This forested land, pictured across the intracoastal waterway near Palm Valley, could be developed into homes pending a decision by the St. Johns County Commission next month | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on August 19, 2026 at 3:11 pm
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More than 1,000 acres of land, and as many as 15,000 homes spanning two projects, got the green light for potential future development in St. Johns County. Another, a large-scale project from the developer that built Nocatee, will be decided on next month.
The St. Johns County Commission had to rule during a special meeting Wednesday whether three chunks of land could be considered agricultural enclaves — land zoned for agricultural uses surrounded by land that is already zoned for uses like residential housing.
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The applications were made possible thanks to a new law. The bill that became the law, SB 686, has drawn opposition in St. Johns amid concerns that thousands of acres of farmland could be developed into homes with less public oversight than large-scale developments typically receive.
The two developments
Commissioners gave the OK for two projects called Heritage East and Heritage West.
The two chunks of land, 615 acres and 550 acres respectively, sit near the busy intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 207 in southwest St. Johns County.
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The proposals, from companies connected to homebuilders MasterCraft Builder Group, could result in as many as 13 homes per acre, or nearly 15,000 homes, built on either side of the highway.
Under the new law, the county had to rule whether the land fit the definition of an agricultural enclave in order for the developers to move forward with submitting development plans.
Members of the County Commission made it clear that they were looking for any possible reason to deny the applications even if the eventual vote was in the developer’s favor.
“We look at these agricultural enclaves as a preemption from the state, and I’m not happy. I’m not happy with them at all,” commission Chair Clay Murphy said. “But what I discovered is that when you get into this position is, whether I’m happy or not is not the deciding issue. The deciding issue is ‘What does the law say?’”
The approvals for Heritage East and Heritage West passed by 3-2 votes, with Murphy, Whitehurst and Commissioner Sarah Arnold in support. Commissioners Joseph and Ann Taylor voted in opposition.
4,000-plus acres near Nocatee
The County Commission delayed making a decision on one of the enclave applications: a more-than-4,000-acre development north of Nocatee and right up against the intracoastal waterway and Duval County line.
That proposal comes from the Davis family, the founders of Winn-Dixie and PARC Group, the developer behind the sprawling Nocatee community.
The County Commission delayed making a decision on whether the 4,462 acres fit the definition of an agricultural enclave to allow county staff time to confirm the shape and size of the land’s northernmost boundary.
The commission is scheduled to make a final decision on whether to move the proposal along during a meeting at 9 a.m. Sept. 1. If it moves forward, representatives for the developer say the plan is to build one home per acre, or 4,462 homes.
The development plans will go through all of the existing checks and balances for developments with the county’s staff, like checking for school concurrency and the load on the area’s natural resources. Neither project, however, would come back before the County Commission — or the public — for approvals.
Amid complaints from members of the public and the County Commission about where all of those new cars would go, Attorney Ellen Avery Smith, representing the Davis family and PARC Group, said the board must follow the letter of the law, however new and unpopular it may be.
“I know you’re in a bad spot,” she said, “but … it is the law of the state of Florida and we would respectfully request that you follow the law.”
Potential legal challenges?
Ahead of the hearings for the agricultural enclave applications on Wednesday, the County Commission discussed potential legal challenges to the law.
Despite calls from County Commissioners Krista Joseph and Ann Taylor to sue the state over the new law, the county’s legal counsel, led by attorney Richard Komando, said Tuesday that the county would be on better footing to defend a challenge from a developer than to challenge the state outright.
At this time, the County Commission decided not to move forward with suing the state, but the makeup of the board is about to change.
After Tuesday night’s primary election, another growth skeptic is set to join the Board of County Commissioners in December. Martin Pyszczymuka, who is vocally opposed to the current pace of the county’s growth, is slated to take over the seat currently occupied by Sarah Arnold.
But she could be removed sooner. Arnold is one of two members of the County Commission under criminal investigation for involvement in distributing a fraudulent voter guide during the 2024 election cycle. The county has called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove her sooner than December.
Coming soon
In addition to the three agricultural enclave applications heard by commissioners Wednesday, St. Johns County Growth Management Director Mike Roberson confirmed that the county has received three more applications:
- 379 acres south of County Road 210
- 310 acres north of County Road 208
- 51 acres northeast of the I-95/State Road 207 intersection
The county so far has received nine applications under the state law, but three were turned away by county staff for not meeting the proper qualifications.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information about the county’s latest agricultural enclave applications.
