Plan for Sea Level Rise, Jacksonville Beach!

The First Coast Surfrider Foundation Chapter barrier island residents and volunteers are highly concerned about considerations to open up the 35' building restriction on their shores.  The proposed Community Redevelopment Agency increase to the restriction were initially discussed at a council meeting on 9/27/21. 

There was an open house hosted by the City of Jacksonville Beach on the proposed height restriction increase on July 7, 2022. You can watch the meeting here. Surfrider's First Coast activists attended the open house and will continue to engage with the commission as they refine their proposal ahead of a potential ballot initiative in 2023. 

In a time when barrier islands are already struggling up and down the coast with structural and inspection failures of high rise developments and resident evacuations, the decision to add these larger structures and density increase to the community is nothing most residents and existing businesses desire.

In 2004, residents voted to cap the height at 35' across all development and that is still what residents want despite the push from outside monetary interests.  This must pass via a citizen and not council vote, but the citizens have not requested it be put on the ballot. The overwhelming vote of  76% of residents in that 2004 vote of 8,723 voters (the 2nd highest on record) was to keep the height at 35' and fight the 22 proposed highr ises on the barrier island at that time. The resolution put in place after this vote should stand as St.Augustine, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach do in the commercial district. 

Throughout the community there are significant concerns to protect water quality by limiting the location and growth levels and areas that are consistent with the capacity of the areas' soils and water to absorb new development. Barrier islands are particularly vulnerable and so the First Coast Chapter is asking that the city instead consider nature based solutions to help further protect rather than tax the soils and infrastructure by building large structures that neither benefit the coast, wildlife, nor residents. 

Keep it Resilient at 35', Jacksonville Beach!