A 3-2 County Commission vote rescinds earlier approvals for the Heritage Development East and West projects under Florida’s new agricultural enclave law. The decision follows public concern about traffic and water and leaves more enclave applications pending.
The St. Johns County Commission voted 3-2 to deny Heritage Development East and West, reversing approvals given in August.
The projects, proposed by developer Chris Shee’s MasterCraft Builder, could have allowed as many as 15,000 homes near I-95 and State Road 207 under the state’s agricultural enclave law.
County staff are still reviewing eight additional agricultural enclave proposals, so the decision is likely to affect future local development disputes and potential legal challenges.
St. Johns County's Board of County Commissioners reversed earlier approvals and denied two proposed developments known as Heritage Development East and West. The vote was 3-2. The projects had been submitted under Florida's new agricultural enclave law, which lets landowners seek development on farmland surrounded by land already planned or zoned for residential and commercial use.
The denials rescind approvals the board made in August. Commissioners Krista Joseph and Ann Taylor—both frequent critics of the county's fast pace of growth—joined Commissioner Sarah Arnold to vote against the projects. Chair Clay Murphy and Commissioner Christian Whitehurst voted to keep the approvals. Arnold had voted to approve the projects in August but did not comment publicly about why she switched her vote.
The two Heritage developments sit near the intersection of Interstate 95 and State Road 207 in the county's southwest. The applications came as part of the new statutory pathway for so-called agricultural enclaves. Developer Chris Shee of MasterCraft Builder submitted the proposals. Jacksonville Today reported the projects could have supported as many as 15,000 homes.
This is not the last enclave fight in St. Johns County. County staff were reviewing eight more agricultural enclave proposals as of mid-September. The recent denials—this pair and a separate denial earlier in September of a proposal along the Intracoastal Waterway—signal that the county commission will continue to weigh whether projects that qualify under state law also meet local standards and community expectations.
Expect legal scrutiny and more community input. The county still has multiple enclave applications in review, and how the commission handles those will indicate whether the county will more frequently reject enclave certifications or continue approving them under state law.
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