This rip rap was constructed behind HGTV's Dream Home on Anastasia Island. l St. Augustine Planning and Zoning BoardThis rip rap was constructed behind HGTV's Dream Home on Anastasia Island. l St. Augustine Planning and Zoning Board
This rip rap was constructed behind HGTV's Dream Home on Anastasia Island. | St. Augustine Planning and Zoning Board

Decision delayed on HGTV Dream Home in St. Augustine

Published on March 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
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The drama surrounding HGTV’s Dream Home in St. Augustine has been pushed into April.

St. Augustine’s Planning and Zoning Board decided Tuesday to move the issue to its next meeting, on April 2. The builder, Akerman LLP, had requested the move to have more time to gather information requested by the board at its previous meeting.

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HGTV’s 2024 Dream Home is a contest where people enter for free for a chance to win the three-bedroom, four-bathroom, 3,300-square-foot home on Pelican Reef Drive. The winner gets a fully furnished home, a new Mercedes-Benz car and $100,000 in cash. The contest ended Feb. 15, but a winner has not been announced.

The Planning and Zoning Board on Feb. 6 declined to approve rip rap built on the home without approval. The board requested information from the builders on the plans for the home, communications with other government agencies, environmental reporting and more.

Board members had concerns about how the rip rap — a rocky retaining wall between the house and an adjacent marsh– would affect the surrounding environment and future homes that could be built in the Pelican Reef neighborhood on Anastasia Island.

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The builders told board members there are no major negative effects from the rip rap, but the board said it wanted more information before making a decision.


author image Reporter email Steven Ponson has six years of experience covering news in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. Prior to arriving on the First Coast, Steven also worked in radio in Orlando. He attended the University of Central Florida, where he earned a degree in radio and television. Steven has been a reporter, producer, anchor and board operator. Outside of work, Steven loves to watch sports, cook delicious cajun food (as any good Louisiana native does) and spend time outdoors.

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