LIVING IN JACKSONVILLE, FL -JACKONVILLE REAL ESTATE

On Wednesday, August 19, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners held a special meeting that ran more than four hours. By the end of it, two pieces of land near Interstate 95 and State Road 207 were cleared for fast-tracked development. A third, much bigger piece of land — 4,462 acres just north of Nocatee — got put on hold for two more weeks. If you own a home in St. Johns County, or you're thinking about buying one, here's what actually happened, why it happened, and what it means for you.

1. What Is an "Agricultural Enclave," and Why Does It Matter?

Normally, when a developer wants to turn farmland into a neighborhood, they have to go through a long process with the county: years of meetings, studies on roads and schools, and a final vote from the county commissioners. Under Senate Bill 686, a Florida law that took effect July 1, 2026, some landowners can skip most of that. If their land checks a few specific boxes, they can apply directly for "Agricultural Enclave" certification instead. Once land is certified, the county has to allow homes to be built there — it can't say no just because of traffic, or because the county's long-term land-use plan calls for something else. For the full legal text, see the Florida Senate's official page for SB 686.

To qualify, the land generally has to:

• Be owned by one person or company, sit undeveloped, and not be inside a city

• Have been used for real agriculture, like crops or timber, for at least 5 years

• Have at least 75% of the land around it already built up with homes, stores, or industry

• Sit in a county with fewer than 1.75 million residents (St. Johns County, at roughly 300,000, clears this easily)

• Have access to water, sewer, and other basic public services

• Stay under 1,280 acres — unless the surrounding area is mostly residential, which raises the cap to 4,480 acres

2. What Got Approved: Heritage Development East and West

Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve two projects on opposite sides of I-95 near State Road 207, in southern St. Johns County. Together, they cover about 1,166 acres and have operated as timber land for roughly 70 years. Commissioners Clay Murphy, Christian Whitehurst, and Sarah Arnold voted yes. Commissioners Krista Joseph and Ann Taylor voted no.

Certification doesn't mean bulldozers show up tomorrow. It means the land can move into the county's development-plan review — where specifics like road connections, school capacity, and utility agreements still have to be worked out.

3. The Big One: Why the 4,462-Acre Nocatee-Area Project Got Delayed

The largest and most closely watched application came from a company tied to the Davis family — the founders of Winn-Dixie — working alongside The PARC Group, the developer behind Nocatee and eTown. This land sits north of Nocatee, between the Duval County line and the Intracoastal Waterway. The application calls for roughly one home per acre, well below the six-homes-per-acre maximum the law allows.

Commissioners didn't vote this one down. They postponed it to September 1 so an independent survey can double-check whether the property actually meets the "75% surrounded by development" requirement. Some measurements put the number right around 50%, and commissioners felt that margin was too close to certify without more certainty.

4. Nine Applications and Counting

As of this week, St. Johns County has received nine Agricultural Enclave applications since the law took effect. Three didn't meet the requirements and were turned away by county staff. That leaves six moving through the process — the three heard on August 19, plus three more filed since that meeting. Altogether, these applications cover several thousand acres across the county, and more could still be filed before the law's scheduled sunset on January 1, 2028.

5. Two Approving Commissioners Are Also Facing Criminal Charges

Two of the three commissioners who voted to approve Heritage East and West — Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst — are currently facing misdemeanor charges connected to a fake 2024 voter guide sent to St. Johns County voters. The other three commissioners have already asked Governor Ron DeSantis to remove them from office. Neither commissioner has resigned, and the criminal case is separate from the Agricultural Enclave votes. But it's the same five-member board deciding the future of thousands of acres of land, so it's worth knowing if you're following local politics as closely as the real estate.

6. What This Means If You Live Near — or Are Buying Into — St. Johns County

For current homeowners: nothing here points toward lower property values. If anything, new master-planned development near an established, high-demand area like Nocatee tends to support values over time. The real, practical concerns commissioners themselves keep raising are roads, school capacity, and water and sewer infrastructure — not resale value.

For buyers, especially anyone looking at new construction near 20 Mile, Nocatee, or the I-95/State Road 207 corridor: this kind of long-range land-use shift is easy to miss if you're only looking at a builder's model home and a sales-office map. It won't show up in a listing description.

7. What Happens Next

• September 1: Commissioners revisit the 4,462-acre Davis family/PARC Group parcel with updated survey data

• Heritage East and West move into county development-plan review, including school, road, and utility agreements

• Additional Agricultural Enclave applications could still be filed before the law expires in 2028

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Thinking About Buying, Selling, or Building Near This Corridor?

Whether you already own a home near this corridor or you're weighing a new-construction purchase in St. Johns County right now, decisions like these are exactly why independent buyer representation matters — especially once conversations turn to master-planned land, builder timelines, or infrastructure agreements. As an independent buyer's agent, I track these county filings and commission votes so my clients don't have to dig through hundreds of pages of planning documents on their own. And because the builder or seller typically pays the commission, working with me costs you nothing out of pocket.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEXT MOVE

Call/Text: (904) 599-2125

Email: greg@livinginjacksonvillefl.com

Website: https://www.livinginjacksonvillefl.com/

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About Greg DeTullio, Broker/Owner, Living in Jacksonville FL Team

Greg DeTullio is a Florida-licensed Real Estate Broker and the founder of the Living in Jacksonville FL Team. With a decade of industry expertise, he has successfully managed over 200 closed transactions and earned five-star Google reviews. Greg specializes in Jacksonville relocation services and new construction within St. Johns County, proudly serving Nocatee, SilverLeaf, RiverTown, St. Johns, EverRange, Ponte Vedra Beach, and the surrounding Northeast Florida communities.

Living in Jacksonville FL Team | Phone: (904) 599-2125

Equal Housing Opportunity. Greg DeTullio, FL Real Estate Broker License #BK3332620, is a member of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR). This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your specific costs, tax obligations, and transaction details with your attorney, tax advisor, lender, or closing officer.

Tags

• Nocatee (11)
• St. Johns County (8)
• St. Johns County real estate (6)
• Ponte Vedra Beach (6)
• The PARC Group (3)
• SB 686 (2)
• Florida land development (2)
• Davis family (2)
• Agricultural Enclave (2)
• St. Johns County commissioners (1)
• Heritage Development (1)