St. Johns County Public Works stresses stormwater improvements and maintenance demands

Greg Caldwell, St. Johns County Public Works Director, said stormwater is a major but sometimes overlooked part of the county’s capital improvement work.

The host noted that the department has 17 stormwater projects this fiscal year with a stated value above $31 million. Caldwell explained that in newer planned communities runoff is collected, treated and routed through stormwater ponds and outfalls, but older neighborhoods often lack adequate systems. "A lot of these are homes that have been built for 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years," he said, which creates elevation and finished-floor challenges when retrofitting modern stormwater infrastructure.

Caldwell emphasized the trade-offs in retrofit work: "We're actually improving the overall system," he said, while cautioning that changes must avoid adverse impacts on existing properties. He also described the scale of the county’s stormwater inventory during the conversation, citing roughly 4,000,000 linear feet of ditches and about 1,500,000 linear feet of stormwater pipes as examples of maintenance scope.

Why it matters: Stormwater upgrades affect flooding and property resilience, particularly in older neighborhoods where raising finished-floor elevations or changing drainage can affect residents. Caldwell framed the work as ongoing review and targeted improvements rather than a single sweeping program.

What’s next: The county will continue to inventory needs, seek grant opportunities and plan phased improvements. Residents seeking details were directed to the county’s public works featured projects page and the CIP dashboard for project-level information and contact names for project managers.