St. Johns County Voters Approve $100 Million Land Conservation Bond, 110,300 to 36,215, in Unofficial Results

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - St. Johns County voters approved a bond of up to $100 million to buy and protect conservation land, with 110,300 votes in favor and 36,215 against, according to unofficial results posted by News4JAX on Nov. 3. That works out to about 75 percent for and 25 percent against, with all precincts reporting. The measure lets the county borrow money for land purchases and repay it through a property tax levy.

The results are unofficial until they are certified. The same results page shows outcomes in a School Board race, two city commission seats, special district contests and several community development district elections. Those totals are summarized below.

What the Conservation Bond Does

According to News4JAX's pre-election reporting, the ballot question asked whether the county should borrow up to $100 million to conserve land, with the bonds repaid through property taxes. Coverage of the commission's August vote says the bonds would mature within 20 years of each issuance and be repaid through a property tax levy of up to 0.15 mill. That equals about $15 a year for every $100,000 of taxable property value, or about $30 for a home with a taxable value of $200,000.

Reporting on the measure says the money would fund the county's Land Acquisition and Management Program, known as LAMP, which buys land only from willing sellers. Each purchase would need approval from the LAMP Board. Supporters said the money would help protect drinking water, wildlife habitat, coastal areas, working farms and forests, and help reduce flooding.

How the County Funds Land Purchases Now

The county currently puts $500,000 a year from its general fund into LAMP, according to News4JAX. In January, the county also moved $1.5 million from its Tree Bank Fund, bringing fiscal 2026 funding to $2 million, News4JAX reported in April. At that time the LAMP account balance was $5,482,526.

County Commissioner Ann Taylor, the commission's liaison to the LAMP Board, said in April that "it is clear we do not have enough funding for this." The program had lost its top priority from the previous year, a 195-acre waterfront property on Shores Boulevard next to the Moses Creek Conservation Area, which was not purchased. The Matanzas Riverkeeper's Jen Lomberk called that "a really important cautionary tale."

The April reporting listed five priority properties for the program going forward. They included a 67-acre working ranch on Bishop Estates Road, a 94.4-acre property on County Road 13 South and a 25.45-acre parcel on McCullough Creek. Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said he believed the county had a good chance to acquire four of the five if adequate funding is available.

The Commission Vote That Put It on the Ballot

County commissioners voted on Aug. 18 to place the bond question on the November ballot. News4JAX reported that the vote was 3-2, with Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst voting no. Whitehurst raised concerns about timing alongside Amendment 3, the statewide property tax measure, and asked, "Are we overtaxing our people?"

Other St. Johns County Results

All figures below are unofficial and come from News4JAX's results page, which showed 100 percent of precincts reporting. The School Board District 4 contest was the only School Board race listed on that page. Vote counts for multi-candidate races are shown for the leading candidates.

The Closest Contests

Several local races were decided by narrow margins in the unofficial count. In the Port, Waterway and Beach District's Group 5 seat, Hansen led Rivers by 190 votes in a race where the two candidates drew 27,988 votes combined, according to the News4JAX totals. In the Tolomato Community Development District, Seat 5, Anthony Vetter had 5,573 votes to incumbent Ronald Howland's 5,477, a 96-vote difference.

The closest listed race was the Heritage Landing Community Development District, Seat 2, where incumbent Christine Mallatt had 648 votes to Brad Thompson's 639, a nine-vote gap. The results page does not say whether any of those contests will go to a recount. Questions about recounts and certification are handled by the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections.

What Happens Next

Results remain unofficial until certified, and the sources reviewed do not give a timeline for when the county would issue the first bonds. They also do not say how many acres the $100 million could buy, because the program only buys from willing sellers and each deal needs board approval. A county calendar listing shows the next regular Board of County Commissioners meeting on Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. in the St. Johns County Auditorium.