County outlines tourist development spending, coastal priorities and $1M museum planning grant

County staff walked commissioners through Tourist Development Tax (TDT) planning and coastal project priorities as part of the FY27 workshop.

Staff said St. Johns County is eligible to levy the full 5¢ bed tax allowed by Florida Statute 125.0104 and operates under county ordinance 2024‑42, which prescribes five spending categories: destination marketing; arts, culture and heritage; leisure and recreation; administration and special uses; and beach assets. Staff proposed conservative revenue adjustments (about 1.5% increase for FY26 and FY27) after flat collections in FY24–25 and a modest timing uptick through March of the current year.

The presentation previewed plans to use category funding for contracts (VCB marketing contracts and a marketing agency), Cultural Events Inc. (amphitheater support), and internal projects (ball‑field and water‑access maintenance). Staff also announced a $1,000,000 state planning grant awarded for an initial phase of the Florida Museum of Black History; the county plans an RFP for a consultant to develop a museum master plan and environmental/administrative studies without county capital commitments in FY27.

On coastal management, staff summarized major multi‑year projects: north Ponte Vedra (completed monitoring/construction underway), South Ponte Vedra and an Army Corps CSRM plan (a 50‑year project with a $35–$50M construction gap for which the county is exploring MSTU/MSU assessments, state appropriations, and ways to add public access to leverage federal/state cost shares). Staff also identified Summerhaven managed retreat work, Fortress Point stabilization and long‑term sand‑sourcing as priorities that will require multi‑year funding strategies.

Commissioners asked staff to continue modeling reserves, MSU/MSTU and phased approaches so decisions can be considered in the July recommended budget and the summer TDC advisory schedule.