St. Johns County commissioners deny 170-foot cell-tower appeal, approve large U-Haul signs and select Planet Swim to manage Salomon Calhoun pool

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners on a recent agenda rejected an appeal to place a 170-foot cell-phone tower in the St. Augustine Shores neighborhood, upheld a conditional approval for oversized advertising at a U-Haul site and approved a five-year pool management contract with Planet Swim.

Wayne Larson, director of public affairs for St. Johns County, said the board listened to substantial public comment before denying the developer's appeal to install the 170-foot tower. "So at this point that cell tower will not be going into that neighborhood," Larson said on the county's radio recap. Residents cited concerns including effects on property values, Larson said.

The board also considered a variance request from a U-Haul facility that sought advertising signs far larger than the county's stated 200-square-foot maximum. Larson said the presenter described two signs of about 600 square feet each; after hearing from the public and the property representative the board overturned the Planning & Zoning Authority's denial and approved the signs subject to roughly five conditions, including added vegetation to improve aesthetics.

On the Salomon Calhoun Community Pool in West Augustine, the county's purchasing process produced three responsive proposals and ranked Planet Swim as the top proposer. Larson said the contract approved by the board runs for five years with renewal options; it requires certified lifeguards, a policy and procedure manual, an advertising plan, operator contributions to capital improvements and maintenance, and a revenue-sharing arrangement that would give the county 15% of program revenues. "They're going to provide open swim sessions and programs to the community," Larson said, adding the operator will work with the West Augustine Community Redevelopment Area to continue resident discounts. The board approved the pool contract by a 3–2 vote, Larson reported.

Under commissioners' reports the board also discussed e-bikes and the possibility of holding a workshop to consider an e-bike ordinance and other measures to improve safety for riders and the public.

Next steps: the denial of the cell-tower appeal leaves the Planning & Zoning Authority decision in place; the U-Haul signs will proceed under the board's stated conditions; and the Planet Swim contract will move forward with the operational requirements and community coordination Larson described. The county did not provide motion texts or individual roll-call votes for the cell-tower or signage items in the radio recap; the pool contract approval was reported as 3–2.