Greg Leonard is unquestionably a leader in Palm Valley and Ponte Vedra Beach. He is one of a select group of deeply involved citizens, giving generously of his time and talent, always contributing to the enrichment of his community.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1948, but during most of my youth I lived in St. Augustine. My father, George Leonard, worked with my grandfather as farm managers for Wetumpka Fruit Company, a Boston-based produce company with large holdings in Hastings and Lowell, Florida. My great-grandfather came to Florida from Boston in the 1880s to establish the company operations. He shipped citrus, potatoes and winter vegetables to Boston and the other major northern markets.
My paternal grandparents, George V. and Lillie Leonard, were very influential in my life. Some of my fondest childhood memories are the times spent on their Hastings farm. Those early years were foundational for me and helped create my great love of Florida, and particularly St. Johns County.
One of my lifelong passions has been music. I was very interested in the ’60s music scene and in 1968 moved to San Diego, California, where I could have access to concerts by the leading musicians of the time. I attended college at the University of California San Diego and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1974. While at UCSD, I wrote a music column for the college newspaper and wrote feature stories and did interviews with leading artists like ZZ Top and the Eagles for a cultural newsweekly.
After college, I returned to St. Augustine and soon found myself working for Tree of Life, a small startup natural-foods company that was to eventually become the first nationwide wholesale distributor of natural and organic food to independent retailers and supermarkets. During my career at Tree of Life I led procurement, product development and sales and marketing teams and saw the company grow from $2 million in annual sales when I joined in 1974, to over $3 billion in sales when I retired in 2014.
In our local community, I have served on the St. Johns County’s Historic Resources Committee and have developed and presented visual histories of both the Ponte Vedra, Palm Valley and Hastings/Federal Point areas. My love of local history led me to write a history of southwest St. Johns County, titled “Hastings — Florida’s Potato Capital” that was published in 2021. I am currently working on a similar book on the colorful history of Putnam County and Palatka.
My wife Debrah and I are active members of Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra Beach, and I am currently in a four-year program at Christ Church, “Education for Ministry” by the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee.
How long have you lived in this community? What do you like best about living here?
In 1987, I relocated from St. Augustine to Palm Valley and built my dream home on the Intracoastal Waterway. Palm Valley provided a perfect combination of the “Old Florida” I grew up loving, with the conveniences that were available in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach. In 1988, I married Debrah Blalock, the love of my life and my partner ever since. Debrah and I enjoyed living in Palm Valley for 34 years before moving to the Sawgrass Players Club in 2022. We have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Tell me about your involvement with the Palm Valley Community Association and what the group does.
I have been active in the Palm Valley Community Association (PVCA) for over 30 years, serving as volunteer, vice president and as president today. The Palm Valley Community Association, founded in 1948, is one of the oldest, continually operating community associations in North Florida. The PVCA owns our Palm Valley Community Center building and works to ensure that our special quality of life, the aesthetic of our natural areas, and public safety on local roadways is preserved through responsible planning and community advocacy.
Are there any high points from the association’s history that you’d like to share?
The PVCA’s accomplishments just in the past year include hosting a variety of events including: A “State of the County” presentation from SJC Administrator Joy Andrews; a forum for all candidates for county commissioner; a forum for candidates for state senator and representative; a St. Johns School District presentation with Board Member Kelly Barrera and Superintendent Tim Forson; a collaboration with the Ponte Vedra Community Association on our Annual County Commissioner and Staff Luncheon; the continuing success of the weekly Palm Valley Community Farmer’s Market; and, in December, the annual Palm Valley Boat & Light Parade.
Can readers get involved? If so, how?
All residents are welcome to be members of our association. There are no membership fees, only an open invitation to participate in the life of our community. To receive updates on PVCA activities and events residents can visit www.palmvalleycommunity.org and sign-up to receive important information about news and special events in our community.
Tell me about your involvement with the Citizens Traffic Task Force and what that group does.
Eleven years ago, I became one of the founders of what is known as the Ponte Vedra Beach Citizens Traffic Task Force, a group focused on traffic safety and roadway improvements in the area. The Board of Directors of the PVB Citizen’s Traffic Task Force (CTTF) meets monthly and is made up of representatives of the major community organizations and HOAs in PVPV.
Since 2014, the CTTF has collaborated with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO) and our county commissioners and staff to facilitate improvements to traffic congestion and road safety in Ponte Vedra Beach and Palm Valley.
Over the past five years we have requested and received incremental financial support from the Legislature and Gov. DeSantis totaling more than $8 million. Most of those funds have been allocated to key intersection improvements on S.R. A1A that are now in the design phase. What’s called “the A1A Intersection Improvement Project” is currently number 4 on the county’s 2025 List of Priority Road Improvement Projects. We expect FDOT to finish these improvements in concert with the resurfacing of A1A through Ponte Vedra Beach, which should be completed within the next three years.
How can people learn more about the task force?
Information about CTTF activities can be found occasionally in the Ponte Vedra Recorder and in our newsletter that is distributed through all of the emailing lists of our participating organizations.
You were recently named one of the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club’s Local Heroes. What was your reaction to being selected?
It is always nice to be recognized for your work, especially in your own community. The greatest honor though was to stand alongside four other remarkable “Local Heroes” who clearly do so much to serve the needs of others.
