ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Board of Commissioners recently approved a new combined facility for St. Johns County Fire Rescue and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. The $14.5 million facility will be located in the fast-growing SilverLeaf development and will be staffed with full-time personnel.
The project is set to begin with early clearing in spring 2025, with construction scheduled to commence in fall 2025. Completion is expected by the end of 2026. The 20,000-square-foot facility, located at 7885 Saint Johns Parkway, will feature living quarters for 13 full-time fire rescue staff and will act as a Regional Operations Center for the sheriff’s office. The location was chosen to support growing call volume and help lower insurance costs for area homeowners.
Station 22 is the latest addition in the SilverLeaf area, highlighting the region’s growth. Resident Arun Natrajan, who has lived in SilverLeaf for four years, shared his thoughts on what it’s like to live in St. Johns County.
“Quality of life. It’s cool and peace of mind,” Natrajan said.
With the new facility, emergency services will be more accessible to residents. “So they’re gonna have us 24/7, just like a normal fire station,” said Chris Naff, Public Information Officer for St. Johns Fire Rescue.
Naff also noted the significance of the facility in relation to ongoing regional development. “With the First Coast Expressway coming through as they’re currently building, that all the way from the Clay County side all the way to 95, we’re just going to see explosive growth in that area. So this allows us to put a fire station to relieve some of the other fire stations in the area running calls.”
Natrajan expressed his confidence in the new facility’s impact on safety. “I think it’s safer, like, you don’t have to go further along to see whichever one you need. It’s the fire station nearest to you, the easiest to reach.”
In addition to the new facility, the fire department will add more than 30 new cadets, making it a total of 455 personnel countywide.
