Protect the Future of St. Johns County

St. Johns County is facing one of the most significant land-use decisions in its history.

The proposed Enclave development is not simply another neighborhood. It seeks Agricultural Enclave Certification, an expedited process that could allow a major development to move forward before many of the most important questions have been fully answered.

This petition is not about opposing growth. Growth is inevitable, and when it is responsibly planned, it can strengthen a community.

This petition is about ensuring that growth is transparent, accountable, and supported by infrastructure before irreversible decisions are made.

Residents deserve to know how this proposal will affect traffic, schools, emergency services, flooding, water resources, wildlife habitat, and quality of life before development rights are expanded—not afterward.

St. Johns County has spent decades becoming one of Florida’s most desirable places to live. Decisions of this magnitude should be made carefully, openly, and with meaningful public participation.

Why We Are Asking the County to Slow Down

1. This proposal deserves a full public review before expedited approval.

 

Agricultural Enclave Certification is a significant decision that could shape thousands of acres for generations.

Before moving forward, residents believe the county should have complete information available, including detailed traffic analyses, infrastructure planning, conservation strategies, stormwater management, emergency service impacts, school capacity, and enforceable public commitments.

The public should have the opportunity to review these details before major development rights are granted.

2. The long-term impacts could be enormous.

 

The application includes more than 4,400 acres, making it one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts in northern St. Johns County.

Even at approximately one home per gross acre, the project could ultimately accommodate thousands of homes and many thousands of additional residents.

That means substantially more vehicles on roads that are already heavily traveled, increased demand for schools, utilities, emergency services, parks, and other public infrastructure.

The scale alone warrants extraordinary public scrutiny.

3. Our roads are already under significant pressure.

 

Residents experience congestion every day.

Traffic regularly affects:

• Nocatee Parkway

• U.S. Highway 1

• Palm Valley Road

• Race Track Road

• Access to A1A and the beaches

• Davis Park during youth sporting events

Adding thousands of additional homes without first ensuring that transportation infrastructure can safely accommodate future demand could significantly increase travel times throughout northern St. Johns County.

Traffic is more than an inconvenience.

It affects emergency response times, hurricane evacuations, school transportation, local businesses, and families trying to get to work, school, sporting events, and home.

4. Infrastructure should come before growth—not after it.

 

Responsible growth requires roads, schools, utilities, drainage systems, emergency services, and parks to keep pace with development.

Residents should not be asked to assume these needs will eventually be addressed.

Major public infrastructure commitments should be clearly identified, adequately funded, and legally enforceable before expedited approval is granted.

5. Once open space is lost, it is gone forever.

 

Large undeveloped areas provide important wildlife habitat, natural flood storage, groundwater recharge, and ecological connections that become increasingly valuable as surrounding development continues.

These lands also help support the resilience of our community during heavy rainfall and major storm events.

Once they are fragmented or developed, these natural functions cannot easily be restored.

6. Residents deserve transparency.

 

Before approving a project of this magnitude, residents believe all statutory requirements should be independently verified and all supporting studies should be made available for meaningful public review.

Questions about agricultural eligibility, traffic impacts, environmental impacts, infrastructure capacity, and long-term public costs deserve careful evaluation through an open and transparent process.

Public confidence depends on complete information—not assumptions.

7. Responsible growth protects future generations.

 

This decision is about far more than today’s traffic.

It will shape St. Johns County for decades.

Future residents will live with the roads we build, the schools we fund, the neighborhoods we create, the natural resources we preserve, and the quality of life we leave behind.

Growth should occur thoughtfully—not simply because it can.

Our Request

 

We respectfully ask the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners to deny or postpone Agricultural Enclave Certification until:

• All required studies have been completed and released to the public.

• Traffic impacts have been fully evaluated.

• Infrastructure capacity has been independently reviewed.

• Emergency services, school capacity, drainage, flooding, and environmental impacts have been thoroughly analyzed.

• Conservation commitments have been clearly defined.

• Residents have had a meaningful opportunity to review the information and participate in the decision-making process.

Please Stand With Us

 

This petition is not anti-growth.

It is pro-responsible growth.

It is pro-transparency.

It is pro-accountability.

It is pro-public participation.

St. Johns County deserves development that respects existing residents while planning responsibly for future generations.

If you believe growth should be supported by adequate infrastructure, careful planning, and meaningful public input, please sign this petition and share it with your family, friends, neighbors, and community organizations.

Together, we can encourage thoughtful decisions that protect the character, safety, environment, and quality of life that make St. Johns County one of the best places to call home.