The short version: Mo Mufti handles St. Johns County sales and purchases, and he starts by sorting out which offices and districts touch the parcel. That can mean a city historic review in St. Augustine, the coastal control line on the beaches, a CDD or other special district on the tax bill, or, in Nocatee and Flagler Estates, which county the lot is in. Ask for a price opinion built on those records and a written net sheet.
From the Duval line to Hastings: five sets of rules
- St. Augustine and Vilano Beach
In the City of St. Augustine, most work in its five Historic Preservation zoning districts needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, so an addition is a review question before a budget line. Vilano Beach, across the North River on SR A1A, is unincorporated and coastal: flood zone and elevation come first.
- Anastasia Island: St. Augustine Beach, Butler Beach and Crescent Beach
Anastasia Island is a barrier island between the Matanzas River and the Atlantic. Unless exempt, building, excavating, or adding a pool seaward of the state Coastal Construction Control Line needs a DEP permit. St. Augustine Beach is its own city, so confirm who issues permits and flood determinations there.
- Ponte Vedra Beach and Palm Valley
Ponte Vedra Beach is unincorporated, yet part of it falls under the Ponte Vedra Zoning District Regulations, a separate code with its own residential districts and review board. Palm Valley sits between the Intracoastal Waterway and SR A1A. A county architectural review committee covers overlay districts in both.
- Nocatee, World Golf Village, St. Johns and Fruit Cove
Newer master-planned areas north of St. Augustine can carry community development district assessments in addition to HOA dues. Part of the Nocatee development lies inside Jacksonville in Duval County, so confirm the parcel's county. Fruit Cove sits on the St. Johns River, where riverfront lots need their own flood check.
- Hastings, Elkton and Flagler Estates
Hastings has been unincorporated since 2018. SR 207 crosses farmland from Hastings and Elkton to St. Augustine. To keep agricultural classification, a buyer files in their own name; the Property Appraiser asks for a Schedule F and a business or timber management plan. In Flagler Estates, confirm the county.
Four records to pull on a St. Johns County parcel
- Ask the county for the parcel's flood file
Anastasia Island lots sit between the Atlantic and the Matanzas River; riverfront lots in Fruit Cove face the St. Johns. Ask the county Floodplain Management office for the parcel's flood zone determination and any elevation certificate on file, then quote flood insurance from that record. The same office makes substantial improvement and damage determinations, so ask before you budget a remodel.
- Is the lot seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line?
Florida has established a Coastal Construction Control Line for St. Johns County. Unless exempt, construction or excavation seaward of that line needs a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. On a beachfront lot, locate the line before you count on an addition, a pool, or a rebuild in your offer or your list price.
- More than CDDs on the tax bill
The county budget office's special taxing district list runs past CDDs such as Julington Creek Plantation. It also names the Municipal Service District of Ponte Vedra Beach, the Anastasia Mosquito Control District, and the St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District. Match each non-ad valorem line on the parcel's tax bill to its district, then pull any CDD's bond records before comparing monthly costs.
- Flagler Estates: two counties, one district
Flagler Estates straddles the Flagler County line, and the road and water control district covers only the St. Johns side; the Flagler County portion left it in 2004. From its Hastings office, the district levies a per-acre non-ad valorem assessment and charges its own culvert and move-on permit fees. Confirm the parcel's county first, then add the district charge to your carrying cost.
A Historic Preservation district in St. Augustine, the Ponte Vedra Zoning District, and the state coastal construction line each add their own review. Find out which apply to the parcel before you list, buy, or redesign.
From St. Augustine to The Villages: one plan, two closings
A move from St. Johns County toward The Villages usually swaps one set of recurring charges for another. Here it may be a CDD line on the tax bill or flood insurance on a coastal lot; near The Villages it is the amenity fee plus any bond or maintenance assessment tied to the address. Mo runs your listing here and your purchase there as one plan, and works out the closing order with you and your lender: a contingent offer, or a short stay in the house after it sells.
Before Mo puts a number on a St. Johns County home, he pulls what a buyer's agent and insurer will pull: the flood determination and elevation certificate, coastal-line or historic-district status, every district line on the tax bill, recorded documents with the Clerk, and permit history from whichever building office covers the address. Ask for a price opinion tied to that file and a written net sheet that includes the deed's documentary stamp tax. Mo works from Wildwood and meets on site by appointment.
Official St. Johns County records and offices
These are the public offices that hold the parcel, tax, deed, permit and flood information for an address. Mo is not affiliated with them.
Run the numbers before you decide
Neighboring counties Mo serves
Questions people ask about St. Johns County real estate
How far is St. Johns County from The Villages?
Measured in a straight line, St. Augustine sits about 84 miles from Mo's office at 342 Shopping Center Drive in Wildwood. Road time is a separate question that changes with the route you take and the traffic that day, so check a live map before you schedule. Within the county, I-95 is the interstate and SR A1A follows the coast.
Does Mo Mufti work in St. Johns County?
Yes. Mo holds a Florida real estate license (SL3600299), is a REALTOR® with LPT Realty, and takes on St. Johns County sellers and buyers. For a seller, he prices from the parcel's own flood, district, and permit records and puts the estimated net proceeds in writing. Meetings in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, or elsewhere in the county are set by appointment. Call 352-298-8602 with the property address.
Is Nocatee in St. Johns County or Duval County?
Mostly St. Johns. The Nocatee census-designated place lies entirely in St. Johns County, while part of the wider development sits inside Jacksonville city limits in Duval County. Two homes marketed under the Nocatee name can therefore answer to different county offices. Pull each parcel's tax record before you compare them, and read any district assessments line by line.
Do I need approval to change a home in St. Augustine's historic districts?
Often, yes. The City of St. Augustine requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for most work in its five Historic Preservation zoning districts, through the Historic Architectural Review Board process. Demolition has a separate certificate process. If you are buying with a renovation plan, talk to city planning staff first and build review time into your schedule.
Does the Ponte Vedra Zoning District cover every Ponte Vedra Beach address?
It depends on the parcel. The regulations apply to a mapped portion of the county, divided into nine districts covering residential, commercial, recreational, and utility uses. County Land Development Code provisions that do not conflict still apply there. If an addition, a second story, or a rebuild is in the plan, ask county planning staff whether the parcel is inside the district and which designation it carries.