An article in the March 6th edition of The St. Augustine Record, “Property values rising in St. Johns County” by Peter Guinta, reported a 1.2 percent increase in property values over the last year – the first increase in the past five years.  The article also notes an increase in building permits – a trend that started in 2012 and has continued into 2013.  There were 187 single-family home permits issued in January 2013 and 194 in February putting St. Johns County in the top five counties in the state for single-family home permits.