The St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd has been fully closed since May 13. The county still expects the piling repairs to be finished by the end of November 2026. If that holds, the pier reopens at its full length, and that last happened in August 2024. That was the month the seaward 100 feet closed, after an extra-wide beach left the pier's outer pilings sitting in dry sand where anyone could see them.
The renourishment that stranded the pier is also how the county caught the decay, and the repair now finishing was designed around what the sand revealed.
The sand found the problem
The pier in its current form is fairly new. The county's park page says it was first built in 1939, got a major reconstruction after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and reopened in 2023. Its pilings normally stand in the tide, so inspectors usually see them only from a boat or with divers.
That changed in summer 2024. First Coast News reported that a beach renourishment project left the pier landlocked, and county maintenance workers then saw that the pillars nearest the ocean were decaying. The county's August 30, 2024 notice says a structural engineering firm was called in, and the last 100 feet was closed "above and below" on that firm's advice. The rest of the pier stayed open for sightseeing.
The Florida Times-Union described the specific trigger as a metal shroud that had peeled back and left concrete exposed. County facilities staff later told commissioners the pier gets an inspection twice a year, above and below the water with divers. The last one before the problem surfaced was in April 2024, before the renourishment.
What the commission approved
The repair plan went to the St. Johns County Commission on September 17, 2024. The agenda item asked for up to $3 million from Tourist Development Tax Category Five to engineer and build a retrofit of the pylons. It estimated the work would add about 20 years to the pier's life.
In the meeting video, county staff described a new jacket system for the affected pilings and the easternmost cap section, which staff called section 16. Staff also said the sand had a practical upside, since crews could work from the beach instead of from the deck above. The commission's liaison on the item said the board had reached unanimous consensus to use Category Five funds and put it this way:
"The extra sand turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Able to catch those soon enough."
Commissioners voted unanimously to direct staff to go forward, funding included. Staff told the board that once the repair is done, they expect the pier to have a structural life of 20 years.
Why the whole pier had to close this year
The two-year gap between that vote and a full reopening explains the closure residents have lived with since spring. First Coast News reported that once water reached the pier again, it reopened for paid fishing in January 2025, with the far end still closed for maintenance review. So for about 16 months, people could fish and walk most of the pier, but not the end.
Then the actual piling work started. The county announced on May 11, 2026 that the entire pier would close on May 13 to repair and strengthen the pilings, with completion expected by the end of November. The St. Augustine Record reported the closure window as May 13 through November 30.
The county's coastal projects page, updated October 12, still gives end of November as the expected finish. The county's fishing piers page, updated the same day, says only that the pier is closed "until further notice." Both pages are worth checking before you plan a first morning back on the boards.
What still works at Pier Park while the gates are shut
Most of Ocean Pier Park has stayed open through the repairs. The county says permitted events and activities at the park are not affected, and the Pier Gift Shop has stayed open the whole time. The shop is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. It sells bait, tackle, hot coffee and ice cream, and it rents fishing poles, beach chairs and umbrellas.
A few construction rules change how you get onto the beach. Here is how they compare with the normal setup, based on the county's pages:
| During repairs | Standing rule | |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming and surfing distance from the pier | Stay 500 feet away | Not allowed within 400 feet |
| Beach access at the pier | North access closed, use the south entrance | Both access points |
| Under the pier | Restricted | Open |
| Parking near the pavilion | Minor impacts, follow temporary signs | Free parking |
The buffer matters most to surfers. Construction has pushed the no-surf zone 100 feet past the usual line, and that extra distance goes away once the work is finished.
Food is close by on foot. Salt Life Food Shack, at 321 A1A Beach Blvd, sits across the street from the pier and serves lunch and dinner. Café Eleven, at 501 A1A Beach Blvd, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and lists hours of 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
What changes when the pier reopens in late November
If the county's schedule holds, the reopening lands as two other things around the pier are changing.
The first is the Wednesday Pier Farmers Market. It's free, held at Pier Park, and sells fruit, vegetables, bread and local arts and crafts. Visit St. Augustine lists seasonal hours: 8 a.m. to noon from May through October, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from November through April. Winter hours begin in November, so a Wednesday market visit gets an extra hour right around when the pier is expected back.
The second is the fall bait run. Florida Sportsman's Northeast Florida forecast from October 8, 2026 named the coastal mullet and shrimp runs as key fall forage. It reported flounder feeding on mullet around grass, docks and rocks, with redfish and trout also active. Those reports came from Northeast Florida waters in early October, not from this pier, but they describe the season the pier is due to reopen into.
The county's two pier pages don't show the same fees. Here are the rates on the fishing piers page, updated October 12:
- Fishing, St. Johns County residents: $5
- Fishing, nonresidents: $8
- Fishing, military or handicapped visitors: $3
- Free fishing: children under 6 and county residents over 60
- 12-month fishing pass: $50 for residents, $80 for nonresidents, $30 for military or handicapped visitors
- Sightseeing: $3, or a $60 family sightseeing pass covering up to six people
The county's Ocean Pier & Park page, last updated in June, shows lower rates: $4 to fish for residents, $6 for nonresidents, and annual passes at $40 and $60. Call the gift shop at (904) 209-0326 to confirm the current rate before you buy a pass. At the October rates, a county resident who fishes more than ten times a year comes out ahead with the $50 annual pass, and a resident over 60 pays nothing at all. The county page doesn't say whether the pier fee covers a Florida saltwater fishing license. It links to a separate fishing license resource, which is the place to check your own situation.
For the first time since August 2024, a resident's pass would cover the full 1,300 feet, all the way to the end.
If you live near the pier or own a rental within walking distance, the reopening is a small but real change in what your block offers. It's the kind of local detail I bring into pricing and presentation conversations. If you'd like to know how St. Augustine Beach amenities like this show up in your home's value, Christina McIntosh is happy to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation or request your home valuation, and I'll keep an eye on the county's reopening notices with you.
