Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fullerwood residents press St. Augustine commissioners to buy 100‑acre marsh to curb flooding and protect wildlife
Summary
Dozens of Fullerwood residents urged the City Commission to use its Land Conservation Program to purchase and protect a 100‑acre marsh parcel, citing repeated flooding since 2016, wildlife habitat and concern that private development would worsen neighborhood flooding. Staff presented rankings and recommended appraisals as a next step.
Dozens of residents from the Fullerwood neighborhood urged the St. Augustine City Commission to use its Land Conservation Program to buy and protect a 100‑acre marsh parcel, saying development there would increase flooding and harm wildlife.
At the start of public comment, Rebecca Allen, a Fullerwood resident, said the proposed docks and homes would “probably ruin the ecosystem” and described growing problems from short‑term rentals and traffic in her neighborhood. Kristen Brown, also of Fullerwood, said her home has flooded four times since 2016 and that keeping the marsh intact is necessary to absorb tidewater and prevent more frequent flooding.
The request came while staff presented the conservation program’s newly ranked nominations. Reuben Franklin, presenting the staff report, said the three newly submitted properties scored as follows in a staff ranking meeting: Van Dyke (50.2), Avery Street (45.8) and the 100‑acre marsh (41). Franklin told commissioners the next step would be to order appraisals and return with funding options once values are known.
Why it matters: speakers repeatedly tied the marsh’s ecological functions—mangroves, nursery habitat and shoreline buffering—to reduced flood risk for adjacent streets and homes. Emily Bell, a Fullerwood resident who described the parcel as protected wetlands and mangroves, said that allowing fill and docks “is absolutely going to introduce more flooding to the Fullerwood neighborhood.” Other residents cited King Tide street inundation photos and asked the commission to prioritize purchase to protect both people and wildlife.
Commission response and staff direction: commissioners acknowledged the neighborhood’s concerns and debated the ranking criteria used by staff. One commissioner questioned why the Van Dyke parcel had scored higher, noting its potential for public access while other speakers emphasized the marsh’s ecological value and adjacency to a National Register district. The city manager and planning staff said they would check boundaries and eligibility for federal or state conservation programs (including a possible Florida Blueway connection), and staff agreed to produce appraisals and more detailed scoring documentation before the commission takes acquisition action.
What’s next: staff recommended and commissioners agreed to pursue appraisals for the three nominated parcels and to return with detailed appraisal results, funding options and any boundary/eligibility clarifications. Residents who spoke asked the commission to consider purchasing the 100‑acre marsh as a top priority to reduce current flood impacts and preserve habitat.
Community context: speakers repeatedly described repeated flooding during King Tides and storms (notably since Hurricane Matthew in 2016) and the neighborhood’s reliance on mangroves and wetlands for flood mitigation. Several commenters also raised concerns about investor purchases and conversion of nearby homes to short‑term rentals as a separate pressure on neighborhood stability.
No formal acquisition decision was made at the meeting; commissioners directed staff to get appraisals and additional background information and to return with options for consideration.
