The 4,462-Acre Agricultural Enclave North of Nocatee: What St. Johns County Buyers Need to Know in 2026

By Greg DeTullio, Broker/Owner, Living in Jacksonville FL Team | July 17, 2026

A new state law took effect on July 1, 2026, and within days, the Davis family and The PARC Group had already filed to fast-track 4,462 acres of land north of Nocatee toward residential development. This isn't a rumor or a leak — it's a confirmed filing, and it's moving through the approval process faster than almost any development St. Johns County has seen. Here's what's confirmed, what's still an open question, and what it means if you live near Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach, or 20 Mile.

1. A New State Law Is Fast-Tracking Development in St. Johns County

Florida Senate Bill 686, signed into law April 24, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, creates a new expedited process called Agricultural Enclave certification. Instead of going through the traditional, often multi-year comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning process, an eligible landowner can apply directly for certification, and once approved, the county must treat residential development on that land as a conforming use. The county cannot deny it based on the comprehensive plan, future land use designation, zoning, or traffic impact. For the full bill text and legislative history, see the Florida Senate's official page for SB 686.

2. What Qualifies as an “Agricultural Enclave”?

Not just any parcel qualifies. Under the statute, the land generally must:

Be unincorporated, undeveloped, and under single ownership
Have been in bona fide agricultural use for at least five years prior to the application
Be at least 75% surrounded by existing industrial, commercial, or residential development
Sit in a county with fewer than 1.75 million residents (St. Johns County, with an estimated population in the 300,000s, clears this easily)
Have access to public services such as water and sewer
Stay under 1,280 acres — unless the surrounding land is residential, in which case the cap rises to 4,480 acres

For a plain-English breakdown of the legal criteria, see this explainer from St. Johns Law Group.

3. The Big One: 4,462 Acres North of Nocatee, Confirmed by the Davis Family and The PARC Group

The largest and most closely watched application came from BR4700 LLC, an entity tied to the Davis family, seeking certification for 4,462 acres in Ponte Vedra Beach — bordered by the Duval-St. Johns county line to the west, the Intracoastal Waterway to the east, and the northern edge of Nocatee to the south. The filing requests a density of one residential unit per gross acre, which would allow as many as 4,462 homes. The PARC Group confirmed it is working with the Davis family on the proposal, calling the Agricultural Enclave process a way to support “responsible long-range planning in areas near existing infrastructure and population centers.”

This is a separate filing from EverRange, the PARC Group's community connecting eTown and Nocatee to the west and south. This new parcel sits north of Nocatee, directly on the Intracoastal — putting it in the same waterfront tier as Marsh Harbor, where comparable lots have sold for $1.7 million and up.

4. Could This Become Part of Nocatee? The Permitting History Raises Questions

Public county permitting records show some of these parcel numbers tied to a Nocatee-branded parent project dating back to 2006 and 2008 — years before this specific Agricultural Enclave filing. That doesn't confirm this land will ultimately be marketed as a Nocatee neighborhood, an EverRange extension, or an entirely new, separately branded community. As of this writing, the application does not name a proposed community, describe housing types or amenities, or lay out a phasing plan. What's confirmed is the acreage, the density request, and the PARC Group's involvement — everything else, including branding, is still speculation.

5. Requested Density Is Surprisingly Low: One Unit Per Acre

The statutory maximum density allowed under an Agricultural Enclave certification is six units per acre. The Davis family/PARC Group filing requests just one unit per acre — a signal that this may lean toward larger, more exclusive lots rather than dense production housing, more in line with River Landing's half-acre-plus lots than a typical suburban subdivision. That's not a guarantee of final lot sizes, but it's a meaningfully different signal than a developer maximizing density.

6. St. Johns County Has At Least Six Other Enclave Applications Pending

The Nocatee-area filing isn't the only one moving through this process. Other Agricultural Enclave certification requests filed since July 1, 2026 include:

Oyola Lakes — roughly 143 acres in southern St. Johns County, with a previous, larger version of the project denied in 2024
Alder Creek — roughly 610 acres near State Road 16 and Peavy Road, down from 733 acres in an earlier, denied application
Star Investments — roughly 176 acres, with permitting history dating back to 2009
Heritage Development (two parcels) — 615 and 551 acres tied to developer Chris Shee's long-running Parrish Farms project near Interstate 95 and State Road 207

Combined, these applications total more than 6,500 acres — roughly 1.7% of the county's total land area — all moving through certification within the same few-week window. For background on one of the larger repeat applicants, see Jax Daily Record's coverage of Parrish Farms.

7. The Fast-Track Timeline: Up to 180 Days From Application to Approval

The law puts everyone on a clock:

The county has 30 days to issue a written compliance report after an application is filed
A public hearing must follow within 30 days of that report
If the county does not approve or deny certification within 90 days, the land is automatically certified as an agricultural enclave
Once certified, the developer can submit development plans matching adjacent density, and the county has 180 days total to complete that review

For comparison, several of the repeat applications listed above have permitting histories stretching back to 2009, 2019, and 2022. This new process is designed to compress years of review into months.

8. Why the Rush? The Law Sunsets in 2028

SB 686's expanded Agricultural Enclave provision is not permanent. It's scheduled to expire on January 1, 2028, which explains why St. Johns County received multiple applications within days of the law taking effect. Developers who don't act inside this window will have to fall back on the traditional, slower rezoning process once the provision reverts.

9. What This Means for Property Values and Buyers Near Nocatee

Waterfront and near-waterfront land in St. Johns County is already commanding a premium — the Parc Group's own Marsh Harbor lots on the Intracoastal have sold in the $1.7 million to $2 million range. A confirmed 4,462-acre pipeline directly on the Intracoastal, immediately north of one of the best-selling master-planned communities in the country, is the kind of long-range signal that tends to support property values in the surrounding area over time, even before a single home is built. That said, existing homeowners along the edge of this land, particularly in 20 Mile, should expect real changes to traffic, density, and the buffer between developed and undeveloped land, and should not assume this process will move slowly just because past rezoning efforts in the area have.

10. How to Make Your Voice Heard Before the Public Hearing

A public hearing for several of these Agricultural Enclave applications, including the Nocatee-area filing, is scheduled for August 18, 2026. This hearing, before certification is granted, is the public's strongest point of leverage in the process — once land is certified, the county's ability to deny or modify the project narrows significantly. If you want to weigh in:

Attend the public hearing and speak during public comment
Review whether the property actually meets the legal definition of bona fide agricultural use for the required five-year period — this is one of the few technical grounds on which certification can be challenged
Track hearing dates and application documents directly through St. Johns County's Growth Management Department.

Thinking About Buying, Selling, or Investing Near Nocatee or Ponte Vedra Beach?

Whether you're watching this land for a future purchase or wondering how it affects a home you already own, I track these filings closely so you don't have to dig through county permitting portals yourself. The builder or seller pays my commission in most transactions, so working with me doesn't raise your cost.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR MOVE:

Call/Text: (904) 599-2125

Email: greg@livinginjacksonvillefl.com

Website: livinginjacksonvillefl.com

Sources

About the Author

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Agricultural Enclave in Florida?

"An Agricultural Enclave is a legal designation under Florida Senate Bill 686 that allows landowners to bypass the traditional, multi-year comprehensive plan amendment process and apply directly for expedited certification to develop qualifying farmland, provided the land meets specific criteria around size, ownership, agricultural use, and surrounding development."

How many acres are involved in the Nocatee-area filing?

"The application filed by BR4700 LLC, tied to the Davis family, covers 4,462 acres north of Nocatee in Ponte Vedra Beach, just under the law's 4,480-acre cap for enclaves surrounded by residential development."

Is this land part of EverRange or a new Nocatee neighborhood?

"It has not been officially confirmed as either. The application does not name a proposed community or brand. Public permitting records show ties to a Nocatee-branded parent project dating back to 2006, but that alone does not confirm final branding or community name."

When is the public hearing for this project?

"A public hearing for this and several other Agricultural Enclave applications in St. Johns County is scheduled for August 18, 2026. Buyers and residents who want to weigh in should confirm the exact hearing details and location through St. Johns County's Growth Management Department."

Will this development affect property values near Nocatee?

"It's reasonable to expect it could support property values over time, given the site's Intracoastal frontage and proximity to one of the best-selling master-planned communities in the country, though effects on traffic, density, and infrastructure are also part of the picture and vary by specific location."

Posted by Greg DeTullio on July 17th, 2026

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