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LAMP board votes to advance Jack Wright Island parcel for acquisition review
Summary
The St. Johns County LAMP board voted June 9 to recommend the 8.35-acre Jack Wright Island parcel to the next phase of acquisition review, citing its contiguous conservation value and wetland quality; staff noted potential partner funding but said Florida Communities Trust is not an option for this parcel.
St. Johns County’s Land Acquisition and Management Program (LAMP) board voted June 9 to move the 8.35-acre Jack Wright Island parcel forward in the county acquisition process.
Staff presented the parcel as a mixed hardwood wetland contiguous with a county-owned, 262-acre conservation area and located in the St. Johns River Blueway and Florida Forever corridor. Staff said the site is in a FEMA AE flood zone, contains a high-quality wetland system, and has a recorded 40-foot access easement that would require coordination with an adjacent property owner for a driveway.
Ryan Malcolith, LAMP staff in growth management, told the board that Parks and Recreation does not consider the parcel well suited to active public recreation in its current condition but that acquisition would add conservation value and support regional habitat protection. Malcolith also said the parcel is not eligible for acquisition through the Florida Communities Trust program but that staff has discussed potential partnerships with the water management district and the Department of Environmental Protection.
Property owner Jonathan Redwands told the board he had initially pursued a private residential development option but instead brought the parcel to the LAMP program hoping for a “win-win” for the Blueway and the contiguous conservation area. Redwands estimated that after conversion from wetlands the parcel could appraise substantially higher if developed; he described his nomination as an effort to preserve the land rather than sell it to a developer.
A board member moved to recommend the county pursue acquisition; another member seconded the motion. The board voted in favor and the motion carried. Staff said the property will return to a future meeting for ranking, scoring and further due diligence, including the county appraisal process and any partner negotiations.
The decision does not set a purchase price. Staff located the application’s listed price as $250,000 and reminded the board that any formal acquisition proceeds through statutory appraisal(s) and negotiation with a willing seller. LAMP staff and legal-staff representatives reiterated that under county practice one appraisal is typical for properties under $500,000 and two appraisals are required above that threshold, and that purchases are contingent on seller willingness and final appraisal results.
The board’s action is procedural: it forwards the parcel for the next phase of county review rather than approving purchase or funding. The parcel will be evaluated, appraised, and scored at the subsequent meeting before any recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
