St. Augustine Beach ocean pier no longer reaches ocean after beach renourishment

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. — UPDATED STORY: St. Johns County Ocean Pier will not be extended, beach will erode back over time county says

It’s a sight that’s raising a lot of questions, the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier in St. Augustine Beach no longer reaches the ocean.

The pier is now closed off to fishing now that it’s surrounded by sand after a beach renourishment project extended the beach.

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“I don’t know that I ever have really [seen this much beach here]. And I’ve been coming down here since the 70s. This is the longest beach I’ve ever seen here,” Jason Nix, who was visiting from Georgia, said.

But seeing the pier surrounded by sand is raising some questions. “Yeah, I don’t know — I was kind of weirded out by that. Every pier I’ve been on, I’ve been on a lot, you go all the way out there,” Isabella Nix said.

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The federally funded project cost about $33 million. It’s also the fifth time this 3-mile stretch of the beach has been renourished since 2003. It’s part of a 50-year partnership between St. Johns County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A representative said, “The purpose of federal shore protection projects is to construct and maintain coastal berm and dunes (beaches) to protect communities, critical infrastructure and cultural resources from erosion and storm damage.”

RELATED: St. Johns County completes Ponte Vedra Beach Restoration Project two months ahead of schedule

“It’s going to be a long walk to the water! But other than that, it’s nice. I like to see that restoration,” Jason said.

The project is currently moving south along the beach. Crews will pause when finished and then move to Anastasia Island in September.

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Action News Jax reached out to ask if they had plans to extend the pier. This was their response:

“There is no plan to extend the pier. The beach nourishment project is designed to be extra wide at the pier. The extra wide berm will erode away during the equilibration process spreading the sand to the north and the south exposing the pier over time.”

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