By Tracy McCormick-Dishman
editor@floridanewsline.com
What started on a wing and a prayer has blossomed into a thriving Friday tradition in Ponte Vedra.
Retired dentist Dr. Leslie Taylor launched the Ponte Vedra Friday Farmers Market at Palm Valley Outdoors in July 2025 with a simple goal: create an affordable gathering place where the community could buy local food and know exactly where it came from.
Six months later, the waterside market has tripled its vendors from 12 to 30, offering everything from organic vegetables and grass-fed beef to the state’s only certified raw dairy farmer.
“My goal in starting this market was to make it just the very best possible,” Taylor said. “I hope that people will do their weekly shopping with us.”
Taylor has long loved farmers markets, but noticed they’d become expensive for vendors. She wanted to create something more accessible. After making soap and lotions for years as a hobby, her husband suggested turning it into a business when they moved to Florida.
“I approached Paul Rohan, who owns the Palm Valley Outdoors Bar and Grill, just kind of on a wing and a prayer, and he was all about it,” she said. “This is better than I ever could have dreamed for.”
The market runs every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round, except Christmas and New Year’s weeks. Set along the Intracoastal Waterway at 1 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, it features organic vegetables, locally raised grass-fed beef and pork, pasture-raised eggs and chicken, gluten-free baked goods, sourdough breads, fresh-pressed juices, kimchi and local artisans.
“The community support has been phenomenal,” Taylor said.
One standout vendor is JD Rogers of Udders and More, Florida’s only certified raw dairy farmer. He tests every single batch of milk for bacterial and fat content. There are only 57 certified raw dairy farmers in the country.
Every bottle of milk Rogers sells is labeled with the name of the cow that produced it – Doris, Betty Mae and others.
“His dairy is safe, delicious and wonderful,” Taylor said. She even gets whey from Rogers to make some of her soap.
The market’s fruit vendor brings perhaps the biggest selection of fresh fruit available in Northeast Florida. He drives throughout South Florida and Georgia to source locally grown produce.
“Right now he’s bringing us incredible variety from South Florida and Georgia,” Taylor said. “We have probably the biggest selection of fresh fruit available.”
Rohan’s community-minded approach extends beyond hosting the market. He provides a free spot each week to an animal rescue group, reflecting both his and Taylor’s passion for helping local rescues.
“The owner of Palm Valley Outdoors Bar and Grill is very community minded and just has a big heart,” Taylor said. “So that’s kind of one of our things – we want to try to help the animal rescue groups if we can.”
Taylor said the market has attracted many repeat customers, creating a sense of community each week. The market often features live music and includes a bouncy house for children, making it a family-friendly destination.
“We get to know our customers because we have so many repeat customers,” she said. “It’s very reassuring, I think, for all of us to know where our food is coming from and who is making our products and who is baking our bread. There’s a lot of accountability that way.”
That accountability and personal connection is what Taylor values most about the market she’s created.
“I think everybody sees the value in supporting local,” she said.
