The beaches of St. Johns County are home to several species of endangered or threatened sea turtles. 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.

Beginning on May 1, St. Johns County staff will close gates at 7:30 p.m. and reopen at 8 a.m. to allow nesting sea turtles to have a safe beach throughout the night.

Beach visitors can have a positive impact on nesting sea turtles by taking the following actions while enjoying the beach:

• Refrain from using fireworks and open fires.

• Remove ruts and sandcastles at the end of your beach day.

• Do not leave beach chairs or canopies on the beach overnight.

• Flashlights are strongly discouraged as they can harm sea turtles.

• Avoid entering dunes and conservation zones (15 feet seaward of the dune line).

• Refrain from releasing balloons, which can fall into the ocean and harm marine life.

• Never approach sea turtles emerging from or returning to the sea. Nesting sea turtles are vulnerable, timid, and can be easily frightened away.

Never push an injured animal back into the ocean. If you encounter an injured, sick, or deceased sea turtle, please call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch line at 904.824.8304. Leave only your footprints, providing the turtles with a safe and clean habitat to nest and hatch. St. Johns County is grateful to volunteers, residents, visitors, and businesses for supporting habitat conservation efforts and keeping our beaches beautiful. For more information, please call St. Johns County Habitat Conservation and Beach Management at 904.209.3740 or visit www.sjcfl.us/hcp.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest holiday weekends on St. Johns County’s beaches. To reduce traffic congestion, St. Johns County Beach Services offers two free shuttles.

St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier shuttle

May 27 through May 29

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From St. Augustine Beach City Hall, 2200 A1A South, to Fishing Pier parking lot

Mickler’s Landing Beachfront Park shuttle

May 27 through May 29

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A N, to Mickler’s parking lot

Staffing

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department, and St. Johns County Marine Rescue personnel will patrol the beaches throughout the weekend. St. Johns County Marine Rescue lifeguards will be stationed along the beaches from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beach flags indicating water and surf conditions will be displayed. The absence of a flag does not mean there is no danger. Please see a staffed lifeguard tower for local conditions.

On-Beach Driving

On-beach driving hours are between 8 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Vehicle traffic must remain in the designated driving lanes. Beach driving conditions can change throughout the day at each access. Beachgoers are encouraged to monitor daily updates on driving conditions by following @SJCBeaches on Facebook and Twitter and downloading the Reach the Beach mobile app. Residents and visitors can also monitor the St. Johns County Beach Services website for beach access updates.   



For a complete list of SJC Beach Safety Rules and Regulations, please visit our website.

May 20

Kid-Friendly

Family Cooking

May 30

Power of

Plant-Based Eating

May 31

"Apeeling"

Desserts

St. Johns County 4-H

Summer Day Camps

Registration will be open for the St. Johns County 4-H Summer Day camps starting on March 15. Camps are for ages 5-18 (as of September 1, 2022). Archery, sewing, science, and gardening are just a few of the camp topics that will be offered. 

For more information, contact the 4-H office at

904-209-0430.

St. Johns County 4-H

4-H is a youth development program that enables youth to develop life skills, leadership, and citizenship. Youth members ages 5-18 (as of September 1, 2022) interested in joining a 4-H Club can enroll in the St. Johns County 4-H program online using the link below.