November 7 – County Commission Meeting

The regular meeting of the St Johns County Board of Commissioners was held Tuesday November 7, 2013, 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:

Recognitions:

• The Board recognized Betty Ann Fredricks’ retirement from St. Johns County Library Services culminating a long and distinguished career begun in 1999. During her employment with the St. Johns County Public Library System, she has been a branch manager of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library, an assistant director for the library system, and the head of the library system’s extension services and outreach department overseeing the books-by-mail program, the homebound delivery service, and the County’s two bookmobiles.

• The Board recognized Katherine Dvornick and her contributions to the Florida Heritage Book Festival, Writers Conference, and Literary Legends Awards Banquet, which integrally add to the quality of life and enrichment of St. Johns County.

Proclamations:

• The Board proclaimed November 2013 as Mental Illness Awareness Month
• The Board proclaimed November 11, 2013, as Veteran’s Day
• The Board proclaimed November 16, 2013, as the 140th Anniversary of the St. Augustine Yacht Club
• The Board proclaimed November 2013 as Adoption Month

Regular Agenda Item One – Interlocal Agreement with Jacksonville to Issue Bonds for YMCA Project

St. Johns County staff presented a resolution authorizing St. Johns County to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Jacksonville (the “City”) to allow the City to issue Industrial Development Revenue Bonds for the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Florida’s First Coast Project. The Bonds will refund the outstanding Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Industrial Development Revenue Refunding Bond Series 2011 and finance new capital projects for the YMCA located in the City and St. Johns County. The County will not be required to pay any portion of the Bonds and the Bonds will not affect or impact the County’s ability to incur County debt. The Board unanimously approved the motion to adopt Resolution 2013-242, approving the execution and delivery by the County of the Interlocal Agreement and the issuance of the Bonds by the City.

Regular Agenda Item Two – Public Hearing: NZVAR 2013-05 Flagler Hospital

St. Johns County staff presented a request for a non-zoning variance to Land Development Code Sections 7.02.01.A & B in order to allow the display area of a wall sign at Flagler Hospital to be increased to 240-square-feet in lieu of the 150 square feet specified by the code. The subject property, located at 300 Health Park Boulevard, is just south and east of the S.R. 312 and U.S. 1 intersection. Based on the information available to staff, this request substantially meets the requirements of the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. The Board unanimously approved a motion to enact the non-zoning variance application NZVAR 2013-05, adopting findings of fact 1-6 to support the motion.

Regular Agenda Item Three – Public Hearing: DEVAGRMOD 2013-01 Sunshine Holdings Development

St. Johns County staff presented a modification to the Sunshine Holdings Development Agreement that was approved by the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners on March 23, 2005. The request for modification seeks to add 17.57 acres of land that is currently in review to be incorporated within the Sunshine 16 PUD pursuant to COMPAMD 2013-01 and MAJMOD 2013-02; approval of additional road impact fee credit for costs that resulted from design changes required by a permitting agency pursuant to Section 11.a of the Agreement; and to relieve the developments from the remainder of the Phase II intersection improvements based on an updated analysis of the S.R. 16/IGP/Pacetti Road intersection. Two public hearings are required to modify a Development Agreement. The Board announced that the second public hearing is scheduled before the Board of County Commissioners on December 3, 2013.

Regular Agenda Item Four – Impact Fee Agreement for Nocatee Fire/Rescue Station

St. Johns County staff presented a resolution authorizing the County Administrator to execute an impact fee credit agreement between St. Johns County and the Tolomato Community Development District for the purpose of funding a Nocatee Fire/Rescue Station. To expedite the construction of this station, the impact fee allows Tolomato to prepay fire/rescue impact fees to the County and receive credits in a fire/rescue impact fee account. The Board unanimously approved a motion to adopt Resolution 2013-243 authorizing the County Administrator to execute an Impact Fee Credit Agreement according to the terms specified in the revised form for the purposes of funding the Nocatee Fire/Rescue Station. The County is scheduled to commence construction of the Nocatee Fire/Rescue Station in the Spring of 2014.

County Attorney’s Report – Transportation Planning Organization Grant for Compressed Natural Gas

The County Attorney briefed the Board on a grant negotiation for converting a portion of St. Johns County vehicles to compressed natural gas. One member of the firm negotiating the agreement between the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and the County is also a member of the County’s finance counsel. Based on the information presented, the Board unanimously indicated there is no perceived conflict of interest for this finance council member to be involved in the TPO negotiation at this time.