The St. Johns County Commission denied a proposal for developing forested land along the intracoastal waterway in St. Johns County. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on September 15, 2026 at 1:44 pm
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St. Johns County commissioners have denied a proposal that could have led to the development of more than 4,000 new homes north of the Nocatee community along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The denial reversed the commission’s lack of a decision earlier this month. Under a controversial new state law that makes it easier to develop housing on farmland, the county’s previous lack of action on the proposal would have led to an automatic approval.
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The proposed development came courtesy of the PARC Group, the developers behind Nocatee, and the family that founded Winn-Dixie, the Davises.
The developer was seeking certification as a so-called agricultural enclave — a chunk of farmland surrounded by land zoned for commercial and residential uses — under the law referred to as SB 686, the bill lawmakers approved to make it Florida law.
If certified, the developer would be able to move ahead without public hearings typically required of residential developments on agricultural land.
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County Commissioner Clay Murphy was the swing vote earlier this month when the board failed to approve or deny the proposal. By the time the matter came back to the board Tuesday, he had changed his mind.
A number of local residents and an attorney who said he represented residents called for the County Commission to reject the project. The commission denied the measure by a 3-2 vote. County Commissioners Krista Joseph, Murphy and Ann Taylor voted to throw out the proposal; Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst voted against them.
Legal challenges to development law
Earlier this month, the St. Johns County Commission instructed its legal team to look into ways to challenge the agricultural enclave law, whether it be an injunction to halt its enforcement or a different tactic.
Now, Murphy says he has a plan all his own.
Calling the law “destructive on so many levels,” Murphy said he wants to see it repealed.
“I’m going to start a petition drive in St. Johns County starting tomorrow — as soon as I figure out how to do it — and on the opening day of session, I will carry as many petitions as I can get personally to the state Legislature to get this law repealed,” he said.
County officials have also signaled their intention to defend against any legal challenges that come from the denial of agricultural enclave projects.
Attorney Ellen Avery-Smith, who represents the Davis family and the PARC Group, could not be reached for comment about whether her clients intended to sue St. Johns County over its decision to deny the 4,462 acre certification near Nocatee.
More agricultural enclaves coming
St. Johns County has received a number of proposals for residential development on local farmland. Some have been tossed out by the county’s planning staff for not meeting the legal definitions set under the new agricultural enclave law, but more will have to be heard by the Board of County Commissioners for potential approval.
Following the decision to deny the proposal near Nocatee, the County Commission agreed to revisit two projects that the board greenlit last month. Those two projects total more than 1,000 acres near the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 207.
The board will discuss those projects and consider whether its original approval was appropriate at a special meeting on Monday, Sept. 28.
The latest approval
The County Commission gave its latest approval to an agricultural enclave development Tuesday afternoon. That project could lead to the development of more than 300 homes on a 310-acre chunk of farmland near the Six Mile Creek neighborhood near the Trailmark community.
That land is owned by AFI Associates Inc., a company with ties to the Hutson family, the local development magnates behind the Silverleaf community. State business records show that Hutson Cos. CEO David Hutson and President Cody Hutson serve as presidents of AFI.
The board approved it by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Arnold, Murphy and Whitehurst voting in favor and Commissioners Joseph and Taylor voting against it.
