St. Augustine leaders reconsidering approval for already built HGTV 2024 Dream Home

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The company behind this year’s 2024 HGTV Dream Home in Anastasia Island just got a wake-up call from St. Augustine leaders, according to our sister station Action News Jax.

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From video and pictures online, the home, located in the Pelican Reef community, looks move-in ready. But part of the property hasn’t even been approved.

This afternoon, the St. Augustine planning and zoning board spent hours today talking about the seawall around the home that’s already built, but was never approved by the city. The board has now voted to hold off an approval or denial of the entire property.

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The seawall was built right by the marsh, with the home being right next to a conservation zone, which aims to protect local wildlife. The city says the seawall violates its conservation policy, which “discourages the disturbance of natural shorelines.”

Coastal Getaway Homes, LLC, the company behind the home, along with the attorney representing it, says the city had the information on the seawall when it first approved the building permit for the home. In its application to approve the seawall, the company says the wall was included in construction drawings approved by the city last April.

Those drawings highlight the part of the property meant for the seawall. But the planning and zoning board says they need another look, partly because, instead of explaining who exactly proposed and built the barrier, the drawing says “retention wall proposed by others.”

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The board’s also asking the same question of the pool deck for the home, which also, on the site plan, says “proposed by others.” The developer says the house is 80 feet wide, which violates the city’s 75-foot limit for development by a conservation zone.

The board’s now asking for more time so it can consider an approval for the entire property, along with the seawall.

The company behind the home says more than 100 million people have entered the HGTV sweepstakes for the Dream Home, which promises the home, a new E-class from Mercedes Benz and $100,000 cash to the winner. The company says there’s no exact date to have the home ready, but HGTV says the contest closes on February 15.

The planning and zoning board will take the application up again for a possible vote in its meeting on March 5.

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