Where Ponte Vedra's Next New Homes Come From Is Now a Legal Question

St. Johns County's latest numbers suggest buyers have more room to work. For anyone shopping close to Ponte Vedra Beach, that picture is incomplete. Nocatee, the main source of new homes on this side of the county for two decades, is nearly sold out. The largest undeveloped tract next to it was denied by county commissioners on September 15, 2026, and the developer says it will appeal. So the future supply of new homes between the Duval County line and the Intracoastal Waterway now depends on how a new state law holds up.

The County Number Points One Way, the Corridor Another

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) reported that in August 2026, St. Johns County's single-family median sale price was $573,250. There were 1,404 active listings, equal to 3.5 months of supply, and the median home spent 40 days on the market. In July 2026, NEFAR had the median at $589,030, with 3.3 months of supply and a median of 33 days on the market. Supply went up, days on market went up, and the median came down. NEFAR's August release calls this a more balanced market.

Most of the new-home building, though, is happening far from the beaches. In RCLCO's mid-year 2026 ranking of top-selling master-planned communities, Silverleaf placed 7th and RiverTown 20th. Both are in northwest St. Johns County. Silverleaf has sold 575 homes so far this year and RiverTown 300. Nocatee, which the St. Johns Citizen called "a perennial chart topper," was left off the list because it is almost fully built out.

So the county's growing supply is real. But most new construction is moving toward the I-95 corridor and the St. Johns River side of the county, and away from the area just west of the Intracoastal.

What Nocatee Has Left

In October 2025, Nocatee's developer said 96% of its homes had sold and fewer than 400 remained. That count is a year old, so the real number today is probably lower. The developer's neighborhood page shows how wide a price range those remaining sections cover:

These are the developer's current asking prices, and the page is undated, so they can change without notice. What matters is that new construction in Nocatee still runs from townhomes to luxury homesites, and every one of those sections is a finite set of homes that will eventually sell out.

The Tract Directly North

The Daily Record describes the land north of Nocatee as one of the county's largest undeveloped tracts with Intracoastal Waterway access. It is bordered by the Duval-St. Johns county line on the west, the Intracoastal on the east, and the northern edge of Nocatee on the south. The Davis family, which founded Winn-Dixie, has owned most of it through BR4700 LLC since November 1994, when the company paid $9.3 million for it. The company owns 4,569 acres across 21 parcels along the Palm Valley Road, San Pablo Road, County Road 210 and 20 Mile Road corridors.

BR4700 filed on July 1, 2026, the day Senate Bill 686 took effect. It asked the county to certify 4,462.09 acres as an agricultural enclave, at a density of up to one home per gross acre. That works out to a maximum of 4,462 homes. The application doesn't name a community, describe housing types or amenities, or lay out a phasing plan. The county's case file is ENCERT 2026-01. It lists six units per acre as the statutory maximum. That is a ceiling written into the law, not what the applicant requested.

The PARC Group is the developer behind Nocatee, eTown and EverRange, and it is working with the Davis family on this proposal. In practical terms, this is the land most likely to become the next large source of new homes close to Ponte Vedra.

How SB 686 Changes the Usual Process

Normally, rezoning farmland for homes takes a comprehensive plan amendment, which goes through public hearings before the planning agency and the county commission. SB 686 adds a second route. These are the main mechanics from the enrolled bill text:

• A fixed timeline. The county has 30 days to issue a compliance report. It must then hold a hearing within 30 days of that report. If it doesn't approve or deny the application within 90 days of receiving it, the land is certified automatically.
• Denials can be appealed quickly. A denial has to include written findings, and the applicant can petition the circuit court for a writ of certiorari within 30 days after the county renders its decision.
• Density follows the neighbors. Once land is certified, single-family plans can match the uses, density and intensity of adjacent parcels or developments. The county must treat them as conforming "notwithstanding the local government's comprehensive plan, future land use designation, or zoning."
• Plan review is capped. Review of development plans can't take longer than 180 days and can't include a quasi-judicial process or public hearing.
• Size limits. Enclaves are generally capped at 1,280 acres. The cap rises to 4,480 acres when the land is heavily surrounded by dense residential development. The Davis application is about 18 acres under that higher cap. Its land-use analysis found that 84% of the perimeter borders land designated for development. The law requires 75%.

The key point for anyone buying nearby is the 180-day review with no public hearing. If this tract is certified, the opportunities for public input on site plans would be far fewer than in a traditional rezoning.

Where Things Stand as of Early October 2026

1. July 1: BR4700 files for enclave certification.
2. August 19: Commissioners certify two other applications, Heritage East and Heritage West.
3. September 1: The commission votes to pursue outside counsel and a temporary injunction against SB 686.
4. September 14: The applicant for Sandy Creek, a 379-acre site east of I-95 and south of CR 210 West, withdraws its application.
5. September 15: Commissioners deny the Davis application 3-2. Chair Clay Murphy, Ann Taylor and Krista Joseph vote against it. News4JAX reported the application was days away from automatic certification.
6. September 22: PARC says it intends to appeal, and Murphy says the county will challenge the law.
7. September 28: Commissioners deny Heritage East and Heritage West, reversing the certifications they granted in August.

Both sides have stated their positions. PARC's statement read:

"We believe the Commission's decision is clearly inconsistent with the facts presented in our application and the County's staff report recommending approval."

Murphy told News4JAX the law "is actually an overreach of our zoning laws" and said, "Our zoning laws are supposed to be local." County Attorney Rich Komando said outside counsel had advised that it would be better to litigate in St. Johns County than in Leon County. As of October 4, we have found no public confirmation that PARC has filed its appeal or that the county has filed its own case. Both are announced plans for now.

What This Means When Comparing Homes on the Western Edge

For a buyer looking at Palm Valley, north Nocatee or the Intracoastal side of Ponte Vedra Beach, the key fact is that the biggest open parcel nearby has an unresolved future. Courts and the Legislature, along with the county, will decide what happens to it. Under the request on file, it could hold up to 4,462 homes. It could also stay undeveloped for as long as the legal process takes. Nobody can say yet which way it will go, and we won't guess at how a court will rule.

What you can do now:

• Find out what's actually on the parcel next door. Check county records for the parcel's current status and any proposed plans.
• Treat Nocatee's remaining sections as limited supply. If you want new construction near the beaches, the choice comes down to the sections still selling there, resale homes, or a longer drive west to communities like Silverleaf and RiverTown.
• Read county numbers as county numbers. NEFAR's August 3.5 months of supply covers all of St. Johns County. It doesn't describe the new-home pipeline along the Intracoastal.

Drawn to life in Ponte Vedra? See Ponte Vedra Beach luxury homes for sale, starting with a few listings on the market now:

1. 75 Fairway Wood Way, Ponte Vedra Beach (32082) | 5 bd, 3.5 ba, 3,458 sq ft
2. 539 Rutile Dr, Ponte Vedra Beach (32082) | 6 bd, 6.5 ba, 6,904 sq ft
3. 55 Solana Rd, Ponte Vedra Beach (32082) | 5 bd, 4.5 ba, 4,391 sq ft

Explore all of Living on the Edgewater's current listings.

A Few Questions Buyers Ask Us Directly

Does the denial mean the land won't be developed? No. The denial ends this application at the county level for now. Under SB 686, the applicant can seek circuit court review within 30 days of the county's written decision, and PARC says it plans to appeal.

Is the tract in Ponte Vedra Beach? It's in unincorporated northern St. Johns County, west of the Intracoastal Waterway and north of Nocatee. The Daily Record's coverage uses Ponte Vedra Beach in its headline, and Palm Valley sits across the water to the east.

Are there other enclave applications in St. Johns County? Yes. Besides the Davis tract and the two Heritage cases, a 310-acre application west of Pacetti Road and north of CR 208 was on the September 15 agenda. We haven't been able to confirm its final status.

If you're weighing a home along the western edge of Ponte Vedra and want to understand what's happening on the land around it, from the appeal timeline to which Nocatee sections are still selling, the Stephen Williams Edgewater Home Team follows these filings closely and can show you how they apply to the homes on your list. Schedule a Consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.