Local Advocacy Agenda

2026 Legislative Priorities

Maximize the Chamber’s relationships with St. Johns County, the City of St. Augustine, and the City of St. Augustine Beach through regular contact with elected commissioners and professional staff.
Enhance the strong partnerships with St. Johns County, St. Augustine Airport Authority, St. Johns County Industrial Development Authority, the Tourism Development Council, the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau, the St. Johns County School District, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, and other partners to further cooperative economic development efforts in the county.

Support continued interaction with the regional economic development and marketing partnerships, including JAXUSA, the Northeast Florida Regional Council, and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization.
Maximize working partnerships with FloridaCommerce and its economic development agencies, including Visit Florida and Select Florida, to bring additional economic activity to St. Johns County.

Support prioritizing state legislative funding for local economic development initiatives.
Work with the county’s Tourism Development Council, the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau, and the Board of County Commissioners to promote and manage the county’s vital tourism sector.
Support funding for enhancing the natural tourism assets in the Ponte Vedra region, through tools such as ExperiencePonteVedra.com.

Support the prioritization of local transportation funding requests for completion of strategic infrastructure corridors that will enhance St. Johns County’s economic competitiveness.
Support long-term federal, state, and local funding sources for beach restoration and replenishment, and actively support efforts to obtain state and federal matching funds.

Support continued review of St. Johns County’s ordinances, land development and building codes to promote the creation of additional attainable housing units for our growing workforce.
Support St. Johns County’s K-12 educational institutions to enhance the county’s attractiveness to new businesses and foster an educated, ready-to-work employment base. Special emphasis should be placed on career and technical education and the specialized career academies.
Collaborate with post-secondary institutions, including St. Johns River State College, First Coast Technical College, Flagler College, and other regional education institutions to provide focused educational instruction to support St. Johns County’s targeted sectors.

Maintain and strengthen the relationship between the city government/City Commission and the Chamber’s Historic St. Augustine Area Council to ensure that the unique needs and concerns of the local business community are understood and addressed promptly.
Weigh in on upcoming major issues, including the post evaluation of the new Nights of Lights guidelines, the city’s comprehensive mobility plan, the multi-modal transportation hub at US 1 and King Street, and the potential for a passenger light rail or public transportation line between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, and ongoing efforts to combat sea level rise in the Historic District.