St. Johns County commissioners weigh legal options over Senate Bill 686 'ag enclave' fast-track

St. Johns County officials told listeners they are examining legal avenues after recent state legislation that local leaders say could limit their authority over certain developments.

Wayne Larson, director of public affairs for St. Johns County government, described a wave of applications using so-called "ag enclaves" and said the board discussed the bill at its most recent meeting. "There's a sense out there that in Tallahassee during the last legislative session and with governor DeSantis' support, basically, you have a bill that ties the hands of local government when it comes to restricting development," Larson said. He added that multiple large applications have been filed and will come before the board for initial review later this month.

Larson said the board has not adopted a formal challenge but agreed to analyze the cost and viability of retaining legal representation to review options. "They're going to do, basically, a cost analysis of what the viability would be to hire a legal representation," he said, describing the review as a first step to determine whether the commissioners should pursue litigation or other remedies.

Why it matters: county officials said the bill could shorten local review timelines and create automatic approvals if local governments do not act within a statutory window. Larson said the county will monitor incoming applications and consider legal advice before taking further action. No formal motion or vote to retain counsel was recorded during the segment; Larson described only the board's decision to study costs and options.

Next steps: Larson told listeners the affected projects will appear on future agendas for first review and that more information will be released as the county completes its cost analysis.