ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – One of the major projects planned for St. Augustine is in the heart of downtown, and it involves the historic seawall that runs along the Castillo de San Marcos.
The National Park Service, along with the Florida Department of Transportation and other agencies, will soon begin a project to rebuild and raise the seawall along the Matanzas River from the Bridge of Lions to the Castillo de San Marcos.
The goal is to block flood waters during major storms that have plagued downtown St. Augustine over the years.
The NPS recently completed an environmental assessment that confirmed the seawall’s deterioration and flood risk— pushing its urgent need for an upgrade.
“You could kayak down here if you wanted to with long boots on,” said St. Augustine resident Ashley Baker.
Wright Brady, who works at a nearby restaurant, agreed with Baker.
“Everything is flooded. All the stores are flooded, hard to get around town,” Brady said.
However, some worry that raising the seawall will hurt the aesthetics.
A resident told News4JAX she agrees something needs to be done to mitigate flooding, but hopes it doesn’t affect the overall look of the bayfront.
“It’s just kind of what you see when you come from the port, it just presents like, we’re city by the sea here,” she said.
The NPS is handling construction of the project, along with the City, DOT and Emergency Management, and officials said the goal is to still allow people to see the Matanzas River, while protecting the old city from flooding events.
The project is slated to start in 2026, or possibly late 2025.