ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County held a meeting Wednesday to set plans for the county’s future and give residents a chance to share their vision for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
The county has already received 1,000 survey responses from residents.
“The reason that I ran for commission and I’m serving on the commission is I care about this county. I care about the future of this county and our children and grandchildren, and to have the interest and the excitement that these people generate, to help plan the future,” St. Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean said.
During the meeting, residents got a short presentation for the comprehensive and strategic plan, then they were able to walk around and share their concerns and interact with consultants and county staff.
Nicole Crosby attended the meeting with hopes that the growth in the county could slow down a bit.
“We are the fastest-growing county in the state. We don’t have to be number one on that. And I’d like to see more preservation of our natural lands, and just not paving it over at quite as a rapid rate as we have been,” Crosby said.
Susan Creek lives in West Augustine. She wants development to slow down and for wetlands to be preserved.
“We’ve had it with the overdevelopment. We need to get the developers out of running the county. That’s what I want to see. I want to see our quality of life preserved. I moved here because it’s a beautiful small town, and it’s being ruined,” Creek said.
Survey responses for the comprehensive plan showed concerns with traffic congestion and infrastructure. Dean said they are currently implementing a $500 million capital improvement project to address those issues.
“We are in the process right now of constructing and widening County Road 210. We’re working with the state Department of Transportation to widen State Road 16. We have a lot going on now to address the infrastructure, which really has not been adequately addressed over the last 25 years, to be honest,” Dean said.
Once public feedback is complete, the county will determine what’s important to residents and update the comprehensive and strategic plan early next year.