As St. Johns County continues to implement a safe and phased approach to reopening our community and getting back to business, we do so in accordance with the State of Florida and CDC guidelines. We continue to monitor the Governor's executive orders and will open additional facilities and resume programs in line with his schedule for the State.
On-beach driving resumed Monday at all beach access ramps, and the Fort Matanzas vehicular beach access ramp opened this week to those exiting the beach. This ramp reconstruction project was accomplished through a partnership between St. Johns County and the National Park Service. Continued adherence to the CDC social distancing guidelines of limiting gathering size and maintaining a minimum distance of six feet between parties on St. Johns County beaches remains recommended.
The County hosted the Rock the Pantries "drive-thru" food drive this past Saturday that welcomed 645 cars and received 16 tons (32,000 pounds) of non-perishable items for local food assistance organizations in need. The next
Rock the Pantries "drive-thru" food drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.
We also launched the St. Johns County Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program this week. The goal of this unique County grant program is to help offset the temporary loss of revenue and help keep our small businesses open during and after this global pandemic by providing emergency funding for qualified local businesses. St. Johns County businesses may apply to the program for up to $5,000 in emergency grant funding. For more information, please visit the
Business Assistance page, email
eag@sjcfl.us, or call 904.209.6050.
In addition, we will also launch the St. Johns County Back to Business Grant Program this month. Funded by a Community Development Block Grant, the program will assist businesses pay expenses related to rent or mortgage, utilities, and payroll. More details on the program will be posted on
www.sjcfl.us.
As we continue our reopening process, we will proceed in consideration of the additional openings the Governor announced today and anticipate communicating further openings next week. Residents who have questions regarding COVID-19 recovery are encouraged to call our
Resident Assistance Hotline at 904.209.1250, and members of the local business community are encouraged to call our
Business Assistance Hotline at 904.209.6050. As always, please do not hesitate to call or email any of us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners
