St. Johns County presents 2024 legislative priorities to county’s delegation

By Michelle Vecerina

Published Oct. 18, 2023, 1:46 p.m. ET | Updated Oct. 18, 2023

St. Johns County and local officials at Legislative Delegation meeting in St. Johns County, Fla., Oct. 13, 2023. (Photo/St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners)

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County recently presented their 2024 legislative priorities to the county’s legislative delegation.

The county hosted their annual Legislative Delegation meeting Friday. Delegation members including Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, Rep. Cyndi Stevenson, R-St. Johns County, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, heard public testimony on legislative issues, appropriations, and local bills.

St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners Vice Chair Sarah Arnold presented the County’s 2024 legislative priorities during the meeting.

“This year, our funding priorities include capital improvement projects that will enhance transportation connectivity, emergency response capacity, and coastal protection,” Arnold said.

“With our Delegation’s assistance, we have achieved long-term benefits, not only for the residents of St. Johns County but for the region as a whole. We are very grateful for the hard work of our Delegation in bringing much-needed resources to our community,” Arnold continued.

The St. Johns County 2024 Legislative Action Plan, which the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved at the Sept. 19 regular meeting, requests more than $69 million in state appropriations for the following local projects:

State Road 16: to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety.
County Road 2209: to complete the central segment of this critical road corridor.
Central Public Safety Station: to provide additional emergency response capacity.
Regional Fire Training Facility: to address the emergency responder workforce shortage.
Porpoise Point Stabilization: to reduce persistent flooding and protect a federal navigation channel.
South Ponte Vedra Beach: to protect property and infrastructure from further erosion.
Genovar Park: to design and construct recreation enhancements, including a regional boat ramp.

The 2024 Legislative Action Plan also requests the legislature address critical statewide or regional priorities, including:

Removing outdated requirements that raise the cost of school construction or inhibit investment in new school construction.
Identifying historic farming communities and providing pathways to conserve working lands and encourage public infrastructure investment.
Facilitating the restoration of the Matanzas River Estuarine Ecosystem in St. Johns and Flagler Counties.

St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick presented the priorities of the sheriff’s office and said the sheriff’s office “looks forward” to working with the legislative delegation to obtain funding for the Central Public Safety Station, which he said includes a backup communications center, also known as a Public Safety Answering Point.

“This Safety Station and PSAP will be a vital addition to our combined infrastructure needs with St. Johns County Fire Rescue and further our mission of providing first-class customer service to our citizens and visitors,” Hardwick said.