ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — With St. Johns County increasing in population, there’s a need for more first responders to be even closer to their growing community. On Thursday, the county broke ground on a facility designed to do just that.
County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Sheriff’s operation center combined with a fire station. The groundbreaking was originally set for January but was delayed due to the weather.
The new 19,965 square foot facility, located on St. Johns Parkway off Silver Lake Drive in unincorporated St. Augustine, is designed to add more support for emergency response operations in the Silverleaf area and surrounding communities.
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The facility’s calculated location aims to hasten response times for emergencies in growing neighborhoods nearby.
How much is the area growing? As of 2020, the US Census Bureau reported the county population is more than 273,000, up from over 190,000 in 2010. But World Population Review estimates the county population is more than 300,000.
“More people that come into the area creates more incidents potentially for us. This is the biggest, fastest-growing part of the county at this time. This is the northwest part of the county,” said Chief Sean McGee with St. Johns County Fire Rescue.
The facility is expected to open in 2027. The estimated cost is $13 million.
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