Drew Dixon
St. Johns County officials say an anti-vandalism program designed to protect public parks has prevented many incidents since it was launched in March 2024.
In the first year the “Enjoy, Don’t Destroy” program was enacted, St. Johns County officials say they’ve prevented “tens of thousands of dollars in vandalism-related expenses,” according to a county news release this week.
While the effort hasn’t completely eradicated malcontents from besmirching public parks, it’s reduced costs to the county. Officials say in the first year of Enjoy, Don’t Destroy, the county has spent about $18,093 on repairs to vandalism at local parks. That’s a 60% reduction from the previous year.
“When the County doesn’t have to spend time and resources cleaning up after vandals, that means more money for new park projects and amenities,” said St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick. “Let’s continue to watch out for and report vandals and any vandalism they do.”
The effort was initiated after there were some 250 vandalism incidents at St. Johns County parks in 2023. In that year alone, the county spent $63,403 on repairing the damage. Officials spent nearly another $11,000 in the early part of 2024 before the Enjoy, Don’t Destroy program was launched.
In addition to the work from the St. Johns County Parks and Recreation employees to repair the damage, many incidents involve local law enforcement investigations that run up the bill even more for county taxpayers. In 2023, there were 30 law enforcement reports filed in response to vandalism incidents at parks.
One element that has helped the Enjoy, Don’t Destroy campaign is a mobile application developed by the county. Residents can directly report vandalism incidents on the SJC Connect app. There’s also a non-emergency phone number (904-824-8304) that connects residents to the Sheriff’s Office to file reports.
