St. Johns County Hosts Annual Legislative Delegation Meeting
St. Johns County hosted the annual Legislative Delegation public meeting earlier this month in the St. Johns County Auditorium, according to county media release. The St. Johns County Legislative Delegation, which included Sen. Travis Hutson, Rep. Cyndi Stevenson, and Speaker Paul Renner, heard public testimony on legislative issues, appropriations, and local bills from nearly four dozen organizations that signed up to speak. The meeting was also broadcast by The Florida Channel for the first time.
St. Johns County Commission Vice Chair Sarah Arnold presented the county’s 2024 legislative priorities to the delegation.
“This year, our funding priorities include capital improvement projects that will enhance transportation connectivity, emergency response capacity, and coastal protection,” Arnold said in the release. “With our delegation’s assistance, we have achieved long-term benefits, not only for the residents of St. Johns County but for the region as a whole. We are very grateful for the hard work of our Delegation in bringing much-needed resources to our community.”
County Sheriff Rob Hardwick presented his office’s priorities as well.
“The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office appreciates our Legislative Delegation and looks forward to working with them on obtaining funding for the central public safety station, which includes a backup communications center, also known as a Public Safety Answering Point,” he said in the release.
The county’s legislative action plan was approved by commissioners unanimously at their Sept. 19 meeting and seeks more than $69 million in state appropriations for several projects, including alleviating traffic congestion and improving safety on State Road 16, completion of the central segment of County Road 2209, the Central Public Safety Station project, a regional fire training facility, stabilization of Porpoise Point, addressing erosion issues in South Ponte Vedra Beach and recreation improvements in Genovar Park.
In addition to the local infrastructure issues, the county’s legislative action plan addresses regional and statewide issues including removing outdated requirements that raise the cost of school construction or inhibit investment in new school construction; identifying historic farming communities and providing pathways to conserve working lands and encourage public infrastructure investment; and facilitating the restoration of the Matanzas River Estuarine Ecosystem in St. Johns and Flagler counties, according to the release.