The St. Johns County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association (SJCPFPA) strongly supports passing the 1 cent sales tax referendum in November’s election.

“The County’s growth has been exponential,” says SJCPFPA President Mike Keener, “but our safety infrastructure simply hasn’t kept up.”

If voters pass the referendum, the County’s sales tax would increase from 6.5% to 7.5% for 10 years beginning January 1, 2023. In addition to funding road, drainage, parks, library and coastal erosion improvements, key public safety objectives, including new fire stations, a new SJCFR training facility, and Sheriff’s command center would be built.

“We’ve just grown so fast…and now we really need to play catch-up to serve the citizens best,” Keener says.

“St. Johns County firefighters and paramedics strongly recommend voting ‘yes’ on the referendum,” says SCPFPA Secretary Dave Stevens. “None of us likes higher taxes, but now we’re talking real quality of life and safety issues…At least with a sales tax increase, our visitors will also be helping to fund the county’s infrastructure.”

“There is no question that St. Johns County’s infrastructure is in serious need of repair and replacement if it is to keep up with our growth and economic vitality so important to the quality of life here in the county. Estimates of the deficit are in the $500 million range. If approved by St Johns County voters on November 8, this referendum will put into place a 1-cent increase in the sales tax for 10 years (it will sunset after 10 years and can only be extended through another referendum). Studies have shown that nearly 40% of sales taxes in St. Johns County are paid by out-of-county/out-of-state tourists, which results in major savings for county residents.”

“Some have said, “there is no plan B” if approval of the sales tax increase is not achieved. Unfortunately, there is in fact an alternative source of revenue; a dramatic property tax millage rate increase, which would be paid solely by St. Johns County residents.”

“Given that the business community relies on a sound and viable infrastructure - for the shipment of goods and efficient transportation of customers, employees, and vendors to ensure future growth - and success and given the undeniable backlog of infrastructure projects county-wide, the Chamber Board of Directors has determined that the 1 penny sales tax increase it is the most responsible and least painful remedy for the businesses and residents of St. Johns County.”

Isabelle Renault
President/CEO

The St Johns County Board of Commissioners recently approved a ballot initiative for an additional $0.01 increase to the county sales tax to fund a list of infrastructure projects that have been on hold due to lack of adequate funding. Estimates provided to the Board of Commissioners value these backlogged projects to be in the $500 million dollar range. Revenue gained from the increase will be used solely for funding infrastructure projects (no administrative costs or salaries) and those proposed projects will be reviewed by a five-member Citizens Advisory Committee prior to submission to the County Board of Commissioners. The $0.01 increase will end after 10 years and may only be extended by an incremental referendum passed by the voters of St Johns County.

Our parks and recreation infrastructure is in need of repair and expansion due to population growth in our county. Many of our athletic facilities have not had any recent capital investment and no new parks have been constructed in the Ponte Vedra area since Davis Park in 2001. Population growth combined with parents’ desire to have their kids engaged in outdoor activities has driven PVAA enrollment to maximum capacity due to a shortage of fields and facilities. We need parks for our kids to play and we need them updated in order for our kids to play safely.

After reviewing this initiative with St Johns County officials, our PVAA Board of Directors unanimously approved a motion to support the proposed $0.01 increase in the sales tax as proposed on November 8 General Election Ballot. Our board feels the infrastructure upgrades are long overdue and the incremental investment will help PVAA provide more kids the opportunity to play sports in a safe and competitive environment. Here are the reasons behind our board’s support of this referendum:

The infrastructure project list will directly benefit PVAA sports, their facilities, and families. These proposed infrastructure projects include:

• Nocatee Park - $16MM. (Greater soccer, lacrosse, and baseball capacity).
• Road expansions - $29MM. (Mickler Road to Roundabout; Roscoe Road to Roundabout)
• Sidewalks - $ 6MM. (in addition to recent $4MM grant to connect Palm Valley Rd)

Recent studies show 40% of this increase will be paid by residents from other counties.

Without this immediate revenue increase, funding for parks expansion in the Ponte Vedra area will not occur until well into the future. The only revenue option would be millage rate increase, which our board felt was not a responsible solution at this time. PVAA has requested a say in how the revenue is spent. We have volunteered to provide a representative to sit on the citizen’s advisory committee to help steer funding for parks and recreation.

Immediate expansion and investment in our parks and recreation facilities are critical for PVAA athletic leagues to continue to serve as many children of St Johns County as possible. Our Board of Directors believes this 1 penny sales tax increase is the most responsible method to fund infrastructure investment and provide PVAA the facilities required to offer as many kids a positive athletic experience as possible. We encourage each of our parents to review and vote yes to this proposed referendum.

Eric Henkel, President
Ponte Vedra Athletic Association

The St Johns County Board of Commissioners recently approved a ballot initiative for an additional $0.01 increase to the county sales tax to fund a list of infrastructure projects that have been on hold due to lack of adequate funding. Estimates provided to the Board of Commissioners value these backlogged projects to be in the $500 million dollar range. Revenue gained from the increase will be used solely for funding infrastructure projects (no administrative costs or salaries) and those proposed projects will be reviewed by a five-member Citizens Advisory Committee prior to submission to the County Board of Commissioners. The $0.01 increase will end after 10 years and may only be extended by an incremental referendum passed by the voters of St Johns County.

Our parks and recreation infrastructure is in need of repair and expansion due to population growth in our county. Many of our athletic facilities have not had any recent capital investment, and we are in dire need of funding for necessities such as bathrooms, parking space and lights. Population growth combined with parents’ desire to have their kids engaged in outdoor activities has driven our programs to maximum capacity due to a shortage of safe fields and facilities. We need parks for our kids to play and we need them updated in order for our kids to play safely.

After reviewing this initiative with St Johns County officials, our Prime Sports Board of Directors approved a motion to support the proposed $0.01 increase in the sales tax as proposed on November 8 General Election Ballot. Our board feels the infrastructure upgrades are long overdue and the incremental investment will help Prime Sports provide more kids the opportunity to play sports in a safe and competitive environment.

Here are the reasons behind our board’s support of this referendum:

1. The infrastructure project list will directly benefit Prime Sports, our local facilities, and families.
   Recent studies show 40% of this increase will be paid by residents from other counties.
2. Without this immediate revenue increase, funding for parks expansion in St. Johns County will
   not occur until well into the future. The only revenue option would be millage rate increase,
   which our board felt was not a responsible solution at this time.
3. Immediate expansion and investment in our parks and recreation facilities are critical for youth
   sports organizations such as ours to continue to serve as many children of St. Johns County as
   possible. Our Board of Directors believes this 1 penny sales tax increase is the most
   responsible method to fund infrastructure investment and provide Prime Sports with the facilities
   required to offer as many kids a positive athletic experience as possible.

We encourage each of our parents to review and vote yes to this proposed referendum.

Sincerely,
Your Prime Sports Family

Board of Directors Urge you to Support the Penny Sales Tax.  Our Board of Directors did plenty of research and had a spirited discussion at our October Board Meeting and when the dust settled, we saw the proposed penny sales tax as the lesser of two evils. We all know that our County has grown rapidly and infrastructure needs are a must. These improvements need to happen and as taxpayers, we’ll be forced to shoulder the cost. Or if we pass the sales tax, we will be shouldering a little more than half the cost. Tourists will be paying a significant portion for us. So given the choice between an increase in property taxes or a penny sales tax that will be paid by visitors who also uses County services, the choice was “let’s support the sales tax”.

That’s our position and we hope you’ll vote Yes. If you are undecided, please know the penny sales tax sunsets or goes away in 10 years. And it appears that most of the projects that will be funded fall into the category or needs instead of wants. Please Click Here to visit the County website where proposed spending is outlined

The Northeast Florida Builders Association’s is proud to express their supports for the proposed sales tax referendum to fund county infrastructure improvements.

St. Johns County has long depended on fees on new construction to pay for infrastructure. The county’s Impact fees are often raised to the maximum allowable amount, but there are limits on what growth alone can cover. Impact fees are restricted to add capacity, and cannot be used to rehabilitate existing infrastructure. Because these fees are only levied on new construction, they are both highly susceptible to market forces and are limited to a small pool of county citizens. Meanwhile, a modest countywide sales tax increase would be paid by both County residents and visitors and captures the spirt of broad based funding where everyone pays their fair share. By adding this penny sales tax to the existing impact fees St. Johns County would be stabilizing their sources of funding for roads, parks, fire, and other infrastructure projects that are needed in the county.