3 Agricultural Enclave Requests Up for Hearing Tuesday in St. Johns County: 70.83 Acres West of State Road 16 and 143 Acres Near U.S. 1 South

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will hold public hearings Tuesday, Nov. 3, on three agricultural enclave certification requests covering approximately 214.12 acres, according to the county's official meeting agenda. The requests include 70.83 acres west of State Road 16 and two properties totaling 143.29 acres near U.S. Highway 1 South. The board's regular meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine.

The three applications are listed as the first three items on the county's Nov. 3 agenda. Each seeks certification under Chapter 2026-34, Laws of Florida, which established a process for qualifying agricultural properties surrounded by existing or designated development. The hearings come after commissioners considered several other agricultural enclave applications in October, according to reporting by Jacksonville Today and News4JAX.

1. Three agricultural enclave requests scheduled for Tuesday

The county agenda identifies one application in Commission District 2 and two applications in District 3. The District 2 request, known as Star IV, was continued from the Oct. 20 commission meeting. The other two requests involve properties identified as Osceola Lakes North and Osceola Lakes South.

According to the official agenda, Robert J. Walters of Stearns Weaver Miller is the presenter for the Star IV application, and Trevor Steven is listed as county staff. Brad Wester of Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow is identified as the presenter for Osceola Lakes South. The Osceola Lakes North and South properties together account for 143.29 acres, compared with 70.83 acres for Star IV.

The agenda describes all three requests as applications for agricultural enclave certification. The Osceola Lakes applications specifically reference Florida Statutes 163.3162 and 163.3164, in addition to Chapter 2026-34. The listed acreage represents the property involved in the certification requests, rather than a stated number of proposed homes.

2. What qualifies as an agricultural enclave?

St. Johns County Land Development Code Section 42.0 establishes requirements for agricultural enclave certification. Under the county's rules, an applicant must demonstrate that the property has a single owner and has been used for bona fide agricultural purposes for at least five years. The property also must be surrounded along at least 75% of its perimeter by development or land designated for development.

The county's code establishes a general maximum property size of 1,280 acres for certification. That limit can increase to 4,480 acres when an area qualifies as urban under the applicable density provisions. Eligibility is measured as of Jan. 1, 2025, according to Section 42.0.

The certification process is governed by Chapter 2026-34, Laws of Florida. According to the county's published code, Section 42.0 took effect July 1, 2026, and is scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2028. The county's Aug. 19 special meeting notice also identifies Senate Bill 686 as the legislation governing the agricultural enclave applications.

3. How the county reviews applications and deadlines

The agricultural enclave process includes several deadlines established by county code. St. Johns County must provide a written compliance report within 30 days. The Board of County Commissioners then must hold a public hearing within 30 days after that report.

A separate 90-day deadline governs the board's decision, according to Section 42.0. If commissioners do not approve or deny an application within 90 days after the county receives it, the property is automatically certified. That provision makes the timing of an application and the board's action part of the certification process.

A denial must be issued in writing and must include findings supporting the decision. Under the county's rules, an applicant can petition circuit court within 30 days to challenge a denial. The Nov. 3 agenda identifies the three pending requests as public hearings, without stating any final action on them.

4. Star IV returns after an October delay

The Star IV application is returning to commissioners after its hearing was continued from Oct. 20, according to the county agenda. Jacksonville Today reported Oct. 21 that commissioners delayed the Star IV vote until Nov. 3 because of procedural concerns. The application concerns approximately 70.83 acres between the Grand Oaks and Windward Ranch developments, west of State Road 16.

Star IV is identified as ENCERT 2026-12 and is assigned to Commission District 2. Its placement as the first item on Tuesday's agenda puts it ahead of the two Osceola Lakes applications. The official agenda describes the proceeding as a public hearing on the agricultural enclave certification request.

The two Osceola Lakes applications appear immediately after Star IV on the agenda. Osceola Lakes North covers approximately 103.29 acres, while Osceola Lakes South covers approximately 40 acres in the same general area. According to the county's descriptions, both are south of Wildwood Drive and north of Watson Road, approximately one mile west of U.S. Highway 1 South.

5. Earlier applications have received approvals and denials

St. Johns County commissioners have already considered several agricultural enclave requests, according to reporting published in October. News4JAX reported Oct. 29 that the county had received 16 applications, with three approved and three denied. The outlet identified the approved properties as Carter Road Associates, Pacetti Oaks and AFI Property.

News4JAX reported that Carter Road Associates involves 200.75 acres near State Road 16 and Four Mile Road. AFI Property involves approximately 310 acres along Pacetti Road near State Road 208. Pacetti Oaks, located along Pacetti Road south of State Road 16, also received approval, according to the outlet.

Jacksonville Today reported Oct. 21 that commissioners approved the Carter Road project in a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Ann Taylor dissenting. The report said the project involved approximately 260 homes, following a denied 2024 request for almost 400 homes in the same area. Jacksonville Today also reported that Pacetti Oaks received approval by a 3-2 vote, with its density reduced from five to two units per acre as a condition.

Other applications have been denied, according to News4JAX. They include the PARC Group and Davis family proposal known as North Palm Valley, involving more than 4,400 acres near Nocatee, and Heritage East and West, involving more than 1,100 acres combined. News4JAX reported that Heritage East and West were initially approved before being denied, while the PARC Group filed a petition seeking review of its denial in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court.

6. What certification allows property owners to pursue

Agricultural enclave certification establishes a process through which qualifying property owners can submit residential development plans. According to the county's Section 42.0, an approved owner may submit plans for single-family housing consistent with the density of adjacent development. The provision connects potential residential density to surrounding development rather than establishing one uniform density for every agricultural enclave.

The county's rules also establish limits on subsequent development review. After certification, the county may not require a process lasting longer than 180 days for the qualifying single-family housing plans. Section 42.0 also prohibits additional quasi-judicial hearings as part of that process.

The certification requests and subsequent development plans are distinct steps under the county's regulations. Tuesday's agenda identifies the Star IV and Osceola Lakes matters as certification applications under the agricultural enclave law. The three agenda descriptions provide their locations and acreages but do not specify residential unit totals.

7. Other land-use proposals on the Nov. 3 agenda

The county's meeting agenda includes several additional development-related matters beyond the agricultural enclave hearings. One is MAJMOD 2025-12, a proposed modification involving the FL St. Augustine Inman planned unit development at 3960 Inman Road. The proposal would allow up to 250,000 square feet of light industrial and flexible warehousing space, according to the county agenda.

The Inman proposal previously went before the county's planning board Oct. 15. According to the commission agenda, a motion to recommend approval received a 3-4 vote, resulting in a recommendation for denial. That recommendation is part of the proposal's record ahead of the commission meeting.

Two Bartram-related proposals also appear on the agenda. The Bartram Park development of regional impact change would increase the number of residential units from 646 to 815, while the Bartram Grove proposal involves a maximum of 180 dwelling units. According to the agenda, the planning agency recommended approval of both proposals by 7-0 votes.

The agenda additionally includes land-use and rezoning requests involving approximately 9.5 acres associated with Fruit Cove Baptist Church. Those requests are separate from the three agricultural enclave applications. The county's agenda lists them among the other matters scheduled for commission consideration.

8. Meeting location, public comment and county contacts

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to meet Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. in the County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine. The official agenda includes a public comment item, in addition to the hearings on the three agricultural enclave applications. The meeting agenda is available through the St. Johns County Clerk's agenda website.

The commission consists of District 1 Commissioner Christian Whitehurst, District 2 Commissioner Sarah Arnold, District 3 Commissioner Clay Murphy, District 4 Commissioner Krista Joseph and District 5 Commissioner Ann Taylor, according to the meeting agenda. Murphy serves as board chair, while Taylor serves as vice chair. The agenda also identifies Joy Andrews as county administrator and Rich Komando as county attorney.

For questions about development review, the county lists its Growth Management Department's Development Review Division at 4040 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084. The department's telephone number is (904) 209-0675, and its email address is [email protected], according to the county's published agricultural enclave regulations. The official Nov. 3 commission agenda identifies the three agricultural enclave hearings as items 1, 2 and 3.