St. Johns commissioners uphold staff ruling on Old Moultrie outpost but direct new code for food-truck parks

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday upheld the county
dministration
dministrative interpretation that the Old Moultrie outpost does not qualify as a previously developed commercial site for mobile food vendors, but the board unanimously directed staff to craft a new Land Development Code provision to allow food-truck parks under a tailored standard.

Appellant counsel Jeremiah Mulligan of the Maury Law Firm asked the commission to reverse the county
dministratorinding and allow the outpost to resume operations. Mulligan said the parcel already has utilities, existing curb cuts, compacted parking and drainage and that a phase-1 interim plan could address safety concerns while a long-term development plan is processed. "If you grant the appeal, our position is that we should be allowed to go back to business today," Mulligan said.

Engineer Matt Lotte of Gulfstream Design told commissioners the project team could install split-rail fencing, wheel stops and an ADA restroom trailer within days and submit a minor commercial plan for a five-day staff review. "The temporary ask would be ... to install the fencing, the wheel stops, the ADA bathrooms, and allow them to get these vendors back to work as soon as possible," Lotte said.

Growth management staff cautioned that certain elements of the site
nd the county's land development code present legal limits. Jacob Smith in growth management said unpaid parking areas may require a special use and that staff must review any submitted plan. Director Mike Robertson said staff would expedite a review but that outstanding code relief could require a public hearing.

At the hearing, multiple vendors and local residents urged a short-term path to reopen. Carly Glancy, a vendor representing Dogtown, said losing the outpost had immediate financial consequences: "This isn't just a side hustle — this is how we support our families," she said, asking for "a temporary path forward" while a durable code solution is developed.

Commissioners split on how quickly to allow vendors to resume. Some members argued that overturning the staff interpretation would expose the county to litigation and encourage noncompliance with code; others said the county's rules had not anticipated food-truck parks and that a narrowly tailored exception would support small businesses. After an extended procedural exchange and roll-call votes, the chair announced the board ecision to leave the administrative interpretation in place and to direct staff to produce code changes.

The board then passed, 5-0, a motion directing growth management and the county attorney's office to return with a Land Development Code provision that recognizes food-truck parcels as a separate use and explores less restrictive standards (for example, alternatives to full paved parking where appropriate). Staff said it will attempt to expedite any required special-use or site-plan process and will present recommended language and timelines to the commission.

The board's action means the existing administrative ruling remains operative while staff drafts code changes; commissioners said the aim is to create a legally defensible, safety-focused path for food-truck operations going forward.

Next steps: growth management will return with proposed LDC language, guidance on temporary permits and a recommended schedule for public hearings to adopt any code revisions.