St. Johns County approves the $100 million conservation bond as Amendment 3 passes statewide

The results

The numbers below are the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results as of the last election-night update at 10:54 p.m. Election-day and early votes were fully counted at that point. Vote-by-mail ballots were partly counted, and provisional ballots were not included. The canvassing board still has to certify the results.

• Conservation bond: 110,300 yes (75.28%) to 36,215 no (24.72%), with all 55 precincts reporting. It needed a simple majority.
• Amendment 3 in St. Johns County: 96,448 yes (65.37%) to 51,088 no (34.63%).
• Amendment 3 statewide: 62.01% yes with about 99% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC 6's results page. It needed 60% to pass.
• Turnout: 156,860 ballots cast out of 243,889 registered voters, or 64.32%.

Local races

• School Board District 4: Tammie McClafferty won with 17,563 votes (60.82%) to Jillian Tozer's 11,314.
• St. Augustine City Commission Seat 5: Matt Brown won with 4,033 votes (65.04%) to Julie Settle's 2,168.
• St. Augustine Beach City Commission Seat 3: Jacob Dascomb won with 2,144 votes (59.11%) to Undine Celeste George's 1,483. A St. Augustine Beach charter amendment passed with 87.83% of the vote.
• St. Johns County Airport Authority: Jerry Dedge won Group 2 with 57.26%, and Sean Griswold won Group 3 with 43.97% in a three-way race.
• Anastasia Mosquito Control District: Tim Burton won Seat 2 with 36.85%, and Gary Howell won Seat 4 with 39.11%, both in four-way races.
• St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach Commission: Lynda I. Kirker won Group 1 with 55.18%. Group 5 is the closest countywide race on the ballot, with Clay M. Hansen at 14,089 votes and Tom Rivers at 13,899, a gap of 190 votes with mail ballots still being counted.

Eleven community development district seats were also on the ballot. The tightest was Heritage Landing CDD Seat 2, where Christine Mallatt led Brad Thompson 648 to 639. In Tolomato CDD Seat 5, Anthony Vetter led Ronald Howland 4,830 to 4,677.

What the conservation bond allows

The bond lets the county borrow up to $100 million in general obligation bonds, in one or more rounds, each repaid within 20 years. The money goes to the county's Land Acquisition and Management Program, known as LAMP, to buy and manage land for water quality, wildlife habitat, working farms and forests, outdoor recreation and flood reduction.

Repayment comes from a property tax capped at 0.15 mills, which is $15 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value. At the cap, that is $45 a year on $300,000 of taxable value, $75 on $500,000 and $112.50 on $750,000. Taxable value is what remains after exemptions, so for most homeowners it is below market value.

Passing the bond does not raise taxes on its own and does not buy any land on its own. The county's voter guide says each purchase still requires its own decision, and LAMP buys only from willing sellers with County Commission approval. Until now LAMP has had $500,000 a year, plus a one-time $1.5 million approved in January.

The County Commission put the question on the ballot by a 3-2 vote on Aug. 18, with the two no votes citing the timing alongside Amendment 3. Jacksonville Today reported that conservation measures also passed Tuesday in other Florida counties, including Manatee and Sarasota. Matanzas Riverkeeper Jen Lomberk told Jacksonville Today the result "sends a signal that people want to pay less for property taxes, but they want the property taxes they are paying to be used for things they genuinely care about."

What Amendment 3 changes

Amendment 3 takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. According to the ballot summary and the county explainers we read:

• The homestead exemption for non-school property taxes rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjusts for inflation.
• School taxes keep the current $25,000 homestead exemption.
• People who are not Florida residents on Dec. 31, 2026, get the existing exemption, up to $50,000, when they first qualify for homestead. The larger exemption starts with their fifth year of homestead exemption.
• The yearly cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property, such as second homes, rentals and commercial buildings, drops from 10% to 5% for non-school taxes.
• Counties and cities must spend property taxes on a set list of purposes, including public safety, schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits and operations.
• The Legislature still has to pass laws to carry it out, so some details are not settled.

As we reported Monday, the county estimated, using state figures, that Amendment 3 would cut its property-tax revenue by about $68.3 million (16%) in fiscal 2028, rising to about $191.6 million (45%) by fiscal 2032. The county has already put $100 million in capital projects on hold and said it would reassess about $8.6 million in positions after the election.

What it means if you're moving here

• If you plan to buy and live here full time: the Dec. 31, 2026 residency date now matters. Someone who is a Florida resident by that date and later qualifies for homestead gets the larger exemption. Someone who arrives in 2027 or later waits until the fifth year of homestead. Ask the St. Johns County Property Appraiser what counts as residency before you set a closing or move-in date.
• Second homes and rentals in St. Augustine Beach, Vilano and the North Beaches and St. Augustine: the 5% cap slows how fast taxable value can rise for non-school taxes. Market value and school taxes are not capped by it.
• Fast-growing areas such as Nocatee, Northwest St. Johns and World Golf Village: road and capital projects are the spending the county has paused. Watch the county's next budget for which projects come back.
• Ponte Vedra Beach and the rest of the county: the bond levy, at its cap, adds $15 a year per $100,000 of taxable value once the county sells bonds.
• St. Augustine Beach residents get a new city commissioner in Seat 3, and St. Augustine residents a new commissioner in Seat 5.

Our take

This is our opinion, based on the sources below.

Voters in this county backed both measures by wide margins. One cuts the property-tax base and the other adds a small tax for a single purpose. We read that as support for lower overall property taxes with money still set aside for land. The scales are very different. At the cap the bond costs a typical homeowner tens of dollars a year, while Amendment 3, by the state's estimate, removes a sixth of county property-tax revenue in its first year.

Amendment 3's ballot summary applies the larger exemption to all non-school taxes. Our reading is that homesteaded owners would then pay the conservation bond levy on a smaller taxable value, which shifts more of that cost to non-homestead property and newer residents. That is our interpretation and the implementing law could change it, so check with the Property Appraiser.

For buyers, the main effect is the two-tier system. Two neighbors in similar homes could pay noticeably different non-school taxes for up to five years based only on when each became a Florida resident. That deserves a place in any 2026 versus 2027 move decision, along with interest rates and prices.

What to watch next

• Certification of the results, especially the 190-vote Port, Waterway and Beach Commission Group 5 race.
• The 2027 legislative session, where the implementing laws for Amendment 3 will be written.
• The county's budget workshops, and which of the $100 million in paused projects resume.
• When the county first sells conservation bonds, and the first properties LAMP brings to the commission.