St. Johns County Special BCC Meeting / Budget Hearing Livestream

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners held a special meeting and budget hearing on September 3, 2026, to discuss and adopt the tentative millage rates and budget for fiscal year 2027. The proposed budget totals approximately $1.94 billion, with $426 million derived from property taxes. Key budget highlights include a flat millage rate from 2026, an increase in emergency response reserves, 33.25 new full-time positions, and over $264 million in new capital funding primarily for infrastructure projects. The board also addressed an amended budget request from the sheriff's office for an additional $3.9 million to improve law enforcement officer retention and recruitment. Public comments focused heavily on concerns about the county's investment in Flock license plate reader cameras, including privacy, cost, and oversight issues, with some residents urging the board to reduce funding for this technology and redirect funds to officer pay and cold case investigations. The sheriff defended the technology's role in crime solving and discussed pay increases to retain deputies. The board voted unanimously to approve the tentative millage rates and budget and set the final budget hearing for September 15, 2026. Commissioner comments included adding an item to the next regular meeting agenda.