4,462 Acres on Intracoastal & Nocatee Northern Border About to Become Mass Housing Development without Review of Traffic, Infrastructure, School, or Environmental Impacts

BR4700 LLC, a private company, wants to build a mass housing development on 4,462 acres of mostly forested land just north of Nocatee, across the intracoastal from Ponte Vedra Beach — without traffic, school, utilities, or environmental studies required.They are using a new state law, SB 686, that lets them skip the county’s normal review process. Their application claims to qualify within the requirements of the law but there are significant reasons why it may not comply. The Commissioners should be requiring an independent verification before approval.

The County Commission has 90 days from July 1, 2026 to respond. A public hearing is on September 1, 2026 at 9 a.m., at the St. Johns County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine.WE NEED TO FILL THAT AUDITORIUM TO OVERFLOWING. PLEASE BE THERE, BRING A NEIGHBOR OR FRIEND IN ST. JOHNS COUNTY.Give a public comment if you can. It can be as short as "PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS PROJECT." You can speak for up to 3 minutes.ALSO write all five commissioners.

Rough map of 4,462 acres of land in SB 686 proposal by BR 4700 LLC. Includes approximate outline of adjacent 6,174 acres that was already approved by Duval County in 2023 for Housing Development.

The Development Proposal

A privately owned company, BR4700 LLC, is seeking to fast-track the development of 4,462 acres of land in Ponte Vedra for at a mass housing development. The land borders the Northern perimeter of Nocatee and is the western side of the intercoastal across from Ponte Vedra Beach.The company is utilizing SB 686, new state legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2026 that creates an agricultural-enclave process and limits the County’s normal comprehensive-plan review. This means that without the county commission stepping in to challenge the validity of the SB 686 application or challenging the state on the legality of the SB 686 legislation, the very large development will go through without long-range planning. Other communities, such as Nocatee, went through rigorous long-term planning processes with the County.The application by BR4700 LLC says it qualifies for the SB 686 classification based on a .88% margin of existing land use on January 1, 2025. That is ~512 feet of the 58,167 foot perimeter of the property that determines the difference between this property meeting the requirement or not and much of the determination is subject to interpretation.  We are imploring the county to perform a parcel-by-parcel verification of the claims by BR4700 LLC and make the results public.  This is one of many legal requirements under SB 686 that need independent scrutiny and verification.Why Residents Should CareA development of this size will permanently change northern St. Johns County. Thousands of additional vehicles will increase traffic and congestion, while new residents will add pressure to schools, roads, emergency services, water, wastewater and drainage systems.The application does not yet include a final site plan showing road connections, lot sizes, preserved land, school sites or major infrastructure.One side of the development is on the Intercoastal without a bridge across. This means, new road options are limited and point to thousands more vehicles traveling through Nocatee and onto the already maxed out Phillips Highway 1.A public hearing is scheduled for September 1, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the St. Johns County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine. Residents may attend and speak at the hearing. They may also submit written comments and ask that the correspondence be included in the official public record for ENCERT 2026-01.Under SB 686, the County Commissioners can question and verify the request but they MUST do it within 90 days of the application.A petition is asking the County Commissioners to apply a high degree of diligence and scrutiny when reviewing the application. Residents who share these concerns may sign the petition here.Watch the CBS 45 Action News JAX’s coverage on the proposal.

Email the County Commissioners

ExampleAddresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]Subject: I Oppose ENCERT-2026-01Dear County Commissioners,I am a St. Johns County resident at {Your Address}. Please place this comment in the official public record. I oppose certification of ENCERT 2026-01 unless the applicant proves every statutory requirement and full environmental, stormwater wildlife, traffic, school, utility, and emergency-service review are completed. Separately, I also support the commission in challenging the legality of SB 686 at the state level.Kind Regards,
{Your Name}
{Your Mailing Address}

Leave a Voicemail

Call the County Commissioners and let them know where you stand.Contact Information:
Clay Murphy, Commissioner, Chair
Office: (904) 209-0303Ann Taylor, Commissioner, Vice-Chair
Office: (904) 209-0305Krista Joseph, Commissioner
Office: (904) 209-0304Christian Whitehurst, Commissioner
Office: (904) 209-0301Sarah Arnold, Commissioner
Office: (904) 209-0302ExampleHello – My name is {Your Name} residing at {Your Address} calling from {Your Phone Number}. Please place this comment in the official public record. I oppose certification of ENCERT 2026-01 unless the applicant proves every statutory requirement and full environmental, stormwater wildlife, traffic, school, utility, and emergency-service review are completed. Separately, I also support the commission in challenging the legality of SB 686 at the state level.

Ask Your HOA to Notify Residents

Members of HOAs can ask their HOA board to inform residents of community activities that will impact their residents. Send an informational yet neutral email to your HOA board asking them to do this. Here is an example email that one HOA sent to residents. The HOA had an attorney review it before sending it out:Dear HOA Board Members -We are asking the Board of {Your HOA Name Here} to notify residents of a proposal put forth to the County for rezoning 4,462 acres to home sites in Ponte Vedra. Below is an example letter that was reviewed by an attorney for another HOA prior to them sending it to residents:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Good Morning Homeowners,We are writing to make residents aware of a proposed development directly adjacent to Twenty Mile in Nocatee that could include up to 4,462 homes or more.BR4700 LLC is seeking County approval for the proposed development. A public hearing is scheduled for September 1. Residents have the right to attend, ask questions, express concerns, etc. Some residents have started a petition and have requested that the following link to the petition be sent out:https://www.change.org/p/require-full-public-review-before-fast-tracking-the-enclave-development-in-st-johns-coResidents may also email the County Commissioners and reference ENCERT 2026-01:[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]Thank you,
{Your HOA Name Here}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank you for forwarding this to residents.Sincerely,{Your Name Here}

Talk with Your Neighbors

Word of mouth and education on the subject is extremely important. Talk with your neighbors about what's transpiring. Post information in your local social groups so you can help get the word out.

FAQ & Links

What is ENCERT 2026-01?ENCERT 2026-01 is the project name that the BR4700 LLC company submitted to St. Johns County for the development of 4,462 acres in Ponte Vedra.What is SB 686?Agricultural Enclaves; Authorizing certain persons to apply to the governing body of the local government for certification of certain parcels as agricultural enclaves; requiring the local government to hold a public hearing within a specified timeframe to approve or deny such certification; authorizing certain persons to submit certain development plans; authorizing the development of certain parcels for commercial, industrial, or single-family residential purposes under certain circumstances, etc. State legislation page describing the legislation can be found here.Does the land proposed by BR4700 LLC qualify for SB 686?As an example, one of many key legal requirements to qualify for BR4700 is 50% of parcels surrounding the enclave were developed land as of January 1, 2025. The computation by the BR4700 LLC company meets the threshold at 50.88% but uses broad stroke calculations.The county should require a parcel-based computation based on maps and records as of January 1, 2025 to determine if the minimum thresholds are met. ~512 feet of total 58,167 foot perimeter is the small amount over the minimum of this land being eligible for SB 686. They should also review all the qualifying requirements for SB 686 within the proposal.Can the County Commissioners stop the fast tracking of BR4700 LLC’s 4,462-acre proposal?If there is question that the proposal does not meet the requirements of SB 686, YES, they can prevent the use of this legislation to bypass traditional rezoning review, but it must be within 90 days of the application.The county commissioners can also hire an attorney to challenge the legality of the SB 686 legislation.How much development in St. Johns County is being proposed under the SB 686 Legislation?There are 6 applications already under SB 686 that were filed following the July 1, 2026 commencement of the legislation. Find additional information here6,500-plus acres in St. Johns County could be developed under new state law | Jacksonville TodayIs there a shortage of new home sites in the Ponte Vedra area?No, 6,174 acres of land adjacent to the west of the proposed area of BR4700 LLC’s land and north of Nocatee has already been rezoned for housing by Duval County. In February 2023, the rezoning occurred. One third of the land will be protected acreage leaving the remaining 4,000+ acres already zoned for housing. PARC Group has already started development of EverRange which is slated to have somewhere between 1,300 and 1,500 residences. Read the news article describing the development here.

Published by Concerned Citizens of St. Johns County

This website is published by a group of St. Johns County residents to share information and opinions about pending Agricultural Enclave certification applications, including ENCERT 2026-01, and about Florida Senate Bill 686. It is intended for public awareness and civic participation purposes only.The content of this site reflects the views, opinions, and good-faith analysis of private residents. We are not lawyers, surveyors, or planners, and nothing on this site is legal, surveying, or professional advice. Measurements, calculations, and analyses presented here are approximate, non-professional interpretations of publicly available records, including documents in the St. Johns County application file, and they require independent professional verification. Characterizations of statutes and legal requirements are lay opinions and arguments, not legal conclusions, and no court has yet interpreted the statutory provisions discussed.Nothing on this site alleges fraud, misconduct, or illegal activity by any person, business, or government agency. Statements concerning the application, the applicant, county staff, or public officials are either drawn from public records and public meetings or are statements of opinion on matters of public concern.Information on this site may become outdated as hearings occur and records are updated; we make no guarantee of completeness or accuracy. Readers should consult the official St. Johns County records and, for legal questions, a licensed Florida attorney. Use of this site does not create any attorney-client or other professional relationship, and this site is not affiliated with St. Johns County or any government agency.Last Updated: August 22, 2026