St. Johns County residents have two chances to speak up before commissioners lock in property tax rates and a proposed $1.46 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will hold public hearings Thursday, Sept. 3, and Tuesday, Sept. 15, both at 5:01 p.m. in the County Auditorium at the St. Johns County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, according to the county's budget hearings page.

The hearings are the final step before adoption. Commissioners can lower the proposed millage rates at either session but cannot raise them above the ceiling set July 21.

What's on the table

The Jax Daily Record reported July 22 that commissioners proposed a $1.46 billion Fiscal Year 2027 budget with flat millage rates, approved on a split vote. The specific vote breakdown has not been made public in available records.

That figure covers the full county budget. At a May 2026 budget workshop, county staff described the Board of County Commissioners' portion alone as "a little more than a billion" spread across 85 funds, not counting Constitutional Officers or carry-forwards.

The county's current five commissioners are Chair Clay Murphy, District 3; Vice-Chair Ann Taylor, District 5; Christian Whitehurst, District 1; Sarah Arnold, District 2; and Krista Joseph, District 4. County Administrator Joy Andrews oversees the budget process.

Property tax backdrop

The Fiscal Year 2027 budget comes with an unusual backdrop. A DeSantis-backed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot, CS/HJR 1F, could cut county property tax revenue by an estimated $113 million by 2029, according to county officials. Andrews called the potential impact "revolutionary" or "catastrophic" at a July 13 commission meeting, according to St. Johns Community.

For comparison, commissioners unanimously approved a $1.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which included the county's first property tax reduction since Fiscal Year 2021, according to county records. That budget allocated $383 million from property tax revenue.

How to participate

Residents can attend either hearing in person or watch via the county's GovTV, Facebook and YouTube channels. Budget materials and recordings of earlier workshops are available at sjcfl.us/2027-budget.

The final hearing Sept. 15 is the last opportunity for public comment before the board adopts the budget and millage rates that take effect Thursday, Oct. 1.