Overdevelopment in St. Johns County, Florida, could become a reality if conservative, America First candidates do not win the upcoming elections. The county’s Republican chair, Denver Cook, expressed his concerns on Breitbart News Saturday a few days ahead of the primary races. He highlighted that St. Johns County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida and possibly the United States, with developers building thousands of homes every year.
Cook emphasized that this rapid development has led to an unsustainable pace for both the county government and school districts, causing significant challenges in infrastructure and increasing debt. The local GOP is concerned that developers are given too much authority over elected officials and citizens’ voices are not being heard.
The dire circumstances have prompted the St. Johns County GOP to endorse their own candidates for the upcoming elections. Cook explained that every candidate they endorsed is an “America First, MAGA grassroots candidate,” who aims to restore responsiveness, accountability, and transparency in local government.
The primary election cycle has significant implications for St. Johns County. If incumbent candidates lose their races and are replaced by the GOP-endorsed candidates, Cook believes that development will be slowed until infrastructure can handle it. He also pointed out that this could have a major financial impact on the funders and supporters of the incumbents, potentially slowing down hundreds of millions of dollars in development projects.
Cook provided an example of how developers may influence decisions against the recommendations of county staff to save money. In one instance, the expansion of a development project with 5,600 homes was approved by the commissioners despite opposition from the county staff. This expansion imposed $56 million in road impact costs on taxpayers, which Cook believes would have been worthwhile investment for developers to maintain influence over such decisions.
In conclusion, the upcoming primary elections in St. Johns County could determine whether conservative, America First candidates can slow down overdevelopment and prioritize sustainable growth for the community.