Commission approves rezoning of 11 county utility parcels to public‑service category

The St. Johns County commission approved an ordinance on a second reading to administratively rezone 11 county‑owned parcels used for utilities to a Public Service (PS) classification. Gordon Smith, representing the county utilities department, presented a map and brief description of sites including water booster stations, elevated storage tanks and a wastewater site. Commissioners asked routine quasi‑judicial ex‑parte questions and found no conflicts before the vote.

"We're here today to request this 2nd reading for administrative rezoning of 11 parcels that are owned by St. Johns County and used for government service," Gordon Smith said while summarizing the locations and service functions. After the motion and a second, the recorded vote passed 5–0; the chair announced the ordinance passed "5–0." The rezoning applies only to county‑owned parcels used for utility operations and is an administrative action recorded in the ordinance packet.

The action is administrative (rezoning from the county to PS to reflect government service use) rather than a change in permitted private development; the county's public‑service classification will standardize land‑use treatment for the listed utility sites. No public comment was received on the item during the board's public comment window for the item.

Staff will update the zoning maps and record the ordinance; Gordon Smith and utilities staff indicated they would respond to any follow‑up questions from commissioners or residents.