As our community continues to endure the COVID-19 health emergency, it is important to know that we are working hard to ensure you receive the resources required to remain healthy, safe, and productive. If you, your family, or your business have been affected by COVID-19, we now have hotlines available to serve as sources of information regarding programs, funding, and recovery assistance.

The St. Johns County COVID-19 Resident Assistance Hotline, 904.209.1250, is staffed with specialists who can provide information regarding federal assistance, State of Florida Reemployment Assistance, local programs, non-profit agencies, and other resources. For local business owners, the St. Johns County COVID-19 Business Assistance Hotline, 904.209.6050, is staffed with specialists who can help local businesses obtain information about federal, State, and local funding, tax breaks, and resources designed to assist during the COVID-19 health emergency. Both hotlines are active from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We also understand that many of you are vacation rental owners or live on a property in close proximity to vacation rentals. State of Florida Executive Order 20-87 suspends the rental of vacation rental properties through April 30. In addition, vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in for the duration of this order. If you have any questions regarding vacation rentals, please call St. Johns County Code Enforcement at 904.209.0734 or email codenf@sjcfl.us. In addition, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation may be contacted at 850.487.1395.

As a reminder, all program cancellations and closures remain in effect through May 1, 2020. However, parks, green spaces, and trails remain open to the public. Veterans Services, the Permit Center, Health and Human Services, Utility Services, and all other County business services remain open under restricted access. If you have questions regarding closures, cancellations, or COVID-19 information, please call the EOC Hotline at 904.824.5550 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Florida Department of Health website, www.floridahealth.gov, is also a reliable source for COVID-19 updates and basic infection prevention guidelines.

Our next special meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m., on Tuesday, April 21, in the County Administration building. It will be followed by a regular meeting at 9:00 a.m. The meeting agendas can be found here. Members of the community who would like to participate in public comment by telephone during the meetings may do so by calling 904.209.1265.

As we continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in St. Johns County and realize the impact of social distancing, we are also continually evaluating all closures, measures, and deadlines and will adjust them accordingly when possible. We would like to thank all our residents and businesses for their patience and understanding during this time of uncertainty and disruption to normalcy. Please do not hesitate to call or email us if you have any questions.

 

Sincerely,

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners