ANASTASIA ISLAND, Fla. – The HGTV “Dream Home” project in St. Johns County is facing a minor hitch. The developer is asking for permission to build something that’s already been built.
The county’s Planning and Zoning Board plans to sort out the issue Tuesday.
According to information from the county, the developer of the million-dollar “Dream Home” on Anastasia Island has already installed riprap -- which is rock used to protect property in areas with high rates of erosion.
The problem is they didn’t get permission before installing it, so now they need to get approval after the fact.
The house, which has views of the Matanzas River and the St. Augustine Lighthouse, is a three-bedroom, four-bathroom 3,300-square-foot home on Pelican Reef Drive.
It’s described as coastal chic and is a part of HGTV’s 2024 Dream Home Sweepstakes.
Pictures from around the home show the riprap, a range of rocky material placed along shorelines, bridge foundations, steep slopes, and other shoreline structures to protect from scour and erosion.
The city’s staff says the change to the shoreline is beneficial, though it’s unclear how it will impact the future development of the Pelican Reef subdivision.
The issue is expected to be resolved at Tuesday’s 1 p.m. meeting and should not impact the move-in schedule for the sweepstakes winner.
The prize is valued at $2.2 million and includes the home, a new Mercedes-Benz and $100,000 in cash.
To enter, go to HGTV.com, select Sweepstakes in the top navigation and click on the Dream Home category in the drop-down menu. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Feb. 15. You can enter once a day at HGTV.com or FoodNetwork.com.