ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city, is expecting tens of thousands of visitors for the “Fireworks Over the Matanzas” event Friday, one of its biggest annual celebrations.
City Manager David Birchim said the city is adding new measures around pedestrian areas downtown to block vehicle access and enhance safety.
“We have installed what are called Meridian barricades around the pedestrian areas downtown. These are devices that don’t allow vehicles to pass through. So we’re armoring up and protecting our pedestrian areas,” Birchim said.
In addition to the barricades, the city will provide 143 extra public bathrooms and close through traffic on St. George Street and Treasury Street for the event.
Friday’s celebration will also serve as a test run for the popular Nights of Lights holiday event in November, which faced gridlock issues last year. Birchim said the city will monitor what works and what doesn’t.
“The Meridian barricades are already installed. We’re going to make sure that they’re in the right places throughout the event, and we’re going to adjust them as necessary. This is sort of a test case for our larger events and for the upcoming Nights of Lights,” he said.
City police and the fire department will be on duty throughout the July 4th event. St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said his office works closely with the city to provide mutual aid.
“The big thing, of course, is us policing around the areas of the city where the city kind of maintains, you know that civil obedience in their jurisdiction. So we have a great partnership. Our assets have always been up, meaning our air assets, our drone assets. And also our marine assets are in the water with them,” Hardwick said.
Hardwick cautioned visitors to expect heavy traffic due to bridge closures.
“Nothing is moving fast into a city where a bridge is shut down, right? You’re going to get bottlenecked. I mean, so just walk into town, enjoy yourself and enjoy the day,” he said.
Birchim encouraged visitors not only to come for the fireworks but to stay downtown afterward.
“If you’ve never been here and seen the fireworks, you should come at least once in your life to see them. It’s a great, great opportunity,” he said.
The city has posted dozens of signs downtown warning that usual parking spots may be unavailable on July 4th. Shuttles will run from designated parking lots, and walking-accessible lots are also available. Details are listed on the city’s website.
