Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns studies beach trolley to lower restoration costs
St. Johns County is exploring a beach trolley along South Ponte Vedra and Vilano Beach that could lower the county's cost share on a long-term Army Corps of Engineers coastal restoration project. A public input meeting is set for Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns County early voting opens Oct. 21 at 10 sites
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs Oct. 21–31 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 10 locations across St. Johns County, with voter registration closing Oct. 5.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns County drought restrictions hold with no end date set
Phase III water restrictions remain in effect across St. Johns County as the region faces its worst drought since 2000, and the St. Johns River Water Management District says the aquifer needs roughly 30 more inches of rain over three months to recover.
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Local Government
View MoreNew fire station in Flagler Estates begins emergency calls
St. Johns County Fire Rescue's new Fire Station 21 in Flagler Estates began running emergency calls Sunday, Sept. 13, bringing dedicated fire and rescue service to a rural area where response times previously averaged 15 to 20 minutes.
Local Government
View MoreSR-16/SR-13 intersection closes for Shands Bridge beam deliveries
FDOT will close the SR-16 and SR-13 intersection intermittently between noon and 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, through Friday, Sept. 18, as crews deliver large concrete bridge beams for the $595 million First Coast Expressway Shands Bridge project.
Local Government
View MoreDurbin Park proposal swaps 745 apartments for 330 houses
A proposed major modification to the Durbin Park Planned Unit Development would add up to 330 single-family homes east of I-95 while cutting the maximum multi-family units from 2,265 to 1,520, with a Planning and Zoning Agency hearing set for Thursday, Sept. 17.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns sheriff ramps up school zone patrols
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has launched a school bus safety enforcement operation about a month into the school year, increasing deputy patrols around school zones to target speeding and distracted driving near students.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns County opens one-stop Public Service Center
St. Johns County's new Public Service Center at 4040 Lewis Speedway consolidates county permitting and Clerk of Court services, eliminating multi-stop trips for residents and contractors filing deeds, permits, marriage licenses and passport applications.
Local Government
View MoreAll five fake voter guide defendants seek dismissal of charges
All five defendants in the St. Johns County fake Republican voter guide case, including sitting Commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Sarah Arnold, have filed motions to dismiss their charges, with Whitehurst's attorneys arguing the local GOP's symbols weren't formally filed with the state until nearly a year after the guides were distributed.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns County gains $4.54 billion in income from newcomers
St. Johns County gained $4.54 billion in net annual income from newcomers between 2019 and 2023, according to a Miami Association of Realtors analysis of IRS data, but the influx is intensifying affordability pressures in a county where the median home price hit $546,500 in January 2026.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns may halve alcohol buffer near churches
St. Johns County planners discussed reducing the 40-year-old, 1,000-foot alcohol buffer near churches and schools to as little as 500 feet at an Aug. 20 workshop, drawing fiery opposition from a Baptist preacher nearly removed from the meeting.
Local Government
View MoreSt. Johns certifies 1,166 acres for 15,000 homes in 3-2 vote
St. Johns County commissioners voted 3-2 at an Aug. 19 special meeting to certify Heritage East and Heritage West as agricultural enclaves under SB 686, opening roughly 1,166 acres of former timberland near I-95 and SR 207 to as many as 15,000 homes that will bypass traditional public approval.
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©2026 St. Johns Record
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©2026 St. Johns Record
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