At the April 16 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners meeting, a new five-year public safety plan was presented. It includes four new public safety stations, a new regional fire training center, a new medical examiner facility and a sheriff’s headquarters expansion. Considering previous public safety capital projects since 2020, the county will have a 10-year infrastructure investment plan estimated to be more than $100 million from 2020 to 2029.
Additionally, vital public safety initiatives including a Firefighter Safety & Wellness program will be expanded, providing firefighters additional bunker gear and new uniforms to meet NFPA safety standards. Additional funding will also be allocated to expand vital mental health and wellness programing for first responders recently launched by Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office.
The board authorized the county administrator to move forward with the public safety plan and assemble a county financing team to present a financing package to the commission under a subsequent agenda item as well as the use of up to $800,000 from Fire/EMS Impact Fee Fund toward the design of the first two fire stations.
“It's crucial for our community to understand that not a single penny of property tax from our residents will be utilized to cover the construction costs of these new public safety facilities,” said County Administrator Joy Andrews. “To ensure fiscal responsibility, an estimated bond of $44.1 million to $49.1 million will be serviced solely using impact fees collected from developers and recurring state remitted revenue. Through proactive collaboration with our state legislative delegations and a successful strategy of leveraging state and federal funds, we've secured $26.7 million in state appropriations to offset construction costs associated with this plan. Leveraging the county's impressive credit rating with Moody’s Aaa and S&P AA+ further strengthens our ability to execute this essential public safety infrastructure plan."
Since 2020 the board’s investment in Fire Rescue capital needs exceeds $53 million. Beginning in 2025, Facilities Management will oversee a three-year, $9 million program, to renovate and upgrade existing fire stations by the end of 2027.
Fire Stations approved as part of the public safety plan include:
Each new fire station will include a Sheriff’s Office substation.
In addition to the expansion of fire stations, the county is also aggressively pursuing an improved countywide ISO rating through prioritized investments in public safety. This includes a water sourcing initiative, which will provide water supply to areas currently without fire hydrants by adding two additional staffed tanker apparatus at strategic locations in the county.
In response to Commissioner Christian Whitehurst’s question regarding the impact of these stations on the residents, the St. Johns County Geographic Information System division has reported that the newly proposed four fire and sheriff stations, to be established within the next six years, will indeed have a significant impact on the residents. These stations are expected to provide enhanced public safety services to an estimated total of 46,738 homes. Moreover, a portion of these residents may see a potential savings on their property insurance premiums as a result of this strategic investment, with the goal of positively impacting the county’s ISO rating.
Specifically, the breakdown of residential impact is as follows:
“The goal is to provide opportunities for insurance cost savings for residential and commercial property owners based on their insurance carrier’s use of ISO ratings to set coverage rates,” said Andrews.
Other details of the five-year plan include: