St Johns County Commission meeting

The regular meeting of the St Johns County Board of Commissioners was held Tuesday in the County Auditorium in the St Johns County Administration Palace located at 500 San Sebastian View in St Augustine.

The following items of business came before the Board for action:

Proclamations
The Board proclaimed May 18-24, 2013 as National Safe Boating Week.
The Board proclaimed May 19-25, 2013 as National Public Works Week.
The Board proclaimed May 21, 2013 as James G. Sisco Day.
The Board proclaimed May, 2013 as Civility Month

Regular Agenda Item One – Transportation Improvement Program Fiscal Years 2013/14 – 2017/18
Wanda Forrest, Transportation Planning Manager for the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, presented a briefing on the Transportation Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2013/14 through 2017/18. The plan describes the publicly funded highway, transit, and aviation projects planned and programmed for the North Florida TPO region which includes Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns County.

Regular Agenda Item Two – PUD 2012-04, Wildwood Drive
The Board was presented with a request to rezone 15.52 acres from open rural to planned unit development for the construction of up to 37 single family homes. The property is located on the east side of Wildwood Drive, across from Treaty Park. The Planning and Zoning Agency unanimously issued a recommendation of approval to the Board at the February 7, 2013 meeting. The Board enacted an ordinance approving the rezoning request.

Regular Agenda Item Three A – Florida Property Assessed Clean Energy Funding Agency Program
The Board was presented an informational briefing on the Florida Property Assessed Clean Energy Funding Agency Program.

Regular Agenda Item Three – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Critical Habitat Designation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests comments on their proposal to designate habitat located in certain coastal counties as critical habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS is proposing to exclude from the critical habitat designation the beaches in St. Johns counties that are covered under habitat conservation plans, because the plans incorporate measures that provide a benefit for the conservation of the loggerhead sea turtle. The Board authorized the County Administrator to send a letter to the USFWS requesting the exemption of St. Johns County beaches from the designation as critical habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle due to the County’s existing habitat conservation plan.