No decision on full reopening of St. Johns County parks, beaches

Jacksonville, St. Johns County reopen beaches

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – St. Johns County remains focused on reopening its beaches and state parks as soon as possible, but officials there said that the remain in a holding pattern on making that decision.

On Tuesday, county officials said that remain in communication with both the City of Jacksonville as well as the state on easing the restrictions on beach access as precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of now, St. Johns beaches are open from 6 a.m. to noon daily for physical activity. Officials said that they hope to learn more this week from Gov. Ron DeSantis as the county looks to move forward to easing back to normalcy.

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Duval County beaches reopened on April 17 with limited hours. Duval beaches are open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily for physical activity. No sunbathing, towels, blankets, chairs, coolers or grills are permitted on the beach and physical distancing rules apply. On Tuesday, Duval announced that new hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. would begin on May 4.

“From day one, every decision we have made has been methodical and deliberate without knee jerk actions or reactions, and this decision is no different. Our residents have shown extreme grace, measure, and personal responsibility throughout this pandemic, and our trend is beginning to flat line and has been doing so for nearly two weeks,” Hunter S. Conrad, St. Johns County Administrator, said in a statement on the St. Johns County website.

“We also know this not over and we are urging all who use the beach to follow the restrictions in place. Our hope is that this becomes a great mental health release for so many and becomes the first step of many in the coming weeks and months in our return to normal life.”


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.