ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County has started a new campaign, encouraging people to take better care of the public parks and spaces. Officials hope their efforts will help ease using county funds to clean up vandalized property.
The campaign, named "Enjoy Don't Destroy," includes public service announcements. The county says the thousands of dollars they could have spent on public events or upgrading parks, has gone toward fixing damage.
Joey Pellegrino with the county's parks & recreation department, says there were times where park restrooms were destroyed, damaged from fireworks and panels were torn off the walls.
"From fiscal year 2023 'till now, it's cost well over $70,000 for the county," Pellegrino told First Coast News. "That's almost 200 work orders for recreation staff. That's a lot of their time having to clean up after these vandalism incidents."
County officials say residents will soon see the public service announcements, reminding people to keep the parks clean and report vandalism using the SJC Connect app.
"Vandalism isn't an inevitability, but a solvable problem. One that can be prevented with the right education," Pellegrino said.
The campaign kicked off at the Julington Creek Plantation at 10 a.m. on Friday.