Beaches
Overview
St. Johns County beaches boast over 40 miles of breathtaking coastline, offering exceptional recreational activities and wildlife viewing opportunities. Just a short distance from downtown St. Augustine, visitors can park off-beach to stroll, sunbathe, fish, or observe wildlife along pristine shores. Alternatively, you can drive onto the beach at any vehicular access point and park directly on the sand. Swimming near lifeguard towers is encouraged when visiting for added safety. These beaches, characterized by their unique coquina and soft white sand framed by natural dunes and sea oats, are also popular venues for events such as weddings, celebrations, surf contests, and triathlons.
The county makes parking a breeze with convenient options both on and off the beach sand. Enjoy the 12-mile stretch of beach driving along the southern shores, perfect for spontaneous seaside adventures!
Please note: Beach driving depends on the softness of the sand. Stay updated on driving conditions through Facebook, X, the SJC Connect App, and the Beach Driving Updates webpage. From March to September, you’ll need a beach driving pass, which can be purchased with cash at any of the Toll Booths located at each Beach Driving Access point. During sea turtle nesting season, driving access is limited from 8 AM to 7:30 PM, from May to October, to ensure our flippered friends have a safe journey, too. Enjoy the beach responsibly and have fun!
All off-beach parking is free! For a complete list of beach access points, including footpaths, walkovers, beachfront parks, and vehicular access points, check out the Interactive Map of Beach Access Points. Happy exploring!
Announcements
St. Johns County Closing Off End of Ocean and Fishing Pier for Pillar Assessment
The last 100 feet of the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier will be closed indefinitely while County staff members conduct maintenance reviews of the pillars closest to the ocean. The rest of the pier will remain open for sightseeing.
Earlier this week, St. Johns County Facilities Maintenance workers noticed that some of the pier’s support pillars—normally underwater but exposed to visual inspection during the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ beach renourishment efforts—appeared to show evidence of decay. A structural engineering firm was brought in to provide a professional opinion. The decision has been made, based on the firm’s advice, to close off the end of the pier above and below for safety.
St. Johns County will take further action on the affected portion of the pier dependent on further recommendations from engineers.
Beach Access Updates and Closures
All beachside public parks and walkovers are currently open.
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins May 1
Sea Turtle Nesting Season begins May 1, and St. Johns County officials are asking residents, visitors, and businesses to help protect natural habitat by observing all nesting season laws and regulations. The beaches of St. Johns County are home to several species of endangered or threatened sea turtles. From May 1 to Oct. 31, St. Johns County staff will close vehicular beach access gates at 7:30 p.m. and reopen them at 8 a.m. to allow nesting sea turtles to have a safe beach throughout the night.
Beach Driving Passes Currently Not Required
There is no fee for vehicular beach access from October- February.
Vehicular access is permitted year-round; however, during the months of May through October, access is limited to the hours of 8:00am to 7:30pm.
Vehicular access is dependent on beach conditions — weather, sand, or tides may cause ramps to temporarily close or limit access to 4 Wheel Drive vehicles. Daily driving conditions are posted to our Facebook and X accounts (follow SJC Beaches), through the SJC Connect App and on the Beach Driving Updates webpage.
The Beach Brief – An E-newsletter for Timely Updates on St. Johns County Beach Projects
St. Johns County remains dedicated to providing our residents, visitors, and businesses with timely and accurate information regarding current and upcoming St. Johns County beach projects. The monthly “Beach Brief” provides subscribers with an overview of beach renourishment, dune enhancement, and other major coastal projects.
Sea turtle nesting season is May 1 – October 31. St. Johns County residents and visitors have a special opportunity and responsibility to protect these magnificent creatures and their vulnerable nesting and feeding habitat.
Habitat Conservation
Coastal Management coordinates with the public and funding and regulatory agencies to ensure the successful implementation of coastal projects that preserve and enhance the beaches of St. Johns County.
Coastal Projects
Explore the many ways St. Johns County Parks and Recreation is making our communities happier and healthier by providing a place where it all comes together – a sense of community, an appreciation of history, and a respect for nature.
Parks and RecreationFAQs
- Under the Beach Code, the “beach” includes the land from any seawall or line of permanent vegetation and the water up to 3 miles out. While the section of the Beach Code on animals (Section 3.02) does not include its own specific leash/restraint requirement, it does incorporate by reference the Animal Code, as amended. (St. Johns County Ordinance 92-1 is an older version of the Animal Code.)
- Section 14.C of the Animal Code requires all animals when off its owner’s property to be leashed or restrained such that it is “under the direct control of the owner or possessor.” The only exception is for dog parks. “Direct control” is defined in Section 5.R to be “immediate and continuous physical control of an animal by means of a restraint sufficient to restrain the animal, such as a leash, code, or chain, such restraint not exceeding than 12 feet in overall length.”
Dog bites are a danger to our citizens and can cause serious injuries. It is very subjective for an officer to decide whether it is appropriate for an individual dog to be off a leash, and an objective test such as whether the dog is leashed or not is far more practicable.
Reservations can be made through the online reservation system found on our website at Beach Accessible Wheelchairs - St. Johns County (sjcfl.us).
No. If the driving conditions of a vehicular access ramp are designated as "4WD Recommended", you may enter at your own risk with an all-wheel drive vehicle. If the conditions are designated as "4 WD only", you could receive a ticket for accessing that location with any vehicle that is not a four-wheel drive vehicle. All permitted vehicles may access the beach, at their own risk, if the driving conditions are designated "2WD". Please use caution and be aware that all vehicular access gates are subject to tidal flooding.
Beach Services is currently working to acquire new software and devices that will enable the toll attendants to accept credit card payments at the booths. Attendants will then be scanning daily and annual passes each time you visit our beaches. This will provide real-time data on how many vehicles are on our beaches at any given time throughout the year. This data will help our department allocate resources appropriately.
You would be required to contact the GTMNER (Guana), Anastasia State Park, the City of St Augustine Beach, and Fort Matanzas National Monument directly if you would like to host a special event on their property. Applications for special events hosted on beaches managed by St Johns County can be submitted through our online reservation system, which can be found on our website at https://www.sjcfl.us/special-events-beaches/.
Scraping the soft, dry sand down the travel lane, running north to south, on the beach would require moving a large volume of sand. Doing so would result in lowered beach elevations and increased landward wave penetration. North to south grading is inconsistent with the statutory protections of beach-dune system stability under Florida Statutes.
May 1- October 31, beach gates on beaches managed by St Johns County close at 7:30pm and are opened at 8am. November 1- April 30, beach gates remain open unless there is a significant weather or tidal event. A Street vehicular access gate closes daily at 5pm and is opened at 8am. This gate is managed by the City of St Augustine Beach. Pedestrian access remains open 24 hours a day.
No. Open fires are not permitted on St. Johns County Beaches. Any and all fires and associated debris must be self-contained (have a lid) and removed in the same manner in which they arrived. If you are using charcoal grills, you must take the coals with you when you leave. Please do not place coals in beach garbage cans. It is prohibited for any person to dispose of coal, briquettes, embers or other heated objects on the beach or in trash receptacles.
