Flagler Estates, Florida

Flagler Estates is an unincorporated community in Flagler and St. Johns counties in the U.S. state of Florida. The Flagler County portion of Flagler Estates is part of the Palm Coast Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the St. Johns County portion is part of the Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Location

The Flagler Estates Road and Water Control District (FERWCD) encompasses about 7,416 acres (30 km²) in the unincorporated areas of St. Johns County. The District is located southwest of St. Augustine and eight miles (13 km) southeast of Hastings, Florida, lying south of County Road 13, just north of the Flagler county line, and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of the Putnam County line. The main entrance is off State Road 13 onto Flagler Estates Boulevard, shown in the picture to the right. There are three other paved accesses to Flagler Estates:

• West from Yelvington Road (Paved, St. Johns County Road) onto Palatka Blvd
• North from J. Flake Road (Paved, St. Johns County Road) onto Allison Avenue.
• West and north from Cracker Swamp Road (Paved St. Johns County Road) onto West Deep Creek Blvd.

Prior to January 2004, FERWCD was located within two counties, Flagler and St. Johns. However the Flagler County side had no direct access to county services. Flagler County had not issued any building permits and all 1,935 lots on the Flagler County side were undeveloped. House Bill 1789 (2000 Legislative Session) mandated an attempt, which failed, to provide a means for issuance of building permits. Because of this mandate, the Flagler County portion of the District was removed from the District Boundaries effective January 1, 2004. This de-annexation was codified in Chapter 2006-358, Laws of Florida.

In the 2006 codification bill, lands owned by FERWCD north of the Ashley Outfall were added into the District. The lands annexed into the District in this bill included key drainage infrastructure that were described in the 1973 Amended Plan of Reclamation; that were constructed in 1974; and that have been maintained by FERWCD since.

There are 6,181 acres (25 km²) of residential lots in Flagler Estates. Most lots are 1.13 acres (4,600 m²) in area, which excludes road easement shown on all deeds in Flagler Estates. As of May 2006, there were an estimated 1,500 families residing in Flagler Estates. By comparison, in 2002 an estimated 900 families resided within Flagler Estates and in 1991 there were 40 families. Increasingly, fewer FERWCD landowners are absentee and not residing in St. Johns County. The past five (5) years has seen a substantial increase in the number of new residents, and this expansion is projected to continue steadily as Flagler Estates provides workforce housing to the St. Johns County community. Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council estimated in 2001 that over 8,000 people would live in Flagler Estates by 2010.

Although it covers a wide area, the nearest services are in Palatka, across the St. Johns River. The only service is Buzz Mart, at the corner of Flagler Estates Boulevard and CR 13. The main river that runs through the central area is Deep Creek. More details below. 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east of the area is Old Brick Road, a U.S. National Register of Historic Place. It is located 12 miles (19 km) east of Palatka. The area is known for its large lot sizes.

Geography

Flagler Estates is located at 29°38′15″N 81°27′27″W.

The watershed drainage in Flagler Estates is dominated by Sixteenmile Creek, which flows from south to north. The headwaters of the creek are located about 47,000 feet (14,300 m) south of the confluence of Sixteenmile Creek with Deep Creek, which is just north of the watershed boundary. From that confluence, Deep Creek flows 38,500 feet (11,730 m) north to the confluence of the St. Johns River. Very near to the northern boundary of the watershed, the main conveyance system of Sixteenmile Creek is a man made canal, which replaced the old run of Deep Creek. The length of the man made canal is 29,500 feet (8,990 m), which extends about 7,800 feet (2,380 m) south of the Flagler County line to the former railroad trestle. The original run of Deep Creek remains unchanged in the creek segment 17,000 feet (5,200 m) south of the man made canal. The most down-stream end of the main canal (a.k.a. Sixteenmile Creek) is about 150 feet (46 m) wide with a design bottom elevation of 1.89 feet (0.58 m) NGVD. The most up-stream end of the main canal is 80 feet (24 m) wide with a design bottom elevation of 8.22 feet (2.51 m) NGVD. The average slope of the canal bottom is 0.0003 feet/foot.

The Sixteenmile Creek watershed is located predominantly in St. Johns County and Flagler Counties, although a sliver of land in the southwest portion of the watershed is located in Putnam County. The land is topographically flat, sloping toward the middle of the watershed from west-to-east, and from east-to-west at a fall of about 0.001 ft/foot. The elevations on the east and west boundaries of the watershed are approximately 25 feet (8 m), NGVD. The top-of-bank elevations on Sixteenmile Creek (a.k.a. Main Canal) range from 9.0 feet (2.7 m) to 13.0 feet (4.0 m). The highest point (just over 40 feet (12 m), NGVD) in the watershed is located at the common corners of St Johns County, Flagler County, and Putnam County.

Floridana, Riviera, and Winder soil groups with National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) hydrological classifications of D, C/D, and B/D, respectively, dominate the soils in the watershed. There are about 15 other soil groups in the basin. The largest minor soil groups are Wabasso and EauGallie (NRCS B/D). In areas where the native soils have not been disturbed, the surface soil strata drain well. However, all soils groups in the basin are considered poorly drained due to the heavy clay layers 40 inches (1,000 mm) beneath the surface.

Table 15, from the NRCS soil survey of St. Johns County, generally estimates that the top layers of soil (down to 25 inches (640 mm) deep) have permeability rates of 6.0 to 20.0 inches/hour. However, in all of the major soil groups, the permeability rates drop below 0.2 inches/hour deeper than 25 inches (640 mm). The survey concludes that the usefulness of the soil is limited to certain specialty crops and for pine tree farming. The survey cautions against the use of the land for residential purposes due to the lack of good outfall and soil drainage.

The current land-uses within the District boundaries are generally 1.25-acre (5,100 m²) residential. On the east side of the watershed, outside the District boundaries, the primary land-use is silviculture. On the west side of the watershed, outside the District boundaries, the primary land-use is agricultural. In the Flagler County portion of the watershed, the land-use is mixed between silviculture, agriculture, and wetland. In this area, about 60% of the land area could be classified as wetland.

The watershed drainage is dominated by Sixteenmile Creek, which flows from south to north. The headwaters of the creek are located about 47,000 feet (14,300 m) south of the confluence of Sixteenmile Creek with Deep Creek, which is just north of the watershed boundary. From that confluence, Deep Creek flows 38,500 feet (11,730 m) north to the confluence of the St. Johns River. Very near to the northern boundary of the watershed, the main conveyance system of Sixteenmile Creek is a man made canal, which replaced the old run of Deep Creek. The length of the man made canal is 29,500 feet (8,990 m), which extends about 7,800 feet (2,380 m) south of the Flagler County line to the former railroad trestle. The original run of Deep Creek remains unchanged in the creek segment 17,000 feet (5,200 m) south of the man made canal. The most down-stream end of the main canal (a.k.a. Sixteenmile Creek) is about 150 feet (46 m) wide with a design bottom elevation of 1.89 feet (0.58 m) NGVD. The most up-stream end of the main canal is 80 feet (24 m) wide with a design bottom elevation of 8.22 feet (2.51 m) NGVD. The average slope of the canal bottom is 0.0003 feet/foot.

The 21,700 feet (6,600 m) of Main Canal lying in St. Johns County receives routine maintenance from the FERWCD crews. The 7,800 feet (2,400 m) of main canal lying in Flagler County has not received periodic maintenance since 2004 and is no longer part of the District.

Most flows entering Sixteenmile Creek are conveyed from the sub-basins through tributary canals running from west to east and from east to west within the District boundaries. Twelve (12) tributary canals discharge to Sixteenmile Creek from the west. Six of these canals are owned and maintained by FERWCD. One canal (HDD #6) is owned and maintained by Hastings Drainage District. Five canals are owned by Flagler County and are no longer maintained.

Thirteen tributary canals discharge to Sixteenmile Creek from the east. Eight canals are owned and maintained by FERWCD. Five canals are owned by Flagler County and are no longer maintained.

Major Roads

• Flagler Estates Boulevard- The road is home to the main entrance of Flagler Estates It is 3 miles (5 km) long from CR 13 to Yeager Avenue. Past Deep Creek Boulevard, the road becomes a dirt road.

• Deep Creek Boulevard (west side)- The road provides access to Deep Creek to the east. The road is 4.7 miles (7.6 km) long, from Quick Street at the south border of Flagler Estates, to Cracker Swamp Road.

• Cedar Ford Boulevard-This road provides access to the central area of Flagler Estates. It is 4.2 miles (6.8 km) long, from Amos Avenue to Isacson Road.

• Palatka Boulevard-This road provides access to the southern area of the subdivision (St. Johns County), and 2 towns in Putnam County, Florida:Yelvington, and Palatka. It is 6 miles (10 km) long, from Yelvington to Amos Avenue. There is a gap between West and East Deep Creek Boulevards.

See also

• The Compound
• Palatka, Florida
• Hastings, Florida

External links

• FlaglerEstates.com - forums, listings, news, etc.
• Community News Site
• Official Flagler Estates Road and Water Control District Site