Orange Park develops historic preservation ordinance

The Orange Park Historic Preservation Board continued working on a proposed historic preservation ordinance for the town during its Nov. 17 meeting. The proposed ordinance covers the designation of historic landmarks, districts and individual properties, the requirement for a certificate of appropriateness for all changes to historical structures, tax exemptions for historic structures, and the administration and enforcement of the ordinance.

In October, a representative of Florida’s State Department wrote to the board offering comments on the proposed ordinance. Moriah Justice wrote that the ordinance as written does not comply with Florida law and would not make the town eligible as a certified local government. The state official faulted the ordinance’s focus on individual properties rather than historic districts as the basis for her criticism. 

During its Nov. 17 meeting, the board discussed qualifications for someone serving on the historic preservation board, definitions in the ordinance and funding for historic preservation.