The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners held its regular meeting Monday morning, taking up four rezoning requests, hearing constitutional officer budget presentations, discussing a potential data center moratorium, and fielding public comments on topics ranging from flags on power poles to disposable vapes in the trash.
Constitutional Officers Present Budgets
Clerk of Courts: The Clerk of Courts presented his office’s budget, noting that the office now performs roughly 1,000 statutory duties and has seen demand for its services grow substantially over the past six years. St. Johns County has grown from six judges to nine, requiring additional courtroom staffing. The office receives funding from three sources: state court funds tied to fines and fees collected statewide, county general fund support for non-court services, and fees charged for records and other services. The presentation was also the first for the office’s new summer intern cohort of high school and college students.
Supervisor of Elections: The Supervisor of Elections also presented her budget, noting this is a general election year — which carries higher costs than a primary year — including 13 days of early voting, more ballots, additional poll worker training, and increased postage and software contract costs. A public speaker afterward raised a procedural complaint that public comment was allowed during both constitutional officer presentations, which the speaker said was inconsistent with how a prior meeting was handled when the Sheriff presented. No action was taken on the comment.
Public Comments: Water Pipes, Vapes, Park Delays, and Flags
Water interconnect: Bob, president of a homeowners association along North Shore, asked the commission to approve a 50/50 cost-sharing arrangement to connect their private water system to the county’s North Shore water system — a project approved in a 2025 resolution. The dispute centers on whether the county should waive an administrative fee. The homeowner association argued that because the county receives emergency water access benefits from the connection year-round, while their system can only receive that benefit during December, January, and February, there is clear public benefit justifying the fee waiver. A county utility staff member countered that the administrative fee covers real project management costs and that waiving it doesn’t meet the standard of public benefit. Two versions of the addendum were presented, and the item was on the consent agenda.
Disposable vapes: Regular commenter Tom Reynolds again raised his concern about disposable vapes, e-cigarettes, and lighters going into the trash. He estimated 40,000 such items are discarded in the county every two weeks, each containing a lithium battery, plastic, and residual chemicals. He has previously submitted a model AI-drafted ordinance on the issue and called on commissioners to assign staff to draft something formal.
Parks on hold: A resident from an area near a planned community park said residents were told construction had begun — the land has been partially cleared and a fence installed — but that work is now on hold. He asked whether parks with already-approved and available funding should still be paused due to general budget uncertainty over the property tax reform proposals on the November ballot.
American flags on power poles for the 250th: Diane Wilson of County Road 13 asked the commission for help — or at least direction — on placing approximately 120 American flags on power poles along a seven-mile stretch of County Road 13 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. She said the community is willing to cover all costs and handle all installation and removal. Commissioner Arnold asked for consensus to direct public works staff to contact Wilson and help make the display happen safely. The board agreed, and Wilson was asked to leave her contact information.
Property tax reform: One public speaker urged commissioners and residents to vote yes on the proposed homestead property tax reform amendment in November and pushed back on what he characterized as scare tactics from government employees and county lobbying groups. He did not provide additional budget impact analysis.
Rezoning Requests: All Four Approved
Old Moultrie Road (5-0): A straightforward rezoning of a single parcel on Old Moultrie Road from Open Rural to RS-3 single-family residential, to align it with all surrounding properties on Fox Hollow Lane. The applicant plans to subdivide the roughly one-acre lot into two single-family home sites. Passed 5-0.
Ashford Mills PUD / Shearwater (5-0): A major modification to one parcel within the Ashford Mills PUD — better known locally as Shearwater — to allow two commercial buildings on a 2.3-acre site at the SR-210 and Shearwater intersection. The applicant, who also owns an adjacent commercial parcel, asked for two waivers: a reduced development edge buffer from 20 feet to 10 feet along the shared boundary (creating a combined 30-foot separation between the two commercial parcels), and a sidewalk within the PUD buffer to allow safe rear exit from the buildings. A traffic study found the proposed internal connection between the two parcels would actually reduce northbound right-turn traffic at the intersection by 44 trips in the morning peak and 37 trips in the afternoon — because Shearwater residents could reach the preschool there without going out onto SR-210. Over 26 letters of support were submitted from nearby residents. Passed 5-0.
Gulfway Center / International Golf Parkway (4-1): This was the meeting’s most closely watched item. The site is a 7.4-acre parcel at the northwest quadrant of I-95 and International Golf Parkway, surrounded by approximately 5,498 residents in nearby developments. It is the last remaining undeveloped parcel in that quadrant. The applicant is requesting two modifications to its previously approved nonresidential PUD — originally approved in 1997 — to allow a gas station/convenience store, restaurant, or retail uses on the northern portion of the site, while preserving the southern wetland portion. Public comment drew the most speakers of any item at the meeting. Several residents of the adjacent Murabella community expressed concern about traffic on Murabella Parkway and whether commercial traffic would cut through the neighborhood. The applicant’s traffic engineer confirmed that the volume of new traffic would likely be below threshold levels requiring formal mitigation under state law. After a lengthy discussion, the commission voted 4-1 to approve.
State Road 16 / Commercial Intensive Rezoning (4-1): An 8-acre parcel on the south side of State Road 16, just east of I-95, was rezoned from Open Rural to Commercial Intensive — matching the zoning on surrounding parcels that have been approved by the commission over the past 20 years. More than 3 acres of the site are preserved wetlands and will not be developed. The applicant agreed to expand the required 20-foot buffer to 40 feet on the southern boundary adjacent to existing residential properties. A connection from Green Acres Road to Harvest Lane would be added, allowing nearby residents to reach a signalized intersection rather than making a difficult left turn directly onto SR-16. The Planning and Zoning Agency recommended approval 5-1. The commission voted 4-1 to approve.
Data Centers: Moratorium Discussion, No Vote Yet
Near the end of the meeting, Commissioner Whitehurst asked for a status update on a comprehensive staff report on data centers — including their water use, energy consumption, environmental impacts, and potential economic benefits — that he had requested roughly a month prior. Staff confirmed the report is still being compiled.
Whitehurst noted that Nassau County has been doing extensive research on data centers and is holding public town halls on the topic, suggesting St. Johns County staff utilize that work. He also told the board that contacts at Florida Power and Light told him directly that the county does not have the electrical transmission infrastructure to support a data center and likely won’t for at least 20 years.
“I don’t know of anybody that has applied for a data center in Saint Johns County. I don’t know of anybody that ever intends to apply for a data center in Saint Johns County,” Whitehurst said. He added that he was aware of reports suggesting foreign-funded misinformation campaigns have been targeting data center opposition efforts in the U.S. “I just want to make sure that whatever we do with data centers comes out of whatever conversations we are having on data centers — it’s based in fact and not in fear,” he said.
When another commissioner asked about passing a moratorium, county legal staff noted that a moratorium could be complicated by SB 180, which restricts local moratoriums on construction, and that any moratorium would need to be publicly noticed and brought back for a formal public hearing. The commission reached consensus to direct the county attorney to develop a path forward for a potential moratorium and bring it back for a public hearing — with the full staff report on data centers to be delivered before the next meeting.
Fourth of July Holiday for County Employees
In closing, Chair Murphy noted that Governor DeSantis has authorized state employees to have Thursday, Friday, and Monday off around the July 4th weekend in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. The commission reached consensus to extend the same holiday schedule to St. Johns County employees. Staff confirmed that shift-based employees such as firefighters would be covered under their own schedule equivalents.
This article is based on the official St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners meeting transcript from June 16, 2026. The transcript was compiled from uncorrected closed captioning and some words may have been transcribed imprecisely.
