Volunteers have rescued 31,000 American flags across St. Johns County since 2019, the county announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The milestone belongs to the American Flag Rescue Program, which collects flags from more than 40 drop-off sites at government offices, libraries, local businesses and community organizations. Volunteers Viki and Mike Cofone picked up the 31,000th flag in September from a collection box at the St. Johns County Tax Collector's Office in St. Augustine.

"This milestone reflects the care our residents have for the American flag and the commitment of the volunteers and community partners who make this program possible," said Chris Benjamin, the program's founder and a member of the St. Johns County Solid Waste Division. "Every flag collected is an opportunity to ensure it is treated with honor and respect."

Benjamin started the program in 2019 to give residents a respectful way to retire American flags.

Local drop-off on Flora Branch Road

Residents in the St. Johns area can bring flags to the Tax Collector's office at 725 Flora Branch Road. Three other Tax Collector locations also host collection boxes:

  • 4030 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine (main office)
  • 6670 U.S. 1 South, St. Augustine (southeast office)
  • 151 Sawgrass Corners Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach

All four offices are overseen by Tax Collector Jennifer Ravan. To mark the milestone, the program presented a framed, rescued 48-star American flag to the St. Augustine annex for public display in recognition of Ravan and her staff's support.

Volunteers like the Cofones keep the program running by picking up flags from participating sites across the county.

A full list of collection locations and program details is available at sjcfl.us/outreach. Residents with questions can reach the St. Johns County Solid Waste Division at 904-827-6980.