Community letters from the County Administrator

Gmail Amy Howard In Case You Missed It: Community Letter from County Administrator Joy Andrews St. Johns County Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 10:47 AM Reply-To: sjcpublicaffairs@sjcfl.us To: ajhfinance27@gmail.com Click Here to View as Webpage and Share with Others. SJC News Stay Informed SJC Newsletters SJC Connect Inside SJC Community Letter From County Administrator Joy Andrews - February 2026 Dear County Residents, As we kick off the new year, I would like to share a few highlights from the last few months of 2025 and reflect on the progress we are making together as we enter 2026. It is an exciting time in St. Johns County, full of hope and a sense of togetherness, as our community moves towards new levels of achievement and excellence. I am truly grateful to serve this community and humbled by the spirit of unity that continues to grow across our county. Community Partnerships I applaud the Board of County Commissioners, the Visitors and Convention Bureau, the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, the Chamber of Commerce, as well as all our community partners for their collaborative efforts to enhance the Nights of Lights experience. The new “Know Before You Go” campaign included a mobile app with real-time updates and interactive maps, enhanced shuttle services, additional parking and restrooms, and other improvements designed to better serve residents, businesses, and visitors. We see opportunities to build on this success and look forward to continued engagement as planning begins for future seasons. The Friends of Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, in collaboration with our partnership with the SJC Cultural Events, Inc. (SJCCE), the non-profit organization that manages Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and The St. Augustine Amphitheatre, announced it has launched an 18-week Spring Music Enrichment After-School Program at three community locations across St. Johns County. The first phase of the concept was launched as a pilot program last summer with the Solomon Calhoun Center and the American Legion Post 194 summer camps to explore the impact of music on children. We recently partnered with the community of West Augustine for a Day of Celebration to welcome Florida Memorial University back to the site of their original campus as a partner in our Florida Black History Museum project and the opening of the new Health and Wellness Center. The City of St. Augustine Beach has officially signed the Perpetual Beach Storm Damage Reduction Easement for the St. Augustine Shore Protection Project. The signing of this easement is a significant milestone for the project area and a major step forward in achieving 100% participation in perpetual easements in partnership with the County. Community Art Our friends at the St. Johns Cultural Council recently hosted several community input sessions to gather comments and discuss the development of public art and cultural tourism plans for the county. They are asking residents, business owners, and creative-minded people to further the discussion on our creative economy and cultural experience by participating in an online survey or a virtual interview. The St. Johns Cultural Council is presenting Opening New Doors, by local artists Brandon Santiago and Alexter, at the Rotunda Gallery in the St. Johns County Administration Building, through April 10. This is part of the free Art in Public Spaces program, which began in 2009 and has featured over 200 artists in solo and group exhibitions at St. Johns County government buildings. Additionally, Art at the Main is presented by the St. Johns Cultural Council, St. Johns County Public Library System (SJCPLS), and Friends of the Main Library. The exhibition is on display at the Main Branch Library and features Sing Out Loud community murals, designed by local artists for the music festival to celebrate local creativity and connection. Board of County Commissioners I’d like to thank the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) for their unwavering support of our staff and their leadership on initiatives that strengthen our community. The Board unanimously approved a $1.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, marking the County’s first property tax reduction since FY2021. The budget reflects thoughtful stewardship of taxpayer dollars while making historic investments in public safety, infrastructure, parks, and libraries. Our 2026 Legislative Action Plan was approved by the Board in October and outlines four key themes for securing state and federal support: Infrastructure Investments, Community Resilience, Agriculture & Conservation, and Government Operations. You can review the complete plan online, and watch the presentation on our GovTV webpage. In September, U.S. Congressman Randy Fine visited St. Johns County to tour the Hastings community with our staff, leadership, and community members. The visit included a coffee shop chat with Hastings leaders and tours of downtown Hastings and drainage issues in the area. And on October 27, we hosted the annual St. Johns County Legislative Delegation Meeting and Public Forum, where our state legislators heard directly from community members. You can watch the complete meeting online. Innovation Across Our Organization Innovation continues to be a hallmark of our County workforce. While there are far too many accomplishments to list in full, I would like to recognize a few highlights that demonstrate the creativity, professionalism, and dedication of our teams: Library Services launched Reciprocal Lending Agreements (RLA) with Martin and Clay Counties through OverDrive, giving patrons access to over 18,000 additional e-book and e-audio titles at no cost and without increasing wait times on materials. St. Johns County patrons borrowed 14,325 items from partner libraries, saving an estimated $20,000 in materials costs. Human Resources implemented several impactful policies and code changes designed to better support our workforce by enhancing benefit access, professional development, and work-life balance. Public Works significantly improved pedestrian safety by removing 1,747 sidewalk tripping hazards across the County. The addition of a dedicated sidewalk crew led to a 40 percent increase in productivity compared with the previous year. Growth Management in partnership with Land Management used a GIS-based application to improve compliance with coastal lighting ordinances that protect sea turtles. Compliance has almost doubled since implementation of the tool in 2024. Facilities Maintenance retrofitted existing HVAC units to reduce energy consumption without incurring significant capital costs. The department partnered with locally owned QPAC to supply the Fan-Array systems, enhancing efficiency and cost control through a “just in time” inventory approach. Utilities introduced a smarter way to manage reuse water with the Sensus Ally Reuse Meter with Automatic Valve. This technology provides real-time system insights and enables precise control of water flows during peak demand, reducing reliance on costly storage, pumping facilities, and large-scale valves. By maximizing existing infrastructure, this approach has the potential to save millions of dollars over time. Building Services created an automated Lien Search Program and is also in the process of implementing a new improved Short Term Vacation Rental Registration Program – both to streamline services for the public. Parks and Recreation implemented credit card payments for beach driving access, providing a cashless payment option that improves convenience, reduces wait times at toll booths, and streamlines beach entry for residents and visitors. Office of Performance and Transparency launched Workday, the County’s largest technology initiative to date, and reimagined how we work across 80+ team members and 33 functional workstreams, all focused on best practices, automation, and efficiency. Animal Control enhanced the daily experience of animals in the shelter through calming environmental improvements in both cat and dog areas. These improvements have proven to lower animals’ stress levels and improve appetite. Coastal Management used data from the Beachfront Data Collection Facility (in partnership with Friends of the GTM NERR, Surf Break Engineering, NOAA, FDEP, and the University of North Florida) to support post-storm damage assessments, which helped secure FEMA funding for renourishment in the Ponte Vedra and South Ponte Vedra project areas. County Administration worked with the BCC to establish a dedicated emergency response reserve fund for the first time, strengthening the County’s financial readiness for disasters while maintaining long-term fiscal stability. Public Affairs launched the County’s first-ever citizens academy called “SJC 101” and held two, multi-week class sessions to provide the community with an inside look at our operations and empower graduates with greater governance knowledge to serve on advisory boards and committees. Health and Human Services successfully completed the reaccreditation process from the Council on Accreditation (COA). Preparation for this comprehensive process began over the summer and required HHS to provide extensive documentation to the COA. This reaccreditation is significant as it ensures that high standards of service delivery are achieved and evidence-based practices are implemented. The COA was extremely complimentary of HHS and its leadership team during the process and exit interview. Community and Destination Development helped to facilitate the development of the West Augustine Health and Wellness Center, which opened to serve the community in January, with funding from the West Augustine CRA, an ARPA grant, and State funding. The BCC collectively spearheaded many innovations which were highlighted by a new bike safety concept focused on increasing visibility and safety for cyclists, successful efforts to advocate for the Florida Museum of Black History to be located in our community, raising awareness of education and enforcement programs to address e-bike safety among youth, strategic uses of traffic lights, most notably at Pine Island Road, to enhance traffic flow and pedestrian safety, and establishing a Nights of Lights Committee aimed at improving planning, coordination, and overall experience for residents, businesses, and visitors. Strategic Plan We continue to make great progress on our Strategic Plan, and I thought I could highlight just a few of the recent achievements as outlined by the six core priorities of the plan: Community Trust, Community Well-Being, Economic Prosperity, Enhance Conservation, Infrastructure, and Organizational Excellence. At the BCC regular meeting on January 20, we presented an update on our completed Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) in 2025, and a forward-looking infrastructure program for 2026 that reflects both scale and fiscal discipline. We enjoy building a stronger community, and in Sept. we were at Fort Mose to celebrate St. Johns County resident Taurean Wong’s re-enlistment ceremony into the United States Navy. Our library services are enjoyed by so many people in the community, and the St. Johns County Public Library System introduced a fresh new look for its bookmobiles, designed to inspire imagination and connect residents across the county. They also introduced a Veterans Museum kiosk at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch, giving visitors an interactive way to experience the stories of local and national veterans. We hosted a historic celebration in September to mark the State of Florida’s $1 million appropriation for the planning and design of the Florida Black History Museum in West Augustine. The event honored the efforts of State and County leaders, community members, and advocates who worked tirelessly to make the project a reality. And then in October, we executed a Ground Lease Agreement with Florida Memorial University Foundation, Inc., for use of the school’s former campus site in West Augustine as the location for the state’s Black History Museum. We are proud to maintain our commitment to affordable housing by continuing to support Volusia Woods, a Habitat for Humanity development that will bring 36 new homes to the community with an infrastructure investment of $1.2M. We have helped launch IMPACT: Advocating for Children Today, Inc., with community partners to identify the needs, resources, and partnerships to improve the lives of St. Johns County children and their families by advocating for a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. Protecting our natural resources is critical, and it was awesome to see our Beach Services team partner with the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program to remove ship timbers dating back to the 19th century and preserve two fragments of the historic shipwreck. We are also keeping our community clean of debris for lands we are conserving. We recently announced we achieved our highest-ever recycling rate, with 46% of total waste recycled, ranking 10th among Florida’s 67 counties. This milestone marks the most successful year on record for the County’s recycling efforts. On Aug. 25, we hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the intersection of State Road 16 (SR 16) and International Golf Parkway (IGP) to celebrate the start of $25M in improvements to the intersection. The project will include a new signal, additional turning lanes, sidewalks, and a new drainage system. Public Works opened a new $41 million portion of County Road 2209 on Oct. 28, which connects Silverleaf Parkway to International Golf Parkway, creating a four-lane divided corridor designed to improve traffic flow in northern St. Johns County. The St. Johns County Utilities Department is making significant progress on the $191.8 million State Road (SR) 207 Water Reclamation Facility, the single largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the County. Parks and Recreation celebrated the installation of artificial turf at the Solomon Calhoun Community Center’s football field as a part of the community center’s $2.1 million renovations and they cut the ribbon on the $1.5 million of ADA improvements to the Field of Dreams baseball complex. A new traffic signal and intersection improvements, including additional turning lanes, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Pine Island Road are now operational. St. Johns County Fire Rescue dedicated a permanent Fallen Firefighter Memorial honoring firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty and recognizing the courage, sacrifice, and commitment that define the profession. We are making significant progress on our Manhole Rehabilitation Program, an ongoing capital improvement effort to preserve sewer infrastructure, extend the lifespan of utility systems, and protect water resources. We are also advancing the Raised Pavement Marker Replacement Program, an initiative designed to improve roadway safety and visibility for motorists, particularly during nighttime driving and adverse weather conditions. We are moving forward with a critical infrastructure upgrade at the Marsh Landing Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of its Capital Improvement Plan, aiming to modernize aging electrical systems and ensure continued service reliability for decades to come We were proud to be partners with SJC Cultural Events, Inc. as they celebrated one of its most impactful years to date in 2025, producing more than 130 concerts, presenting over 290 artists, and welcoming more than 550,000 guests from all 50 states as well as Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Brazil and Mexico to events throughout St. Johns County. Stephanie Kurtz and Olivia Testasecca received top honors at the 18th Annual Central Florida Geographic Information Systems Workshop in Daytona Beach on Sept. 9. The pair’s ArcGIS Storymap earned the Storymap App Gallery Contest award for outstanding cartographic practice. The St. Johns County Parks Foundation, official philanthropic partner of the St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department, received national recognition with the prestigious National Association of Park Foundations Lehman Award for Park Foundation Excellence in the “Emerging Star Foundation” category. Construction on the new Hastings Community Center and Library is progressing on schedule, with completion expected in Spring 2026. St. Johns County received a Regional Award of Excellence in Public Safety from the Northeast Florida Regional Council for the design and construction of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Training Facility. At the December 2, 2026, BCC regular meeting, we proudly recognized the graduates of the Fall 2025 SJC 101 Citizens Academy – the largest graduating class to date, with 29 participants completing the 12-week program. Together, We Are Stronger In closing, I deeply appreciate the trust and involvement of our residents in making our community stronger. Whether through serving on boards, attending meetings, or contributing ideas, your efforts make a real difference. Let’s keep working together to create a vibrant and welcoming county for everyone. With gratitude and optimism for the year ahead, Joy St. Johns County News ... In Print ... Online ... Anytime. SJC Strategic Plan Our Vision St. Johns County is a historic community with a thriving population and economy, offering world-class cultural and recreational opportunities and an exceptional quality of life. Our Mission We serve and invest in our community through innovative leadership, high-quality services, and preserving the County’s history and natural beauty while enhancing economic vitality. Strategic Plan Get more St. Johns County news by receiving our e-newsletters. 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