Drew Dixon
One of the fastest-growing counties in Florida is facing a proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, designed to fund enhanced services that support its growth.
St. Johns County Commissioners now have a $1.27-billion spending plan for the next year to consider before the fiscal year goes into effect Oct. 1. Hundreds of millions of dollars in that spending proposal will go to pay for services that are increasing as a result of that rapid growth in the Northeast Florida county that is home to tourist-rich areas such as St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach.
About 13% of the county’s total proposed spending plan for next year is, for the moment, earmarked for capital improvement projects. That accounts for $169 million, which would pay for the construction of new parks, fire stations, roads, and 64 new employees to provide services to taxpayers, as well as expansion of operations. Another $25 million is set to cover costs for emergency response reserves, according to a St. Johns County news release.
St. Johns County staff members preparing the spending plan are calling for a slight decrease in the property tax rate, with the resulting revenues allocated to the general fund. At the same time, the same slight increase in property taxes would be used to fund the fire district, covering the additional services and facilities required for those functions.
St. Johns County has experienced explosive population growth for more than a decade. According to a county economic development report published last year, St. Johns had a population of 278,722 people as of 2022.
While that’s far from being one of the most populated counties in the state, the growth is staggering compared to other areas of Florida. The report stated that the St. Johns population increased by 47% between 2010 and 2022.
That growth is also bringing affluence to the county, which is largely considered a commuter area feeding into the Duval County and Jacksonville area to the north. The median household income is now about $100,000 and the median sales price of a single-family home in St. Johns County has skyrocketed to $577,750, the highest value among all six counties in the First Coast region, according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
Some of the key elements in the proposed spending plan directly related to growth include new water treatment facilities, additional courtrooms at the St. Johns County Courthouse, road improvements, and 33 new firefighter jobs, as well as 18 new workers for the St. Johns County Public Library system.
Budget hearings for residents are scheduled for Sept. 3 and Sept. 16 at the St. Johns County Administration Complex, located on San Sebastian View.
