St. Johns County Ag Program Links Schools, Native Plants, and Turfgrass Threats

St. Johns County's Agricultural Community Engagement office is juggling a diverse slate of initiatives this fall, from tracking a new turfgrass disease that has reached Northeast Florida to connecting a nascent native plant society chapter with wholesale nurseries and advising a middle school on agriscience curriculum expansion.

The county announced the activities October 12, highlighting recent partnerships with Sebastian Middle School's new STEM advisory board, the Beluthahatchee chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, and the Florida Turfgrass Association. The outreach underscores the breadth of modern agricultural extension work in one of Florida's fastest-growing counties, where residential development, environmental stewardship, and working landscapes converge.

What's happening

Agricultural Community Engagement staff attended the Florida Turfgrass Association Conference alongside representatives from St. Johns County Parks and Recreation and a local agricultural business. At the conference, staff learned that a turfgrass disease previously expected to remain in South Florida has now been identified in Duval County and northern St. Johns County.

The information has been relayed to a plant pathologist, and the county plans to monitor reports of the disease in the area. Agricultural Community Engagement will share details about the emerging disease with local residents through a future newsletter to help homeowners and agricultural professionals recognize potential issues and access reliable information.

Separately, Agricultural Community Engagement helped connect the newly established Beluthahatchee chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society with a wholesale native plant nursery that has previously supplied sea oats for local dune restoration projects in St. Johns County. The connection is designed to help the new chapter learn about available native plant resources and strengthen relationships among organizations involved in conservation, restoration, and education.

Staff have also been invited to serve on a newly established STEM advisory board at Sebastian Middle School, where educators are exploring ways to expand the school's agriscience program. Potential additions include hydroponics, gardening, and hands-on laboratory experiences. The program would provide students with opportunities to explore agriculture through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while developing practical skills and an understanding of food production and agricultural systems.

In addition, Agricultural Community Engagement staff will participate in an upcoming Flagler College event focused on advancing educational opportunities and community connections, and the office is participating in Plein Air Drawing sessions at Bee Hill Farm in Elkton with artist Jenna Alexander on October 14, October 21, and October 28. The drawing workshops will bring participants to a working farm to create landscape paintings inspired by the agricultural setting.

How the turfgrass disease affects homeowners and landscaping businesses

The discovery of a turfgrass disease in northern St. Johns County and neighboring Duval County represents a potential headache for homeowners, landscapers, and the region's golf courses. Turfgrass diseases can cause widespread lawn damage, requiring fungicide applications, reseeding, or in severe cases, complete sod replacement—all of which carry costs for residential and commercial property owners.

St. Johns County's decision to alert residents through a future newsletter reflects the practical value of early detection. Homeowners who recognize disease symptoms early can consult certified turfgrass professionals or University of Florida IFAS Extension resources before damage becomes extensive. For landscaping businesses and lawn-care providers operating in the county, staying informed about emerging diseases is essential to advising clients and adjusting treatment protocols.

The disease's spread from South Florida into Northeast Florida may indicate that climatic or environmental conditions have shifted enough to support pathogens that were previously confined to warmer or wetter zones. Florida's turfgrass industry—which includes sod farms, golf courses, sports fields, and residential lawns—is a significant economic sector, and disease outbreaks can ripple through supply chains and maintenance budgets. Monitoring and rapid information-sharing, as the county is undertaking, are standard best practices in integrated turf management.

Why native plant connections matter for St. Johns conservation

The link between the Beluthahatchee chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and a local wholesale nursery has practical implications for habitat restoration, landscaping, and environmental resilience in St. Johns County. Native plants are adapted to local soils, rainfall patterns, and wildlife, making them lower-maintenance and ecologically beneficial alternatives to non-native ornamentals that often require irrigation, fertilizers, and pest control.

St. Johns County is home to sensitive coastal and riverine ecosystems, including the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve and stretches of the Intracoastal Waterway. Dune restoration projects—such as those that have used sea oats supplied by the same nursery now connecting with the native plant society—are critical for storm surge protection and sea turtle nesting habitat along the county's Atlantic coastline.

A reliable wholesale source for native plants can accelerate both public and private restoration efforts. Homeowners associations, developers subject to landscaping or environmental mitigation requirements, and county agencies managing parks and conservation lands all need access to native plant stock. The Beluthahatchee chapter's ability to tap into an established supplier could support volunteer planting events, educational workshops, and habitat projects throughout the county.

The partnership also reflects broader trends in Florida land management. As development pressures intensify in St. Johns—particularly along the CR 210 and SR 16 corridors and within master-planned communities such as Nocatee and SilverLeaf—native landscaping and conservation easements are increasingly part of permitting and community design. A well-connected native plant society can serve as a bridge between regulatory requirements, ecological goals, and on-the-ground implementation.

Agriscience education and the future workforce

Sebastian Middle School's agriscience program expansion, supported by the new STEM advisory board on which Agricultural Community Engagement staff will serve, addresses a gap in career pathways that many Florida school districts are working to fill. Agriscience programs introduce students to careers in horticulture, environmental science, veterinary medicine, food production, and agricultural technology—fields with steady demand in a state where agriculture remains a top industry.

Hydroponics and hands-on laboratory experiences, two potential additions to Sebastian's program, align with national trends in agricultural education. Hydroponics teaches plant biology, water chemistry, and controlled-environment agriculture, skills applicable to emerging sectors such as vertical farming and greenhouse production. These systems are also space-efficient, making them practical for schools with limited land.

For St. Johns County, which is transitioning rapidly from rural to suburban, agriscience education helps students understand the systems that underpin the local landscape—how stormwater is managed, where food comes from, how natural resources are conserved—even if they do not pursue agricultural careers. The county's school district has been under pressure to add capacity as residential growth accelerates; programs that engage students in science and technology while requiring relatively modest capital investment can be attractive additions.

Agricultural Community Engagement's participation on the advisory board provides a direct link to University of Florida IFAS Extension resources, local farmers, and industry professionals, which can help the school design curriculum, source equipment, and arrange field experiences. Similar partnerships in Clay and Nassau counties have led to student involvement in county fairs, FFA chapters, and internships with local nurseries and farms.

Building a broader agricultural network

The county's participation in the Flagler College event and the Plein Air Drawing workshops at Bee Hill Farm in Elkton illustrates a broader strategy: making agriculture visible and accessible to residents who may not have direct ties to farming. Plein air painting events, which bring artists into working landscapes, can raise awareness of the county's remaining agricultural lands and the people who manage them.

Bee Hill Farm, located in Elkton in southwestern St. Johns County, operates in an area where residential development is encroaching on historically rural land. Events that invite the public onto working farms can build community support for agricultural preservation and local food systems, which in turn can influence land-use decisions and consumer behavior.

Flagler College, based in St. Augustine, draws students from across Florida and beyond. Engaging with the college community offers Agricultural Community Engagement an opportunity to recruit future professionals, inform academic research, and connect faculty with county resources. In a region where universities such as the University of North Florida and Flagler College are expanding their environmental science and sustainability programs, county-academic partnerships can yield research data, internships, and collaborative projects that benefit both institutions and the public.

What happens next

Agricultural Community Engagement will release a newsletter with information about the newly identified turfgrass disease, including symptoms and resources for homeowners and professionals. Residents and landscapers in northern St. Johns County and Duval County should watch for that guidance, which will likely be distributed through the county's e-newsletter system and may be posted on the St. Johns County website.

The Plein Air Drawing workshops at Bee Hill Farm are scheduled for October 14, October 21, and October 28. Details and registration information are available through the county's event portal.

Sebastian Middle School's STEM advisory board, now including Agricultural Community Engagement staff, will continue to explore curriculum additions such as hydroponics and laboratory experiences. Decisions about program expansion will depend on school district budget cycles, grant opportunities, and facility planning, but the advisory board's formation signals that agriscience is a priority for the school.

The Beluthahatchee chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, newly connected with a wholesale native plant nursery, will determine how to leverage that relationship for future restoration and education projects. The chapter's activities and meeting schedule can typically be found through the state Florida Native Plant Society website and local environmental organization networks.

Agricultural Community Engagement's participation in the upcoming Flagler College event has not been assigned a public date in the county's announcement, but residents interested in agricultural education and outreach can monitor the county's calendar and the Office of Public Affairs for updates.

The role of ag extension in a fast-growing county

St. Johns County's Agricultural Community Engagement efforts reflect the evolving role of agricultural extension in rapidly suburbanizing counties across Florida. Traditional extension work—advising farmers on pest management, soil health, and crop production—now shares space with urban and suburban priorities: turfgrass disease monitoring for residential lawns, native plant education for conservation-minded homeowners, and school partnerships that introduce students to food systems and environmental science.

As St. Johns County continues to rank among Florida's fastest-growing counties, the tension between development and agricultural land preservation will intensify. Extension programs that build bridges between farmers, educators, environmentalists, and new residents can help ensure that agriculture remains a visible, valued part of the community—even as the landscape changes. Whether through a middle school hydroponics lab, a native plant chapter with reliable suppliers, or a newsletter alerting homeowners to a new lawn disease, these small, steady connections shape how growth unfolds and who benefits from it.