How decisions land on the ground
Land-use and zoning decisions, the land development code, permitting, impact and user fees, County budgets and taxes, and the public processes behind them: what they require, what they cost, and who they affect.
Who we are
We're not here to tell people what to think.
We're here to give them enough credible information to think for themselves.
The 1565 Coalition is an independent voice for small business in St. Johns County. It examines how government policy, land-use decisions, regulations, fees and public processes actually affect the people and businesses who live and work in St. Johns County. We go beyond talking points: we dig into the statutes, ordinances, public records, financial data, meeting records and competing arguments, separate fact from assumption, and make the result understandable and publicly accessible.
The name is the year Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine: 1565. It is the oldest continuously occupied European-founded city in the continental United States. Our work is about the decisions being made here now.
Anyone who lives or works here
Small-business owners, residents, County staff and commissioners. Every report has a plain-language layer up front and the full evidence behind it, so a neighbor and a planner can read the same work.
Founded in 2026 by Justin Tahilramani
A St. Augustine small-business owner, real-estate developer and Army veteran. He owns commercial property in the county, and his business, The Outpost, sponsors this site. Every report says so at the top. About the founder.
One small business, one hard process
The Coalition grew out of The Outpost's experience with the County's regulatory process, which showed how much preparation, persistence, transparency and a fair understanding of the rules matter. Read that case study, written by an interested party and labeled that way.
Where we stand
Process, not politics
The Coalition does not endorse candidates or take sides on ballot measures. We do advocate for a process small businesses can count on.
- Clear rules, applied the same way to everyone.
- Reasonable, predictable timelines.
- Fees that are explained and tied to real costs.
- Decisions made in public, with time for public input.
How we work
Facts first. Assumptions visible.
- Primary sources first: statutes, budgets, official data and public records.
- Every figure is cited, and every calculation can be checked.
- Arguments from all sides are presented in their strongest form.
- Interests are disclosed. Material errors are corrected publicly.
Two residents can agree on every number in a report and still reach different conclusions. Our job is to get the numbers right.
About the founder
Justin Tahilramani
Justin Tahilramani has seen St. Johns County's decisions from three sides: as the government's buyer, as an applicant, and as an owner who has to live with the result.
- ServiceNearly two decades in the U.S. Army, including Army acquisition and contracting: buying for the government under federal rules, where every dollar and every requirement has to be documented.
- CountySenior Procurement Coordinator for St. Johns County, 2022–23: inside the building, on the rules that govern how the County spends public money.
- ApplicantDeveloped The Outpost @ Old Moultrie Rd. When the County ordered it closed, he took the case to the Commission and won on appeal, 3–2, on May 5, 2026. The County then adopted its first food-truck-park ordinance, Ordinance 2026-31, unanimously on Sept. 15, 2026. The full record.
- BusinessCo-owner of Sandhills Real Estate Holdings: land acquisition and subdivision, commercial development, rental housing and private lending in Florida and North Carolina.
That combination is the Coalition's method: read a statute the way staff must apply it, a budget the way a contracting officer reads a bid, and a process the way an applicant lives it.
Interests disclosed. Justin owns commercial and investment real estate in St. Johns County. The Outpost @ Old Moultrie Rd, which he owns, sponsors the Coalition. Neither has any interest in the seven enclave filings in Report 03. The Coalition takes no position on whether any particular parcel should be built. It was founded by one person and is not yet a membership organization.
How the work is done
Coalition research is prepared in-house under the founder’s direction and checked against the primary sources it cites before publication. Pre-publication checks are internal, not an independent review. No Coalition report has yet had independent outside review; when one does, the report will name the reviewer and say what was checked. Corrections are logged publicly on the Updates page.