St. Johns County approves $17.5 million purchase for 31-acre parcel for boat ramp, park
St. Johns County commissioners on Tuesday morning unanimously approved spending $17.5 million to create a boat ramp and a park with parking spaces along the San Sebastian River just north of State Road 312 at the bridge.
Commissioner Paul Waldron said that it could become one of the "nicest parks in the state of Florida."
"I not only support it; I'm very excited about it," Waldron said.
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The site is about 31 acres and is located east of Home Depot and south of Nix Boat Yard Road, according to county documents.
If the deal goes through, the site is expected to offer deep-water access with "a public boat ramp, ample parking" and related uses, such as a passive park, according to the county documents. County officials will create a management plan for the site.
The county has made waterway access a priority and has put funding toward land acquisition for boat ramps, according to the presentation.
There is high demand for boat ramps, according to the county. The county had 16,701 registered vessels as of 2021 with 13 county-maintained boat ramps.
Lampe, Roy & Associates appraised the property at $15.91 million. The county will have a second appraisal done, as per protocol, according to a county presentation. The $17.5 million purchase price does not include closing costs.
As part of approval, commissioners allowed for up to $8 million to be financed for the property. Other potential sources of funding for the cost include the county's Waterway Access Fund, Tree Bank Fund, impact fee dollars and bed tax money.
The county is pursuing grants to help with the purchase or to reimburse some of the cost of the purchase, including from the St. Augustine Port, Waterway & Beach District and the Florida Inland Navigation District, according to a county presentation.
The county still needs to complete due diligence, such as an environmental report and a survey.
The property owners are five siblings who have all tentatively agreed to sell the property to the county, according to a county presentation.
The park would be on the opposite side of the bridge from Fish Island Preserve, a nearly 60-acre passive park preserved by the state of Florida and managed by the city of St. Augustine.
Officials from the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach spoke in support of the purchase.
St. Augustine Commissioner Barbara Blonder said Fish Island has been "tremendously popular" and there is demand for recreation elsewhere. She said having more recreational opportunities in this part of the county would be a benefit.
"I live near the Vilano boat ramp and regularly go past it," she said. "It is over capacity almost always. The need is clearly there."
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Johns County seeks land near S.R. 312 bridge for park, boat ramp
