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Commissioners propose protecting National Register properties after county plans to sell Saint Andrew’s School
Summary
Commissioner Street urged quick action to protect properties already on the National Register, citing the county’s possible sale of Saint Andrew’s School; commissioners discussed models used in other Florida cities and whether protections should be voluntary or mandatory.
Commissioner Street asked the commission to bring forward a historic-preservation ordinance after learning the county is considering selling Saint Andrew's School. "If it's on the historic registry, I hope that there's at least a majority agreement that we should protect the buildings that are on the National Historic Registry," he said.
Street and other commissioners discussed tools used by other Florida municipalities — such as historic-preservation boards, certification processes, or special review categories that require additional review for demolition or modification. Several commissioners noted that listing on the National Register does not, on its own, prevent demolition and recommended the commission focus first on protections for properties already on the National Register.
Commissioner Granger and others raised property-rights concerns: if the city adopts protections for privately owned buildings, what restrictions would apply and would owners be compensated or prevented from pursuing desired renovations? Street said many Florida towns use preservation boards or voluntary programs; others have mandatory review mechanisms for specified categories of buildings.
Next steps: The item will be placed on a future commission agenda (the commissioner section) and staff will circulate research and draft language; commissioners asked for time to review examples from cities such as Milton and Tallahassee and for staff to meet with interested commissioners before any first reading. No ordinance vote occurred at the workshop.
Ending: Commissioners expressed general support for protecting a small number of locally important historic buildings but acknowledged details — scope, ownership limits, and implementation mechanisms — remain to be defined.
