about my county st johns county florida

I want to share what I have learned about Commissioner Henry Dean. I have called on him for help and have worked with him for about 3 years in his role as a County Commissioner for St. Johns County District 5, where I live.

I don’t like the way he is being treated right now.  Individuals who are running an election campaign against him have taken to some very nasty tactics to create a one-sided view of his time as a commissioner.  While I don’t agree with everything he does, I believe that he uses his experience and wisdom gained from a career in public service to the betterment of the County.

He is being painted by his opponents as being in the pocket of developers and approving 99.2% of recent new development throughout his terms.  For folks who are angry about overdevelopment, that number raises eyebrows and calls for “throw him out.”

That is not fair.  Before I accept this statistic as gospel, I would want to better understand the context surrounding the numbers. How many developments were stalled before they ever reached the BoCC agenda? Did the developments that made it through fit the requirements by which a Commissioner can approve/disapprove?

It is easy to spout numbers. But numbers out of context can be shaped in many ways.

Commissioner Henry Dean is a public servant, in the best sense of the term.  Not only that, but he has academic and experiential credentials that make him incredibly knowledgeable about county government, land use law and the environment.  He spent 17 years as the Executive Director of the St Johns River Water Management District, 4 years at the Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District and let the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program during this time. He was elected Commissioner in 2016, and again in 2020.

He has worked hard for the County.  And he has worked smart.  He knows colleagues throughout the public and private sector and understands that local government is sandwiched under the state of Florida, subject to rules, regulations and funding for critical work needed in St Johns County.

Here is some of his work that I have watched over the past few years – I’m sure there is a lot more but this is what I have observed…

• In 2021, having listened to residents bombarded by the influx of vacation rentals, he successfully proposed the Board of Commissioners adopt Ordinance 2021-23. Even though the state disallows limiting vacation rentals, he worked with county staff to create an ordinance that provided as much protection as the state allows.
• Also in 2021, he proposed the reinstatement of the LAMP program, allowing the County to buy land for the purpose of conservation.  In 2023, he pushed for an increase of LAMP funding to $2m.  His proposal received accolades from many County residents.
• In 2022 working with Commissioner Waldron, he successfully proposed the purchase of 31 acres of deep water access on the San Sebastian River, as part of the LAMP Program placing this land and water access into conservation.
• In 2023, he worked with residents from North Beach to address continuing vacation rental issues, resulting in higher fines for non-registration, a public map showing registration status of vacation rentals and a hotline and procedures for off hour addressing of code violations.
• In October 2023, after working closely with residents, Commissioner Dean championed funding of the Vilano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency request for funding which has significantly helped the economic development of the community.
• In July 2023, Commissioner Dean supported 5 of 14 points of a tree ordinance protection proposed by Commissioner Joseph.  The topic was contentious given the manner in which the ordinance had been proposed, but Dean supported what he believed made sense.
• In November 2021, Commissioner Dean led the Board in the denial of the appeal by Key International to the North Coastal Design Review Board denial of The Vilano Hotel.  In my opinion, this was masterfully accomplished by Dean. This is my personal opinion as an observer, but I sense that he did not want to approve the development yet realized that the result would be far better for everyone if the developer withdrew their proposal.  By offering a room count that was significantly below that which was proposed, he allowed the developer to exit, the hotel has not been built, and the profile of the Vilano Town Center has been preserved.
• Commissioner Dean has been acutely aware of significant flooding problems within North Beach, has visited the community after the 2023 hurricanes, and has worked with staff to come up with and find funding for a solution.

The role of County Commissioner is more than sitting on a dais and approving or disapproving proposals for development.  It is managing the very difficult balance of economic development with resident quality of life.  It is looking forward to what the County will become for children and grandchildren and making the best decisions possible for everyone with the information available at that time.

It is building relationships with anyone and everyone, recognizing that working together as a team will generate the best results for the whole County.

Why am I writing about Commissioner Dean now?  Because he is working for us, and for the County.  And it makes me angry that, just because people want someone else in that Commissioner seat, they trash his reputation and his name.

I have watched a lot of Government TV in order to link to all of these meetings, so I don’t remember which meeting Commissioner Dean offered this quote.  But at one meeting he closed by quoting Martin Luther King Jr in saying “I choose to love, because hate is too big of a burden to carry.”  I wish those that are spewing hate toward our elected officials would take heed.

We’re all in this together. At least we should be.