Beach Access Update August 2023

• 4 August 2023
• Category: Coastal Projects
• Tags: 2023

St. Johns County Beach Access Update

As part of the ongoing Butler Beach Reach portion of the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project, St. Johns County will close one vehicle beach access ramp and reopen another ramp in the area on Monday, Aug. 7. Separately, as part of the South Ponte Vedra and Vilano Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will temporarily close public parking at Surfside Park from Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, to March 2024 in the interest of public safety. The Surfside Park parking lot will be used as a staging area to store heavy equipment and materials during the beach renourishment project. Pedestrian access to the beach and the restroom facilities at Surfside Park will remain open to the public.

The Butler Beach Reach includes the shoreline from Ocean Hammock Park through Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort, in addition to a 1,500-foot section from Mary Street in the southbound direction. St. Johns County continues to maintain public safety by closing vehicle beach access ramps where there is a presence of heavy equipment on the beach.

Updates to Butler Beach Reach Vehicle Beach Access Ramps for Monday, Aug. 7:

• The Dondanville Road (enter and exit) vehicle beach access ramp will reopen.
• The Matanzas Avenue vehicle beach access ramp will remain open, but switch from enter-only to exit-only due to the Dondanville Road ramp reopening.
• The Mary Street vehicle beach access ramp will close.
• The Cubbedge Road (enter-only) vehicle beach access ramp will remain open.

“The Butler Beach Reach portion of the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project continues to progress at an impressive pace,” St. Johns County Emergency Management Director Joseph Giammanco said. “I am pleased with the quality and consistency of the beach renourishment as we advance through the first phase.”

Updates to Surfside Park for Tuesday, Aug. 8:

St. Johns County urges the public to use caution while accessing the beach in this area as heavy equipment may be present for the duration of the project.

As part of dredge beach fill operations, the USACE contractor, Weeks Marine, will close off approximately 1,500-foot sections of the beach at a time with orange safety fencing until beach fill operations are complete. Weeks Marine will reopen these sections for public use as work is completed. Weeks Marine will work at the beach 24/7 to expedite sand placement during prime hurricane season.

The USACE will have a website with the mapping available to show the progress and projection of the project. Visit www.saj.usace.army.mil for more.

For updates on these projects, visit sjcfl.us/CoastalProjects/ or contact the Coastal Management team at 904-209-0260 or coastalprojects@sjcfl.us. For more beach information, follow St. Johns County Beaches on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) (@SJCBeaches).