What to know if your holiday plans include a trip to a St. Johns County beach

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County officials are expecting the county’s beaches to be busy over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Here’s some important information to keep in mind if you’re planning a trip to the beaches from Saturday through Monday.

Beach passes required

You must have a beach pass in order to get into any beaches in St. Johns County.

You can buy a beach pass at any beach toll booth in the county.

Prices for passes are:

• $10 for County residents
• $10 for non-residents
• $5 for people that are physically disabled
• $5 for active military service members (must show military ID)

Driving by the beaches

• You will be able to park your car on the beach from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• You must stay in the designated driving lanes, that are identified by cones
• Parking is allowed on the west side of the driving lane, which is between the cones and the sand dune
• You can only parallel park on the east side of the driving lane at Vilano Beach
• You can not enter the beach at the Fort Matanzas Ramp
• You must stop at all beach ramps and yield to people walking in the area
• Porpoise Point will open for you to come in and watch the fireworks show on July 4, which begins at 9:30 p.m. After the show, you’ll have to leave the area immediately.

Driving conditions at all beaches can change throughout the day at each access ramp.

To be on top of any changes at the ramps, consider downloading the Reach the Beach mobile app or follow St. Johns County Beaches on Facebook or Twitter.

Lifeguards and Beach Flags

Lifeguards will be on duty at multiple locations at the beaches from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Marine Rescue personnel will also be on patrol at the beaches on a regular basis. Warning flags will be in place to keep you aware of current water and surf conditions.

Here’s a quick reminder of what each colored flag means:

• Red: Strong currents and dangerous surfing conditions
• Yellow: Some strong currents which could be a little dangerous for surfing
• Purple: There’s dangerous marine life in the water
• No flag: You’re all good to swim in the water

Shuttle Service

Don’t have a car to drive to any of the beaches? Well you’re in luck.

St. Johns County is providing a free shuttle service from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all weekend long.

There’s two shuttle services, one for Mickler’s Landing Beachfront Park and one for the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier.

For people going to Mickler’s the shuttle will take people at Cornerstone Park, located at 1046 A1A North, and back to Mickler’s.

For people going to the fishing pier the shuttle will take people at St. Augustine Beach City Hall, located at 2200 A1A South, and back to the pier parking lot.

The buses will run every 20 minutes until 4 p.m.

For any service updates with the buses, just use the Reach the Reach the Beach mobile app or follow St. Johns County Beaches on Facebook or Twitter.