County Studies Beach Trolley for South Ponte Vedra, Vilano Beach — Public Input Session Set for Oct. 7

St. Johns County is studying whether to run a public trolley along South Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach, where private homes crowd State Road A1A and public parking is scarce. The county will lay out the early concept at a community meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 505 Guana River Road in Ponte Vedra Beach.

The same presentation repeats at 4, 5 and 6 p.m., each followed by breakout stations where residents can ask questions and leave feedback in person.

Why a trolley, and why now

Along that stretch of A1A, oceanfront homes leave few gaps for public access points or parking lots. County officials say the trolley idea serves two purposes at once: getting more people to the shoreline without adding pavement, and strengthening the county's case in an ongoing federal partnership.

St. Johns County is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a long-term shoreline restoration project covering South Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach. Federal records show the county is the non-federal sponsor and is on the hook for roughly 71 percent of the project's cost, with the Corps covering the rest. The full project has been estimated at close to $145 million over its life, including initial construction and repeated sand renourishment every decade or so.

Before that money moves forward, the county needs a dependable way to fund its share. One of the factors the Corps weighs in setting that share is how much public access exists inside the project boundary. A trolley with stops at county-owned beach properties, and potentially at existing public access points throughout Vilano Beach, could count toward that access calculation.

What locals are saying

Reaction from beachgoers has been mixed, according to local news reports. Some see it as an easy way to reach the water without hunting for a parking spot. Others say they would rather just find a lot where they can drive themselves, and question whether riders would have to pay a fare.

The county has not released fare details, a route map, or a timeline for a decision. Those questions are expected to come up directly at the meeting's feedback stations.

How to weigh in

Residents who cannot make it to the Oct. 7 session can still take part. The county says it will post a recording of the presentation and a transcript of the question-and-answer portions afterward at sjcfl.us/CoastalProjects. Additional meetings could be scheduled depending on how much interest the county hears.

Questions can be submitted ahead of time to St. Johns County Coastal Management at 904-209-0260 or coastalprojects@sjcfl.us.

Whatever the county decides on the trolley will shape how easy, or how hard, it stays to reach two of the county's least accessible beaches, and how the county pays its share of a restoration project that will play out over the next several decades. Stay with us for updates as the county moves through this process.

For more on this and other decisions shaping the county, visit St. Johns Community Website, follow us on Facebook, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. You can also read more government and politics stories or browse our latest community coverage.

Header photo: Excel23 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)