the next growth management workshop. I would like to again submit our smart grow suggestions for the record.” Click here to read the Roundtable Suggestions for Smart Growth Editor’s Note: Correction In previous stories about the Elkton Industrial proposal, a map of the area was included in the newsletter. Today, during the proceedings, Mr. Chris Shee, the developer, pointed out that the Roundtable inaccurately portrayed the location of St. Ambrose Church on the published map. We wish to acknowledge our mistake and apologize to Mr. Shee. We do our best to get it right, and when we don’t, we admit our mistake and apologize. ___ |
| Upcoming Election Dates Deadline to Register: October 11, 2022 General Election: November 8, 2022 |
Upcoming Meetings October 10 County Commission Chairman Henry Dean |
