ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County is one of Florida’s fastest-growing counties, with many residential and commercial development projects underway.
The pandemic didn’t slow down that growth either. County leaders say it’s up to the commission to make sure the infrastructure keeps pace with the new neighborhoods and shopping centers.
“It tells me that we need to be very, very prudent and cautious as we go forward as a commission to make sure that we have sufficient infrastructure, -- starting with roads, schools, and then things like police protection, fire protection, libraries, parks, -- to try to maintain, if we can, the same quality of life that is drawing people here from all over the country,” Dean said.
.@StJohnsCounty is one of the fastest-growing counties in #Florida.
— Joe McLean (@JoeMcLeanNews) December 31, 2021
Between 2010 and 2020, its population swelled by 43%. A county commissioner tells me, with great growth, comes great responsibility.
Story at 5:30 p.m. on @wjxt4 #News4JAX. pic.twitter.com/YMbdBx7Ech
The county’s government hosts an online, interactive map that allows citizens to keep track of the ongoing development projects -- both residential and non-residential -- and see what percentage of work has been done on them.
Planned Unit Development (PUD) Map
Development Tracker Map
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, St. Johns County’s population grew by 43%, the second-biggest increase of the state’s 67 counties.
In a typical month, the county issues around 300-350 building permits for single-family homes. Between June 2020 and June 2021, that monthly average swelled to around 500 issued permits. In June of 2021, the number of permits reached a record of more than 800 issued.
Dean said a large driver of the migration to St. Johns County is the school district, which has consistently ranked highest in the state. To keep pace with the county’s growth, the school district is planning to build 19 new schools over the next 20 years.
The school district is what motivated Wade Krause’s daughter to move to St. Johns County last August.
“They love it here,” Krause said. “The schools are been great for the kids and, of course, the weather’s pretty tough to beat.”
On January 25, St. Johns County commissioners will host a growth management conference/workshop for members of the public to weigh in on the county’s plan.