ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Florida — St. Johns County is grappling with the potential for fast-tracked development and that may mean the school district could be forced to take on more debt.
It’s due to a new state law that made it easier for landowners to have their properties designated as agricultural enclaves.
Earning that designation allows them to circumvent local growth plans and zoning processes.
Two parcels recently approved for agricultural enclave designations could now see as many as 15,000 homes built on them.
St. Johns County School District Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen explained that will likely trigger the need for new schools.
“If it’s happening very quickly and you have to build two schools in a year like we have in the past, that becomes difficult because we have to borrow,” said Asplen.
While it’s unclear how many new schools may have to be built, Asplen noted the average cost of a new school is around $60 million.
The district is already spending about $45 million on debt service on an annual basis.
Asplen said every additional $85 million the district has to borrow equates to an additional $5 million in annual debt service payments.
“And since we’re in an infrastructure-type situation we have to make it happen because we need to build the schools to accommodate the students,” said Asplen.
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With more agriculture enclave applications yet to be decided, as many as 47,500 new homes in total are potentially on the horizon.
Asplen said while the district isn’t taking a position on the new state law, he believes it’s important for the community to understand all of its implications.
“We can tell the county commissioners, ‘hey, here are the effects, here is the impact, here’s what’s going to happen as far as the school system is concerned,’” said Asplen. ”And then whatever decision they make, we make it happen one way or the other, which most of the time - all of the time - is more taxpayer dollars going toward debt because we don’t get dollars from anywhere else.”
Action News Jax did reach out to the developer behind the two recently approved agricultural enclave applications asking how many homes it plans to build on the land, how soon it plans to start building and whether it has any plans to help pay for infrastructure like new schools.
We have not heard back.
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