A St. Johns County rezoning request filed in late July would reshape one of northern St. Johns County's long approved communities, swapping a plan for hundreds of homes for a far smaller estate layout with a marina and a large block of preserved land. The proposal, from Jacksonville based Seda Construction Co., is one of several development moves in the county this summer that trace back to a new Florida land law that took effect on July 1, 2026.
Here is what the filings actually say, what is still under review, and what it may mean for buyers and owners watching the northern part of the county.
What Seda filed at Sandy Creek
Seda Construction is asking St. Johns County to rezone part of its long approved Sandy Creek development and rebrand that portion as Sandy Lake, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record on July 28, 2026. The request would allow a maximum of 81 residential lots within roughly 41.16 acres of development area, with about 370.42 acres set aside as required reserve. That is a sharp step down from the previously approved plan, which allowed for 332 homes on the same tract.
The new layout leans toward lower density estate style lots rather than a conventional subdivision. Alongside the 81 lots, the plan sets aside roughly 100 acres of recreational space that would include a marina, plus expanded reserve and common areas that the application ties to future conservation easements, per the Daily Record's July 28 report.
Sandy Creek is not a blank slate. The community operates under a Planned Unit Development that St. Johns County originally approved in 2003 and has amended several times since, the Daily Record reported. Parts of it are already built and occupied across multiple phases, while other approved areas remain undeveloped and would be the pieces affected by this rezoning.
The plans expanded within days
The picture grew larger almost immediately. On July 30, 2026, the Daily Record reported that the property owner had also filed for Agricultural Enclave Certification on roughly 379 acres of undeveloped land near the Interstate 95 corridor, submitted on July 29. That certification request covers a separate portion of the larger tract, and a previously filed Planned Rural Development rezoning request remains under consideration at the same time.
The land sits in northern St. Johns County near the Interstate 95 and County Road 210 corridor, an area that has absorbed steady growth as development pushes south from Duval County and west from the coast. Taken together, the filings show a single owner working several approval tracks at once on adjoining pieces of one large holding.
The state law behind the moves
The Agricultural Enclave Certification piece is where a wider story comes in. Florida Senate Bill 686 was signed into law on April 24, 2026, and took effect on July 1, 2026, according to reporting from Jacksonville Today on July 23, 2026, and News4Jax on July 28, 2026. The law creates an expedited process that lets an eligible landowner apply directly to certify qualifying agricultural land as an enclave. Once a parcel is certified, the county must treat residential development on that land as a conforming use, which narrows the discretion local officials have traditionally held over such requests.
St. Johns County has already identified six properties moving toward agricultural enclave certification under the new law, News4Jax reported on July 28, 2026. One of the most talked about is a tract of more than 4,000 acres near Nocatee, behind Mickler's Wharf in the northern part of the county. County commissioners have publicly discussed their legal options in response, and residents have turned out to weigh in, according to reporting from Action News Jax and News4Jax in late July 2026.
The Sandy Lake filings show how a single owner can blend these tools. Part of the tract runs through the conventional rezoning process, while a separate portion pursues the newer enclave path, giving the owner more than one route to move undeveloped land toward housing.
How this fits the wider market
None of this changes prices on its own, but it does speak to where new supply may land in the years ahead. The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors reported a median sale price of $420,000 across the six county region in June 2026, up 2.4 percent from May and 7.9 percent from the June 2025 figure of $389,000, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record on July 13, 2026. Active inventory stood at 7,216 homes, or about a 3.4 month supply, per the same NEFAR release.
Against that backdrop, a rezoning that trades 332 potential homes for 81 estate lots runs counter to the higher density many growth debates assume. Fewer, larger lots on preserved acreage is a different product than a standard subdivision, and it points to demand for lower density options in the northern county even as the region overall stays tight on supply.
For anyone tracking the specific community, Momentum keeps a running page on Sandy Creek in St. Augustine and a builder guide covering Seda New Homes in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
What happens next
The Sandy Lake rezoning and the related enclave certification are applications, not approvals. They move through St. Johns County's review process, which can include staff review, public hearings, and county commission action, and the plans can change along the way. The July 30 reporting noted the enclave request and the Planned Rural Development request were both still under consideration, so the final shape of what gets built is not settled.
Owners inside Sandy Creek and buyers eyeing the northern I-95 and County Road 210 corridor may want to follow the county's development review calendar for hearing dates, since that is where the details that matter, lot counts, road access, and the marina and reserve areas, get locked in.
People also ask
What is the Sandy Lake rezoning in St. Johns County?
It is a request from Seda Construction Co. to rezone part of its long approved Sandy Creek development in northern St. Johns County and allow up to 81 residential lots on about 41 acres of development area, with roughly 370 acres of reserve and about 100 acres of recreational space that would include a marina, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record on July 28, 2026.
How many homes were originally approved there?
The previously approved plan allowed for 332 homes on the tract, so the new request represents a significant reduction in lot count, per the Daily Record's July 28, 2026 report.
What is Florida's agricultural enclave law?
Senate Bill 686, signed April 24, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, created an expedited certification process that lets eligible landowners certify qualifying agricultural land as an enclave, after which the county must treat residential development on that land as a conforming use, according to Jacksonville Today on July 23, 2026 and News4Jax on July 28, 2026.
Is the Sandy Lake plan final?
No. The rezoning, the agricultural enclave certification, and a separate Planned Rural Development request were all still under review as of the July 30, 2026 reporting, and the plans can change during the county's review process.
Market takeaway
If more northern St. Johns County owners follow the Sandy Lake pattern, the county could see more low density estate product coming through the pipeline rather than dense subdivisions, which may keep pressure on the supply of larger lots even as overall inventory stays near a three and a half month level. This is context, not investment advice, and every parcel and application carries its own timeline and risks. Verify current filings and hearing dates with St. Johns County before making any decision.
Momentum Research, compiled from public reporting and St. Johns County materials. Equal Housing Opportunity.
This article was compiled with the help of automated tools from public reporting and county materials and may contain errors. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. It is for general information only and is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Verify all facts independently before relying on them. Sources: Jacksonville Daily Record (Jul 28, Jul 30, Jul 13, 2026), Jacksonville Today (Jul 23, 2026), News4Jax (Jul 28, 2026).