St. Johns County, Florida Eviction Risk: Very Low

St. Johns County posts a county average eviction risk score of 2.2/10 (Low), placing it among the more landlord-friendly markets in Florida eviction laws. Ranked 44th of 67 Florida counties, 43 counties carry higher risk and only 23 are less risky, which puts St. Johns squarely in the middle third of the state, yet firmly on the safer end for operators focused on minimizing tenant-turnover friction. With an average rent of $2,286 and a renter share of just 17.8%, the county draws a largely owner-occupied, higher-income demographic that tends to produce more stable tenancies.

That headline number covers real internal variation. Across the county's 14 cities, risk scores range from 1.8 to 2.5, a spread that matters enormously to landlords picking submarkets. A property in the lowest-risk corridor faces meaningfully different operating conditions than one in the upper tier, even though both sit within the same county boundary.

The cities inside St. Johns County

Butler Beach carries the highest risk score in the county at 2.5/10, with a population of 19,796. Flagler Estates and Hastings each score 2.4/10, rounding out the three riskiest submarkets. Fruit Cove, the county's largest city at 35,877 residents, scores 2.6/10, still low by statewide standards but noticeably above the county average. Sawgrass (2.1/10) and Butler Beach (2.5/10) occupy the next tier.

On the other end, St. Augustine Beach scores just 2.1/10, the lowest in the county. St. Augustine itself scores 2.3/10 across its 15,351 residents, and Nocatee and World Golf Village both come in at 2.3/10. The practical takeaway: two rental properties five miles apart in St. Johns County can carry materially different risk profiles, so investors should evaluate city-level scores before committing to a submarket.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in St. Johns County operate under Fla. Stat. § 83 Part II (Residential Tenancies). The Florida eviction process begins with a notice period that varies by grounds: non-payment of rent requires only a 3-day notice under Fla. Stat. § 83.56(3), while material non-compliance, whether curable or non-curable, requires 7 days. Ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 15 days notice. A 2024 addition, Fla. Stat. § 82.036 (HB-621), covers squatters and unauthorized occupants with no notice requirement. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 20 to 30 days; contested matters can run 45 to 110 days.

Understanding Florida eviction costs is equally important for budgeting. Court filing fees run $185 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add $90 to $175, and attorney fees typically range from $750 to $3,500. Florida eviction laws state law does not require just cause for non-renewal and state statute preempts any local rent-control ordinance except in a declared housing emergency, both meaningful protections for investors operating across the county.

St. Johns County's poverty rate of 5.8% is among the lowest in Florida, a structural indicator that supports the county's Low risk rating; the city-level grid above shows how that advantage is distributed, and where within the county landlords take on measurably more exposure.