ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The city of St. Augustine is considering building a new fire station on Anastasia Island in place of the Blue Water Jeweler’s store on A1A.
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The St. Johns County property appraiser says the property is valued at around $1 million. The city is looking to possibly buy it for $3.8 million.
Action News Jax’s Finn Carlin reached out to the store owner, who is aware of the possible negotiations with the city. The store didn’t want to interview with Action News Jax before the city decides on whether to move forward with the property as the site of the new fire station, but gave us this statement:
“This means a lot for all of us, including our first responders. This gives Blue Water Jewelers the chance to create a new store within the City of St. Augustine.”
The current fire station on the island was built back in 1955. The city says the nearly 70-year-old building no longer meets the needs to address local emergencies, especially given the expanding resources of St. Johns County Fire Rescue. The city tried getting its hands on a piece of state-owned park property across from Anastasia State Park last year but says the state rejected the proposal.
The Florida Department of Transportation wants to use the property where the current fire station is sitting as part of a project to turn the intersection of A1A, Red Cox Drive, and Old Quarry Road into a roundabout. The city manager says the project is a necessity and a matter of public safety.
“This roundabout would create a much more safe intersection. This really came more than anything else from the public, from the neighbors that live nearby, and we’ve been trying to get this intersection redesigned for several years now,” says City Manager David Burchim.
The city says that intersection has been the scene of a number of deadly crashes in recent years, and says the roundabout will help better both the safety of drivers and people walking along the sidewalks. FDOT hasn’t yet shared a project timeline for the roundabout.
The city is bringing up the new fire station proposal in its city commission meeting, which is being held tonight at 5:00 at St. Augustine city hall.
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