Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in St. Johns County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
34 issues in zoning
Swimming pool lot-coverage allowance for small lots
Two homeowners asked to build pools five feet from their rear property lines instead of the required ten. Both won — one unanimously, one 5-1 — with members pressing whether financial motivations like resale value satisfy the legal hardship standard.
Private Helicopter Landing Site in Ashton Oaks Equestrian Community
Denied. A disabled Army veteran wanted to keep landing his helicopter on his 17-acre lot while waiting years for airport hangar space, but 19 of 27 households signed a petition against it, citing spooked horses, jet fuel fire risk near homes, insurance liability, and the community's equestrian character. The case also heads back to code enforcement.
Port St. John 10-Foot Fence Approval
A 24-home gated community squeezed between a biker bar/mobile home park and a 20-acre rural parcel won the right to 10-foot fences after years of noise, illegal dumping, U-Haul storage, and debris complaints. The catch: it must be built as one engineered phase within two years, north side only. The south boundary — bordering a retired couple's wooded 20 acres — got no relief because the board found no hardship there.
3025 Old Moultrie Road Rezone
Nearly 10 acres at Kings Estate and Old Moultrie roads — a trash-strewn homeless encampment for two decades — is headed toward commercial intensive zoning for storage and flex-industrial uses. Neighbors including a cemetery and daycare owner support it; conditions ban vape shops and Live Local density.
Pavilion rear setback variance at 228 Gnarled Oaks Drive
A homeowner needed relief from the 40-foot rear setback to cover his outdoor kitchen with a pavilion on a shallow, narrow lot near A1A. The board found the cul-de-sac lot's shape justified the hardship and approved it.
PVZAB membership vacancies and appointments
The board had two empty seats; two Ponte Vedra Beach volunteers were recommended to the County Commission. Chip Greene is stepping down and John Patton will serve until the board is full again.
Cell tower siting in Open Rural districts
Two towers, two outcomes: the 199-foot Colee Cove monopole was approved 3-2 despite a PZA denial recommendation, while the board unanimously denied the 180-foot St. Thomas Island Parkway tower after hearing neighbors' compatibility concerns.
Fruit Cove Baptist commercial rezoning and neighborhood concerns
Neighbors of 'the Patch' pasture opposed the 9.5-acre commercial rezoning, citing short notice, wildlife including bald eagles, and traffic on two-lane CR 16A. The board approved unanimously after the applicant detailed prohibited uses and buffers.
Charles Street garage variance denied again
Third denial of a four-foot setback for a two-story garage on a narrow lot; neighbors called it self-imposed hardship out of character with the historic one-lane beach neighborhood.
Setback relief for residential additions
Five homeowner variance cases tested setback, fence-height and accessory-unit rules in St. Johns County neighborhoods — from a staircase five feet from a property line to a pool on a through lot and an oversized accessory apartment.
NFS Ranch event venue
A 40-acre recording retreat wants to host up to 15 paid events a year. Neighbors fear noise, light pollution, drunk drivers and truck-size traffic on a two-lane road with no shoulders.
St. Johns Commons Commercial rezone
A 9.16-acre rezone to Commercial General was recommended after a prior 20.87-acre land donation to the water management district won neighborhood support.
Shoppes at Mill Creek Forest retail conversion
A traffic-neutral swap of 120,000 square feet of office entitlement for 41,500 square feet of retail in the northwest sector was recommended for approval.
Water Plant Road borrow pit access
Sims Trucking needs road access to a landlocked borrow pit, and Water Plant Road — a narrow dead-end residential road with school children at bus stops — is the only option. Residents overwhelmingly opposed 200 daily truck trips.
Atlantic View setback variance
A homeowner needs a small variance — 23 feet instead of 25 — to cover an existing third-floor deck with an aluminum patio cover at 5349 Atlantic View.
Manufactured homes in single-family zones
Staff told the board that starting January 1, 2027, state law allows manufactured homes in every residential zoning district, ending local special-use reviews for them. Members had mixed feelings.
Elevation Pointe PUD signage variances (Chase Bank and Circle K)
Two businesses along State Road 16 want more wall signs than the Elevation Pointe Planned Unit Development allows. The cases test how flexible the county will be with sign rules in a master-planned commercial center.
Replacement mobile home at 198 Aiken Street
A property owner wants to replace a dilapidated 1980 mobile home with a newer used model on a small non-conforming lot near West King Street. It's about keeping an existing residence livable while matching the mixed mobile-home and single-family character of the area.
Deck variance at 103 Sandcastle Lane
Homeowners on a 0.09-acre townhome lot in Ponte Vedra Shores West want to build a deck just 2 feet from the side property line, far below normal setback and lot-size rules. It's a common Coastal-lot squeeze between homeowner plans and neighborhood spacing standards.
Fight against Florida Senate Bill 686
Tallahassee's new laws — including rural agricultural enclave provisions — are forcing growth management staff to redo work, delaying the comprehensive plan cycle and shifting the county's role toward negotiating mitigation on developments it can no longer block.
Alcohol-distance rules keep coming up case by case
The county's 40-year-old 1,000-foot buffer between alcohol sales and churches/schools may change. Members lean toward changing how distance is measured, adding daycares, and fixing a gap that left liquor stores and bars with no legal variance path.
Shofner Property Land Use Change
A family wants one house allowed on 16 acres off CR 208, but neighbor Tom Bell alleges the owners granted themselves an illegal access easement across his land. The county attorney steered the board to decide land use only, leaving the easement fight to civil court.
A1A South residential setback variances
The third in a row of similar variances letting a homeowner put a pool 10 feet from an unopened right-of-way; approved 6-1.
110 Overlook Drive stairway setback variance
A homeowner built exterior stairs within about 20 inches of the side property line without a permit, originally for Airbnb access. The board denied the variance, so the stairs will likely have to come down unless the owners appeal to the County Commission.
St. Augustine Airport East rezone
The St. Augustine Airport wants 23 acres rezoned for a phased hangar development near Gun Club Road, backed by state and federal grants. Neighbors' main concerns were drainage impacts on Redfish Creek and Canopy Hall Drive, which staff said would be mitigated.
Daily's Place gas station at 600 State Road 13 N
Dozens of Fruit Cove residents turned out to oppose a 24/7 gas station/convenience store/car wash next to their well-water neighborhood, citing traffic on the lone neighborhood entrance, safety at the school bus stop, well contamination risk, and property values. The PZA unanimously recommended denial; the applicant warns the already-approved 52,100 sq ft retail/office project could be built instead.
Aspinwall accessory family unit variance denial
A family wanted a 600 sq ft pool house 10 feet off A1A on a narrow through lot; the board said the hardship was self-created. Neighbors raised flooding, sight-line and privacy worries.
Administrative rezoning of county utility parcels
The county accepted Merrell Bros.' unsolicited proposal for an indoor, solar-thermal biosolids facility intended to end the odor problems plaguing Morgan's Cove residents near the open-air Indian Head Biomass site. Expect roughly $37 million in county capital costs (the consultant estimated over $54 million) funded through the utilities bond, with a competitive procurement to follow.
Sinclair Lewis house at 177 Surfside Avenue
The 4-1 rezoning lets three Vilano Beach lots become single-family homes — on the site of the house where Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis once stayed. Preservationists called it a demolition request; the applicants say demolition isn't the intent and a 14-page cultural resources review still applies.
Front yard setback variance at 507 Third Street
A builder asked for a variance to build a single-family home with a 15-foot front setback instead of the required 25 feet.
Mobile home special use permit in West Augustine
A homeowner sought a special use permit to place a manufactured/mobile home in an RS-3 single-family zone at 1015 West 15th Street.
203 Canal Boulevard Variance Appeal
A homeowner appealed the Planning and Zoning Agency's unanimous denial of a variance to let an accessory structure's eave stand taller than the main house at 203 Canal Boulevard.
Setback variances for 560 Ponte Vedra Boulevard
A homeowner on one of the street's narrow 70-foot lots sought to build closer to property lines than the rules allow, arguing the block's unique 69-foot front setback plus the narrow width makes the lot nearly unbuildable to neighborhood standards. Neighbors said the lot is no different from two dozen others and granting relief would erode the spacing that defines Ponte Vedra Blvd.
Alcohol service near Hastings churches
Main Street Pizza wanted to serve beer and wine with meals just 25 feet from First Baptist Church. Churches appealed the PZA's approval, and commissioners unanimously sided with the churches.