{"id":217867,"date":"2026-04-03T19:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217867\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T19:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:56:27","slug":"st-johns-countys-lamp-program-sets-sights-on-five-properties-after-missing-last-years-top-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/217867\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Johns County\u2019s LAMP program sets sights on five properties after missing last year\u2019s top priority"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 St. Johns County\u2019s Land Acquisition and Management Program \u2014 known as LAMP<\/a> \u2014 is moving forward with a new list of five priority conservation properties. But the program\u2019s renewed momentum comes with a hard lesson learned.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s top priority, a 195-acre waterfront property along Shores Boulevard adjacent to the Moses Creek Conservation Area, slipped away according to Commissioner Ann Taylor and Jen Lombert, executive director and riverkeeper with Matanzas Riverkeeper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one from last year wasn\u2019t on there, and they didn\u2019t really discuss that the reason it wasn\u2019t there wasn\u2019t because it was purchased \u2014 it was because we lost it,\u201d Lombert said. \u201cAnd I think that that\u2019s a really important cautionary tale.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LAMP account currently sits at $5,482,526. St. Johns County added $500,000 from the general fund and transferred $1.5 million from the Tree Bank Fund in January, bringing total fiscal year 2026 funding to $2 million.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Ann Taylor, the county\u2019s liaison to the LAMP Board, spoke at the March 3 commission meeting about the program and its future. She is hopeful to see it grow. Even with additional funding she says it makes it hard to purse some of the properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive hundred thousand dollars, when we look at these amazing properties, doesn\u2019t put a dent in it,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI\u2019ve had a number of meetings with the Florida Land Trust. It is clear we do not have enough funding for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are amazing properties we want to protect and preserve,\u201d she added. \u201cPreservation and conservation is number one for so many of our residents. It is a priority and we need to likewise make it a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LAMP Board, led by new chair Wayne Flowers, brought five properties before the commission for the 2025 priority list:<\/p>\n

Bailey Family Property \u2014 Bishop Estates Road, northeast St. Johns County \u2014 67 acres<\/p>\n

Adams Family Property \u2014 County Road 13 South \u2014 94.4 acres<\/p>\n

Christina Drive Shores Parcels \u2014 St. Augustine Shores PUD \u2014 2.8 acres (three lots)<\/p>\n

Arnold House \u2014 10690 County Road 13 North, Picolata<\/p>\n

McCullough Creek Property \u2014 County Road 13 South \u2014 25.45 acres (two phases)<\/p>\n

Topping the list is the Bailey Family Property, a working ranch in northeast St. Johns County. <\/p>\n

Commissioner Christian Whitehurst signaled where he believes the county can act now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have a great chance to get items 2, 3, 4 and 5,\u201d Whitehurst said. \u201cWe have spent years building this up. We have a chance to grab some conservation land and we can only do that if we have adequate funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lombert said the stakes go beyond any single property.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce land is developed, that\u2019s it. You cannot turn back the clock,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of the best ways to protect water is to protect the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is definitely still a lot of opportunities,\u201d Lombert added. \u201cAnd one of the great things about the LAMP program is that it\u2019s a willing seller program. These are all people who want their land to be conserved. It\u2019s just a matter of whether St. Johns County has enough funding to buy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 St. Johns County\u2019s Land Acquisition and Management Program \u2014 known as LAMP \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,5902],"class_list":{"0":"post-217867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news","11":"tag-st-johns-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}