ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Areas of St. Augustine that are prone to flooding are expected to see high water again Friday afternoon during high tide around 3:30 p.m. after Hurricane Milton saturated the Matanzas River on Thursday.
Standing water remained Friday morning on King Street, where businesses still had sandbags in place to protect their buildings from the tidal flooding.
RELATED: What’s open, closed as St. Johns County assesses damage from Hurricane Milton
Drivers should be aware that streets around the Bridge of Lions might be closed for flooding Friday afternoon.
Because downtown streets are expected to flood and possibly become impassable, all of St. Augustine’s city administrative offices are closing at 1 p.m. Friday.
St. Johns County officials said more than 20 roads were impassable during high tide Thursday afternoon.
The county’s mandatory evacuation order, which included downtown St. Augustine, was lifted at 5 p.m., and the three storm shelters will close at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Residents who used storm shelter services are encouraged to safely return home and assess their property.
While the evacuation order has been lifted, officials urged residents in flood-prone and low-lying areas to proceed with caution.
Due to lingering floodwaters, some roads and locations within the community remain impassable.
The Sheriff’s Office reported major flooding in Flagler Estates and Hastings with as high as 5-plus feet of water south of State Road 206.
No injuries were reported Thursday afternoon but assessments were ongoing.
Deputies urged residents not to walk or drive through floodwaters.
The condo association president at the beachfront Summerhouse Condos in Crescent Beach told News4JAX that wind from Milton tore off the roofs of two buildings there and caused some other damage.
“Down at phase one, we have a couple of roofs down there that are missing a lot of shingles, we have some fencing damage and also what we call the lollipop lights, those are down,” Malcolm Fabre said. “We have some dune erosion out there. We just got that re-nourishment sand about nine months ago. That is what it was there for and it saved us. We lost probably about 30%.”
Parking
To help with hurricane relief, the city of St. Augustine said it will suspend fees charged for parking in the Historic Downtown Parking Facility and all city-metered areas, including on-street spaces and parking lots through the weekend.
On Monday, Oct. 14, due to Columbus Day, which is an observed national holiday, parking will remain free in all city-metered areas including on-street spaces and parking lots.
Another exception this year, due to the impacts of Hurricane Milton, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument will not charge for parking on Monday.
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, all city-metered on-street spaces and parking lots and the Castillo de San Marcos, will resume parking enforcement.
Drivers are urged to confirm if a lot is owned by the City of St. Augustine and not a private operator as many of those lots have strict towing policies. Parking will be enforced for all vehicles parked illegally, including in areas reserved for delivery, franchised sightseeing vehicles and taxis, or vehicles on sidewalks or against yellow curbs.
The city hopes this suspension of parking fees will encourage residents to support the many businesses throughout the downtown Historic District during this recovery period following Hurricane Milton.
Scam warning
The City of St. Augustine Planning and Building Department and Code Enforcement Division is conducting assessments in affected neighborhoods to catalog property damage to homes and businesses as a necessary first step in securing state and federal disaster relief funds in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
This initial assessment and inventory are also necessary for individual property owners to determine eligibility for FEMA disaster relief funding now and in the future.
Our team is going through each city neighborhood and business district and will be in the field until this critical task is completed.
City representatives will be identifiable with official city apparel or carry city credentials. The community is urged to be cautious of unlicensed contractors and other unscrupulous activity. Any suspicious or concerning activity should be reported to Code Enforcement by calling 904-825-1066.
For questions about the damage assessment process contact the Planning and Building Department at 904-825-1065 or send an email to planningandbuilding@citystaug.com with the subject “Hurricane Assessment.”