ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County could have a record breaking construction boom as thousands of new homes continue popping up all across the area.
Developers believe the constant growth doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
County officials said the current hotspots for housing permits are in the Northwest, Northeast, and World Golf Village areas.
The sights and sounds of construction have become almost commonplace across the county, including Beachwalk, Creekside, Beacon Lake and many more.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau:
- The county’s population this time last year was 243,812- that a 28% increase from 2010
- More than 4,000 permits were issued last year for single family homes- nearly breaking a record set back in 2005
- The trend continues and the county is on track to beat that record with more than 25,000 permits issued so far this year
- Last month alone, the county issued nearly 488 permits for single family homes
- In Nocatee, developers say they’re doing about 80 to 100 new homes sales a month
Kelly Ray from the PARC Group says the boom doesn’t come as a surprise to her.
“Our numbers are consistent with what we saw last year, plus quite a bit more. We are actually seeing an increase in sales in 2018 as opposed to 2017. So we are not necessarily surprised but we are of course very thrilled,” Ray said.
Setting apart from the rest
With all the new developments popping up all across St. Johns County, developers are coming up with new and creative ways to set their community apart from the rest.
The PARC group is currently constructing a second water park for the Nocatee community.
“Competition is a beautiful thing because it encourages all of us to be better, do better, to serve better. It is up to us to ensure that we remain competitive in the sense that we are always doing something that is new and different,” Ray said.
Keeping up with the growth
Meanwhile, the county’s school district is building and opening new schools to keep up with the growth. Roads and other infrastructure continue taking shape to keep up with the constant growing pains.