Table of Contents  

Introduction 2

Economic Development Council Leadership 3

Mission 3

Investors 4

2014-15 Goals

Northeast Florida Regional Airport

6

7

Workforce 7

St. Johns County School District 7

Business Retention & Expansion

Economic Advocacy

8

8

Economic Education

Accolades

10

12

Funding the EDC 13

Establishments 14

Partners 15

JAXUSA Partnership Annual Report Addendum 1 16

Sources & Uses of Funds Report Addendum 2 18

Taxable Values for St. Johns County Addendum 3 19

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Introduction

In FY2014-15, the national and world economies continued to recover from the Great Recession and every business faces a “new normal” in how it operates and successfully competes in the new economy. The Economic Development Council (EDC) continues to serve as a positive resource providing year-round support to business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs who are seeking to start, expand or relocate enterprises in St. Johns County. The EDC has worked and continues to work to encourage businesses to expand and to relocate in St. Johns County. The good news to share this year is that our local economy continues to improve ahead of the pace of most of the rest of the country.

On page 12, you will find 28 establishments representing new and expanding local businesses. This list is categorized by primary and non-primary projects. These categories serve both our job generation goals as well as our non-residential tax base expansion goals.

The EDC offers a valuable connection point linking businesses to key resources. EDC events provide unique networking opportunities, access to St. Johns County’s most successful businesses and assist local leaders in increasing awareness of local, state and national economic issues.

A quick look at key economic indicators for St. Johns County:

 Unemployment rate is 3.5%* (November, 2015). St. Johns County’s unemployment rate of 3.5% was considerably lower than both the state (4.8%) and national unemployment (4.8%) averages for this same time period. (These rates are not seasonally adjusted.)

Private sector average wage rate increased from $36,489 to $38,072*

Property tax base increased 6.2% to $18.6 billion**

Commercial property tax base increased 1.5% to $2.57 billion**

The expansion of local businesses, the introduction of new enterprises with new employment opportunities and the expansion of the non-residential tax base will continue to benefit the residents and economy of St. Johns County. We are pleased to present the details of this progress in our FY2014-15 Annual Report. * Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Local Area Unemployment Statistics ** St Johns County Board of County Commissioners

       

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Bill Curtis Law Offices of Curtis

& Associates, PA Chair, EDC

Jason Barrett Flagler Hospital

Mark Farrell Killashee

Investments LLC

Larry Lake, Ph.D. BayView Healthcare

Rob Matthews Matthews Design

Mark Pinto The Fiorentino Group

Victor Raymos St. Augustine &

St. Johns County Board of Realtors

 

 

  

Economic Development Council (EDC) Executive Committee

Chair: Williams C. Curtis, III Members: Jason Barrett Mark Farrell Larry Lake Rob Matthews Mark Pinto Victor Raymos Luciano Noir-Jones, Chair, St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Staff

Isabelle Rodriguez, President & CEO Declan Reiley, Vice President, Economic Development Bob Porter, Government Relations Manager

 

 

 

 

2014-15 EDC Leadership

Mission 

The mission of the Economic Development Council is two fold: to bring new business and industry

into the community and to help existing business and industry to prosper. 

Support provided by

Melissa Glasgow, Director of Economic Development, Office of the County Administrator, St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners  

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Investors  

Elite

City of St. Augustine Flagler Hospital

St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners

THE PLAYERS Championship/PGA TOUR The St. Augustine Record

Trustee

Advanced Disposal Services Northeast Florida Regional Airport VyStar Credit Union Benefactor

Ameris Bank Constangy, Brooks. Smith & Prophete, LLP

Flagler College Historic Tours of America

Jacksonville Jaguars Northrop Grumman Corp.

Visionary

Brooks Rehabilitation at Bartram Park Burkhardt Sales & Service Citi Community Hospice of Northeast Florida

Florida Blue Florida Power & Light Co. JEA Mayo Clinic

Rogers Towers, P.A. Stellar University of North Florida Wells Fargo

Community Builder

ATP Tour Bank of America Baptist Medical Center South BB&T

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies Comcast Business D.R. Horton Herbie Wiles Insurance

Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. Publix - Marsh Landing Republic Services Wayne Hogan

Chamber Partner

2G Energy AAA Auto Club South Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices FL Network Realty - Relocation bestbet Jacksonville Brooking Industries Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC Community First Credit Union Courtyard by Marriott England, Thims & Miller Fidelity Bank Fletcher Management Company Girl Scouts of Gateway Council Gray Robinson, P.A. Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.

Harbor Community Bank - 312 Haven Hospice Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) KeHE Distributors Memorial Hospital Neville Breidenstein Wainio CPA NTE Solutions PIP Printing and Marketing Services Ponte Vedra Recorder Regions Bank Ring Power Corp. Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum RS&H Rulon International SAPA Aluminum

ServPro of Greater St Augustine Slammer & Squire at World Golf Village Southern Exposure Real Estate Services, LLC St. Augustine Alligator Farm TEKsystems The PARC Group The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort The World Famous Oasis Restaurant & Deck ThompsonBaker Agency Tiffany & Co. Vicar's Landing Walmart Wholesale Auto Mart

Business Builder

R&K Certified Roofing of FL 97Park A1A Ale Works AA Bail Able Bail Bonds Acorn Property Holdings A. D. Davis Construction Corp. Adaptix Solutions Group Advanced Business Solutions Akerman LLP Applebee's

Aramark@Flagler College ASAP Towing and Storage Atkins Atlantic Coast Bank Atlantic Dodge Chrysler Jeep Atlantic Stone and Tile Auld & White Constructors, LLC Austin Outdoor, LLC Barden Technology Batson-Cook Company

BayView Healthcare Beach 105.5 FM Beacher's Lodge Oceanfront Suites Beachview Event Rentals & Design Brightway Insurance - Palencia Bug Out Service C7 Creative Caddy Clipz Capital City Bank CareerSource Northeast Florida

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Casa Monica Hotel Cathedral Place Office Building CHASE Bank City of St. Augustine Beach Clear Channel Outdoor Columbia Restaurant Comfort Inn & Suites Cowan Financial Group Craig Funeral Home Days Inn St Augustine/Historic Downtown DiMare Construction Co. Discovery Map of St. Augustine DoubleTree by Hilton Douglas Hedstrom Cossey, PA Edward Jones Investments - Ben Reep/Mark Miner Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Epic Landscape Management EverBank First Choice FL Vacation Rentals/Realty First Coast Cardiovascular Institute First Coast Technical College Fisher Koppenhafer Architecture and Interior Design Flagler Family Medicine Florida Eye Specialists, PA Florida Home Store Flowers By Shirley Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park Freedom Boat Club Freehold Capital Management Garcia Institute & Reviva Medspa Geomatics Corporation Go Rack Data Centers GriggsGroup, CPAs Gulfstream Design Group Hancock Bank HDR Engineering Holland & Knight LLP Home Care Assistance Home Instead Senior Care Hyundai of St. Augustine Industrial Construction Services & Design Island Doctors Jack Wilson -Buick-GMC Jacksonville Aviation Authority Jacksonville Clinic Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute - Beaches

Jacksonville Transportation Authority JTN Construction & Maintenance Services Killashee Investments, LLC Kimley-Horn and Associates Kresge, Platt & Abare, CPA Law Offices of Curtis & Associates, PA Lee & Cates Glass Marian Services Marlin Consulting Solutions Marsh Creek Country Club Marywood Retreat Center Matthews Design Group May Realty & Resort Rentals McClure Bloodworth, P.L. McGuiness Commercial Properties Medi MD Mellow Mushroom Milam Howard Nicandri Dees & Gillam, P. A. Montgomery Land Company Morgan Stanley Moultrie Creek Nursing & Rehab Mudflower Design North Florida Builders of Jacksonville Northeast Florida Regional Council Northwestern Mutual - Daniel J. Orlovsky Ocean Gallery Properties Olde Carriage Realty One Voice Productions/Rentaland Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine Palm Valley Fish Camp Palms at Ponte Vedra Assisted Living Peace Love Home Pet Paradise Resort PNC Mortgage Ponte Vedra Resorts Ponte Vedra Wellness Center Pop-A-Lock of St. Augustine PT Solutions/FL Hosp FLG Puroclean Emergency Restoration Services Republic Services Reunion Bank of Florida RezLegal, LLC RLS Investments, LLC Robi E. Tamargo, Psy. D Ruckus Advertising and Public Relations SaintAugTV San Sebastian Winery Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa

Serenata Beach Club Southern Oak Insurance Company Southern Oaks Inn St Augustine Hotel & Suites at World Golf Village St. Augustine & St. Johns County Board of Realtors St. Augustine Distillery St. Augustine Law Group St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum St. Francis Inn St. Johns Builders Council St. Johns County School District St. Johns County Sheriff's Office St. Johns Housing Partnership St. Johns Printing & Cartridge World of St Augustine St. Johns River State College Stagecoach R.V. Park State Farm Insurance Steve Chapman's All American Air Conditioning & Heating Stream-LEAN Summerhouse Rentals Sunbelt Rentals Supporting Strategies - NE Florida Tarantin Industries TD Bank TECO Peoples Gas Terrapointe Services The Bailey Group The DeVries Law Firm, P.A. The Fiorentino Group LLC The Network Operations Company The St. Johns Realty Group Tobacco Free St. Johns Tour Saint Augustine United Way of St. Johns County Upchurch Bailey & Upchurch, Atty Vacation Rental Pros Verizon Victory Casino Cruises VITAS Healthcare Wakefield Beasley and Associates Architects Web.com White Lion WJXT - TV4 World Golf Hall of Fame

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FY2014-15 Goals In 2014-15, the EDC partnered with organizations including St. Johns County, the City of St. Augustine, the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (NFRA), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), SCORE, the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau (VCB), St. Johns County Tourist Development Council (TDC), CareerSource of Northeast Florida and JAXUSA Partnership. Each of these organizations, as well as individual EDC members, play a critical role in St. Johns County’s economic development efforts. The JAXUSA Partnership Report is included as Addendum 1.

In 2014-15, the Chamber Board of Directors adopted a bold 3-Year Plan containing key goals for advancing the organization. The theme and purpose of the revolving plan is to “Elevate, Accelerate and Innovate” the delivery of services and products to our membership and the general public. The plan outlines a comprehensive set of strategic goals and objectives. The united effort of staff and volunteers has produced positive results and we believe this momentum will continue for years to come Among the goals and objectives established for 2014-15: Evolve the EDC executive committee governance model from a traditional model to skill‐based model. Fully identify the skills and weaknesses of the current executive committee in order to more effectively recruit future 

nominees. Annually assess desired/needed skills. Revise current criteria to include: prospective member’s skill set; 

industry; membership category; and, geographical business location. – ACHIEVED 

Relocate EDC professional staff – ACHIEVED 

Assess current office space to determine if this is the best facility not only today, but in the future. After a review of 

current facility needs, determine whether renovation, sale of existing facility, purchase/lease new facility should be 

pursued. – ACHIEVED 

  Placement of Procurement Tab on EDC web site for increased small business access to Invitations to Bid – ACHIEVED 

Increase Chamber market penetration to 8% of total St. Johns County licensed businesses 

Explore new partnerships to deepen our existing market penetration. Analyze business and industry lists to select 

high value targets for future exploration. – ACHIEVED 

Grow and leverage relationships with constituents to include private investors, elected officials, partners and the 

general public, to maximize each party’s potential for growth of the St. Johns County economy 

- Work with County to establish and reform the Strategic partnership canvas – ACHIEVED - Identify and participate in low‐cost lead generation activities – ACHIEVED 

   Fully participate in JAXUSA Partnership to ensure the greatest results from regional and state efforts 

- Identify and inventory all Business Intelligence tools available through partnerships – ACHIEVED - Adopt salesforce.com for pipeline management – ACHIEVED - Publish St. Johns County Startup Resource Guide – ACHIEVED - Develop SJC Talent Attraction module as a workforce development tool – In progress - Engage EDC leadership in the discovery and pursuit of new leads – In progress - Commercial broker/developer posting of listings in JAXPROSPECTOR real estate database – In progress 

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- Increase capacity of EDC staff to post available listings in JAXPROSPECTOR real estate database – In progress  

Northeast Florida Regional Airport  Located in St. Johns County, Northeast Florida Regional Airport is positioned just a few miles from historic downtown St. Augustine and serves as a focal point for the Northeast Florida region. The airport is centered in a gateway market of 4.4 million passengers within a 2-hour drive to the facility. Northeast Florida Regional Airport provides critical access to the vibrant Northeast Florida area.

Frontier Airlines now offers nonstop commercial air service to the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) from Philadelphia, PA (PHL) and Chicago, IL (ORD). During the time period of this report, Frontier provided the region with nonstop access to/from Trenton, NJ (TTN) and Washington DC (IAD).

ViaAir provides commercial air service to the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) from Charlotte, NC (CLT).

The airport also provides a number of amenities and solutions for both aviators and for the traveling public including a passenger terminal for commercial air service, onsite rental car agencies and on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services. NFRA is convenient and easy to use, making it the “Smart” choice for air travel and business development needs.

Workforce The growth of the local labor force and the unemployment rate are key indicators in analyzing St. Johns County’s economic health. In 2014, St. Johns County witnessed a positive increase in local employment and a simultaneous expansion of our local labor force.

The unemployment rate as of November, 2015 is 3.5%*. St. Johns County’s unemployment rate of 3.5% was considerably lower than both the state and national unemployment averages (4.8%) for this same time period. The unemployment rate has dropped significantly since 2010 (8.8%) and since 2010 the labor force has expanded by more than 10%.

St. Johns County School District The St. Johns County School District remains one of the top performing districts in Florida. The graduation rate in St. Johns County is 90.5% and the district is one of only eight in the state with a graduation rate over 90%.

On November 3, 2015 the citizens of St. Johns County voted to approve a half-cent sales tax to be used for capital improvements within the school district. Critical projects include those related to new construction, renovations, technology and safety and security improvements. Beginning January 1, 2016 the sales tax went into effect and will sunset in 10 years. It is expected to generate $13 million a year to support the students of St. Johns County.

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Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Over above the regular meetings arranged for companies in St. Johns County, the EDC also administers an existing industry business visitation program to express interest in and concern for the issues faced by local businesses in the community. At a minimum, professional staff meets directly with 24 employers each year in the county.   Objectives of this program include: 

Demonstrate to existing firms that the community appreciates their contribution to the local economy 

Encourage expansion that leads to sustainable job growth

Help businesses solve their problems and challenges

Assist local businesses in gaining awareness of available resources 

Build the community capacity and cooperation to sustain growth and development activities

Provide information and understanding for all local leaders of the strengths and weaknesses of the business 

climate.

Economic Advocacy In 2014-15, the St. Johns County’s Economic Development Council and its economic development partners worked to promote St. Johns County as an attractive location to expand or relocate a business. This multi-faceted effort included participation in select conferences, hosting special events and direct communications with potential prospects for expansion or relocation. The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce also coordinated more than 150 targeted network and education events in FY2014-15 to promote business development.

Special event highlights included:

Professional staff met with Gov. Rick Scott upon his congratulatory visit to Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, and numerous elected officials and economic development stakeholders. The City of St. Augustine commemorated its 450th anniversary as the nation’s oldest city with a broad offering of entertainment and events. Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain visited St. Augustine. The United States-Spain Council held its annual meeting of corporate leaders, top government officials and leaders in education and culture from both countries. The selection of St. Augustine was in direct relation to city’s 450th Commemoration. Governor Scott awarded St. Augustine Businesses with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award. The Governor recognized the following individuals with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award: Wayne Robison, CEO of Rulon International Chacy Smith, Director of Operations for Carlisle Interconnect Technologies • Virginia Whetstone, President of Whetstone Chocolates • Bruno Silva, CEO of IlluminEarth Lighting and Control

The St. Johns County Chamber and Economic Development Council regularly engage in direct advocacy efforts with local, state and federal policymakers to promote sound public policies which support business growth and expansion. The elected leadership of the State of Florida – from the Governor, Legislators and Executive Branch agency heads – is keenly focused on Florida’s economic climate and St. Johns County’s elected officials regularly make economic development a key public policy priority.

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The executive committee of the Economic Development Council reviews and approves an annual state and local legislative agenda which guides the advocacy communications of our members and staff team. Direct advocacy is necessary to ensure St. Johns County continues to have a regulatory environment which is attractive to business and which provides small businesses and new start-ups with the opportunities needed to grow and expand. Two popular programs which provide opportunities for members of St. Johns County’s business community to directly interact with current and prospective policy makers include the annual Day@TheCapitol program and the Politics in St. Johns events held during election cycles.

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Economic Education Economic Development Council Quarterly Breakfast Events Each year, as part of its educational mission, the Economic Development Council produces four educational forums known as “EDC Quarterly Breakfast” events. These large-scale events are attended by St. Johns County’s most successful business leaders and feature presentations by economic and public policy experts. These special events provide unique networking opportunities and are designed to educate business leaders on issues and trends impacting the health of the St. Johns County economy. Our FY2014-15 EDC Quarterly Breakfast Series included:

  Stephen Moore, Chief Economist for the Heritage Foundation and former senior economic editor for the Wall Street Journal, who provided a national economic update and shared insights into the economic boom underway in the gas and energy sector.

          Legislative Update – EDC investors received a report on state and federal legislative activity from our County delegation members. Guests included Congressman Ron DeSantis, State Senator Travis Hutson, State Representative Cyndi Stevenson and State Representative Paul Renner.    

   

Joe York, President of AT&T Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands AT&T invested $2.8 billion in its wireless and wired networks in Florida between 2012 and 2014. York, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident, discusses Project Velocity IP (VIP) and why the telecommunications giant is investing billions in Florida networks.

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Joe Gordy, President

Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, MD, Vice President & CEO - Mayo Clinic Florida

Scott Wooten, Senior Vice Pres. & CFO

“Regional Perspectives on Healthcare” – A panel of industry executives from Baptist Health, Flagler Hospital and Mayo Clinic held an informative panel discussion intended to help businesses understand the sweeping changes affecting the healthcare industry and their businesses. Experts provided their perspectives on the current opportunities and challenges facing businesses and how to find the guidance, information and support needed to better navigate the changing healthcare environment.    

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Accolades 2015 Gogobot.com lists St. Augustine as No. 2 on its list of Most Eco‐Friendly Cities in America.

U.S Census Bureau listed St. Johns County #11 of the Top 20 Fastest Growing Counties.

University of Wisconsin study ranked St. Johns as Healthiest County in Florida for the fourth year in a row.

St. Johns County School District rates first in the state out of 67 districts in total FCAT points for the past seven years.

Livability.com ranked St. Augustine #4 of the Top 100 Best Small Towns in the U.S. by Livability.

TripAdvisor ranked St. Augustine Beach #9 of the Traveler's Choice Top 25 Best Beaches in the United States.

Forbes.com ranked Fruit Cove one of the Top 25 Best Places to Retire.

Printaholic.com ranked St. Augustine as one of the Top 10 Most Inspiring Cities for Photographers.

2014 The New York Times ranked St. Johns County in the top 4% nationally and #1 County in Florida for quality of life.

University of Wisconsin study ranked St. Johns County as the Healthiest County in Florida for the third year in a row.

2014 County Health Report Ranks St. Johns County #1 in Florida for Third Consecutive Year

Standard and Poor's Increases St. Johns County Credit Rating Two Levels from AA‐ to AA+.

Coastal Living Magazine ranked St. Augustine #4 of the Top 10 Happiest Seaside Towns in America 2014.

U.S. News and World Report ranked Flagler College #8th Best Regional College in the South. 

Travel + Leisure ranked St. Augustine #12 for America’s Best College Towns.

ConventionSouth Magazine selected St. Augustine as Florida’s Best Southern Hospitality City.

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2014-15 Establishments PRIMARY (ECONOMIC-BASE) PROJECTS Company Sector 84 Lumber Building Materials Dealer A1A Pharmacy Health & Life Sciences Advanced Integration Technology Aerospace Products & Parts Manufacturing Barden Technology Information Technology Brooking Industries Motor Vehicle Lighting Equipment McWilliams Collective Professional Services St. Augustine Aquarium Hospitality, Attractions St. Augustine Shipyard – Marine Merchant Community Retail The Fountains – Premier Motorcoach Resort Tourism Whole Life Pharmacy Health & Life Sciences ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Company Sector AllState – David Clements Insurance Ansbacher Law Firm Professional Services Dollar General/US1 Retail Family Dollar, West Augustine Retail Famous Toaster Retail First Coast DOHS Dermatology Health & Life Sciences H & M Retail M Shack Retail Menuat Retail Metro Diner Retail Old Navy Retail RPM Automotive/CR 210 Retail Silver Treasures Healthcare/Assisted Living Facility Smoothie Fresh/Palencia Retail St. Johns Law Group Professional Services Torrid and Swarovski Retail Trasca & Co. Eatery Retail Your Day on the Water Tourism

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Partners

Economic Development requires the collaboration of federal, state, regional and local partners. The St. Johns County Economic Development Council would like to specifically recognize the following partners for positive contributions to economic development in St. Johns County and throughout Northeast Florida.

St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners

St. Johns County Tourist Development Council

City of St. Augustine

Northeast Florida Regional Airport

CareerSource of Northeast Florida

City of St. Augustine Beach

Florida Department of Transportation

Florida Governor Rick Scott

JAXPORT

JAXUSA Partnership

SCORE

Small Business Development Center at UNF

St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitor & Convention Bureau

St. Johns County Industrial Development Authority

St. Johns County School District

Town of Hastings

U.S. Commercial Service

UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)

VISIT FLORIDA

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Addendum 1: JAXUSA Partnership Annual Report

 

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Addendum 2: Sources & Uses of Funds St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council (EDC) FUNDING SOURCES -2014-15 County Contribution $125,000 31% Other Contracts $22,616 6% Private Donations $255,577 63% TOTAL $403,193 USES Personnel (Allocated) $252,350 Programs & Events $35,562 Regional Partnership $45,000 Marketing & Operations $59,521 Building, Taxes & Insurance $10,760 TOTAL $403,193

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Addendum 3: Taxable Values for St. Johns County