The St. Joe Company says it will build long overdue roads in Southwood after the city put the developer on notice but some residents want more than its word on the matter.
This is a potential major step and admission by the Panama City Beach-based developer, considering residents have been complaining for years about unfinished roads within the master-planned community.
Roadwork was supposed to be completed on Orange Avenue from Biltmore Avenue to Southwood Plantation Road by Dec. 31, 2025, and Biltmore Avenue from Orange Avenue to Apalachee Parkway was to be under active construction by the same date.
St. Joe was on the clock to address violations after John Reddick, the city’s Growth Management director, sent a March 26 notice of violation that said St. Joe failed to meet its roadway construction commitments for Biltmore and Orange.
If the company didn’t address the violations within 15 days of the notice, it would trigger a public hearing to decide what punitive action was needed, which could include withholding permits. The hearing was set for April 21.
In a matter of weeks, the St. Joe Co. had an agreement for use of a right-of-way on Orange Avenue needed from the land owner, the Next Gen Family Group LLC, which also received the city’s notice of violation.
Reddick, when speaking at the latest City Commission meeting, said both entities have worked to expedite the improvements needed for the roadwork on Orange Avenue and “bring that up to the standard we expect” and was laid out in the Southwood Development of Regional Impact (DRI).
“A lot has happened in the last month,” Reddick said. “The enforcement guidelines within the Development Order state that put them on notice (said) if there is progress made in good faith, building effort, we can defer on a public hearing.”
Gary Hunter, a partner at the Holtzman Vogel law firm’s office in Tallahassee, spoke on behalf of the St. Joe Co. He said an emergency order by the governor two years ago afforded more time on finishing incomplete roads within Southwood.
However, recent talks between St. Joe and the Next Gen Family Group, even that same day, indicate the right of way would be dedicated to the city so Orange Avenue could be completed.
“St. Joe is prepared to go build Orange Avenue, emergency or no emergency,” Hunter said. “We understand the residents of Southwood are ready for Orange Avenue to be constructed.”
Southwood resident, commissioners weigh in on incomplete roadwork and plan moving forward
After nearly an hour of discussion, Tallahassee city commissioners voted to put the St. Joe company on another clock.
All of them, except Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, approved a 60-day requirement to acquire or have an agreement in place to purchase the property for the right of way. If that’s not done, the city would issue a notice of violation on day 60.
If the property is acquired by St. Joe Co., city staffers would also offer an update at the next regular meeting to check in on the roadwork design, along with a stipulation for the company to host a meeting with Southwood residents.
John Ray, a Southwood resident for 20 years, got more than 500 signatures on his petition addressing the incomplete roads. He said St. Joe ignored deadlines and the homeowners are “suspicious of this newfound progress.”
“The Development Order is a contract between the developer and the city government. It should mean something,” said Ray, during Wednesday’s City Commission meeting. “Lots of talk about progress today, and I’m hopeful … Pressure is working. We are here because you executed enforcement. We’re not quite sure, as residents, what’s going to happen next.”
Commissioners peppered the city’s staff and legal team with questions. Much of the discussion surrounded whether to proceed with the scheduled public hearing if St. Joe continued to make strides toward building the roads.
In the end, they decided to cancel the public hearing, set a deadline to acquire the property and not lose sight of the main goal, although there were concerns that commitments between St. Joe and Next Gen weren’t formalized in writing.
“We’re talking about critical infrastructure that the developer has long known they are responsible for,” said City Commissioner Jack Porter, who participated remotely for the meeting. “I’m concerned that we would postpone without an enforceable agreement. I mean, we have an enforceable agreement and we’re not moving forward to enforce it.”
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson said he could understand frustrations felt by Southwood residents, including some “distrust.”
“They anticipated that this would have happened a long time ago, and they’ve had to tolerate the conditions of that road during this entire time,” Richardson said.
Dailey, the lone ‘no’ vote, said it’s important for the commission “to keep the end goal in mind” and said Southwood has done a “has done a tremendous job of putting pressure on St. Joe.”
He wasn’t in favor of the initial 30-day requirement to get the land deals finalized, nor did he support the 60-day or 90-day stipulation, for fear land deals may not be complete by those specific time frames.
Dailey also said the public hearing isn’t about whether to build the road but strictly whether to apply punitive damages.
“We’re setting ourselves up for failure,” he said. “If we hold the hearing and if this board does move forward with punitive damages, I guarantee you St. Joe’s going to sue or they’re going to appeal to court. And what’s going to happen is that this will be tired up in the courts for the next year.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: St Joe to build Southwood roads after city puts developer on notice
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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