It does not appear likely that a 1-percent increase in St. Johns County’s tourist development tax from 4 to 5 percent will be approved as a funding mechanism for local beach renourishment, despite the County Commission’s 3-2 vote directing county staff to move forward with drafting an ordinance on the matter at its Tuesday, Oct. 16 meeting.
The subject of much public debate for the better part of the last year, the item was added to the meeting’s agenda for discussion by Commission Chair Henry Dean, who has been a vocal proponent of the increase specifically for funding beach restoration.
“What’s before us today really is a funding formula partnership between the federal government, the state government and us, the local government,” Dean said the meeting. “This funding formula not only, I think, is the best and fairest and most equitable formula … but in my opinion, it’s the only formula. I’ve given a lot of thought to this over the last year and a half or so, and I have been unable to come up with any alternative. This gets us where we need to be, and if we don’t go forward, I am pretty much at a loss as to how we manage, restore and renourish our beaches.”
According to county officials, a 1-percent increase in the tourist development tax, also called the “bed tax,” could generate an additional $2.2 million annually, which many residents have hoped would be allocated towards a long-term beach renourishment plan to address St. Johns County’s long-standing issue of coastal erosion. Without at least a 4-1 supermajority vote of approval from the County Commission, however, those hopes are just a pipe dream, and currently, only three of the five commissioners have declared their support for the proposal.
Calling the decision a “no-brainer,” Commissioner Jay Morris — who is not seeking re-election — said he was completely in favor of implementing the increase.
“To me, beach renourishment is probably the No. 1 thing in the county that we need to accomplish,” he said, “and I feel really bad about that, because I’m not going to be here when the final vote is taken on that. I would vote to raise the bed tax to 5 (percent) today, if we were going to do that — that’s how strongly I feel about this.”
While Commissioner Paul Waldron said he was also in favor of raising the bed tax, he disagreed that the decision was an easy one.
“I’m all for the TDC bed tax to go up, and I’ve said that all along, but when you come to some of this renourishment and the viability of it … we are going to be putting the county taxpayers in debt for $48 million, plus interest,” he said, referring to the state and federal renourishment projects currently on the table for Vilano and South Ponte Vedra beaches. “You’ve got to understand, that’s not pennies.”
Morris, however, noted that the tax increase could potentially help to fund those projects, emphasizing that the tax would be shouldered by tourists, not residents.
Nevertheless, Commissioner Jeb Smith said he opposed increasing the tax on principle as “one of those guys who ran on a ‘no tax increase’ agenda.” And although he added that he was in favor of utilizing other collective means (such as an MSTU or MSBU) to address the issue of beach erosion, he announced his intention to vote against the bed tax increase — a declaration that drew loud boos from several of the meeting’s attendees.
Commissioner Jimmy Johns, addressing those attendees, said he also intended to vote against the increase due to the uncertainty of whether the additional funds would actually be used for beach renourishment.
“I believe there is a solution to this; I believe we do not have it today,” he said. “I believe the information you have is incomplete and inaccurate and you are wanting to achieve something that will not be achieved based on the information that is available today.”
It is unknown when the final vote will take place, but with Smith and Johns now expected to vote against the bed tax increase, it seems those seeking to restore St. Johns County’s beaches will need to find another path.
