St. Johns organizations weigh in on conservation tax measure

In a county that is growing wildly, voters will decide in November whether the local government should take on debt to protect sensitive conservation lands.

The measure would not actually raise property taxes directly. Instead, if the issue passes, the county would gain the ability to issue bonds up to $100 million to fund its Land Acquisition Management Program. 

Those bonds would then be repaid over the course of 20 years using residents’ property taxes.

The county would be capped at increasing property taxes by a rate of 0.15 mills, or 15 cents per $1,000 of a home’s taxable value.

Funding for the Land Acquisition Management Program has been up and down in recent years, with elected officials making annual decisions about cuts and one-time increases to the program’s budget. 

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Members of the County Commission have said that, with more consistent funding, the county could be more aggressive about acquiring land for conservation purposes. 

Earlier this year, for example, a property the Land Acquisition Management Board had identified as a top priority for conservation was sold to homebuilder Ashley Homes.

Debate about the conservation measure

The St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee has not taken an official stance on the ballot measure, but the local chair of the party says allowing the county to raise taxes for bonds is “not an appropriate way to move forward.”

“We are already paying too much,” Denver Cook says. “They just haven’t prioritized this spending. They shouldn’t just ask for more money.”

He supports land conservation, but Cook says he would rather see the county government avoid taking on debt to pay for it.

“I think it’s more appropriate if Amendment 3 passes to consider a sales tax referendum to pay for these kinds of projects because they are fixed, dedicated and can’t be used for administrative costs and they don’t create debt,” Cook says. 

Amendment 3 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would greatly expand Florida’s homestead exemption.

St. Johns County voters have historically supported higher property taxes to fund the school district, but not so much other measures. 

Voters in 2022 overwhelmingly denied a 1-cent sales tax measure that would have paid for infrastructure improvements.

Before that, in 2015, the County Commission denied even putting a 1-cent sales tax on the 2016 ballot, although voters did approve of paying extra taxes to support the school district in 2016 and again in 2024.

Cook did not support increasing sales taxes in 2015, and he says many local voters may not now, either. He says trust in the local government is at a low.

Among the supporters of the conservation measure is environmental advocacy organization 1000 Friends of Florida. 

The organization urges people to vote in favor of the measure, saying that approving it would allow the county’s land preservation efforts to “grow in scope and pace.”

“The county established (the Land Acquisition Management Program) in 2021, but annual funding for it has ranged only from $500,000 to $2 million,” the group’s support letter says. “That’s not nearly enough to keep up with the need and rising land values amid the increasing development pressure.”

Other local organizations including the Matanzas Riverkeeper are also encouraging voters to vote “yes” on the conservation referendum.

The ballot measure needs the support of 50% of voters to pass.