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.
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%”
Government Offices
Some St. Johns County government offices will reopen on Friday.
- This includes all departments of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, the Supervisor of Elections’ Office, and the Tax Collector’s Office.
- Please note that services may be limited or delayed due to potential damages to County facilities and reduced staffing due to the significant impacts from Milton.
- The Property Appraiser’s Office will remain closed on Friday.
- The Clerk of Courts and County Comptroller’s Office will remain closed on Friday.
- The Seventh Judicial Circuit will remain closed on Friday.
- All City of St. Augustine government offices will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday and close at 1 p.m. due to localized flooding during the afternoon high tide.
- All City of St. Augustine Beach government offices will reopen on Friday.
Residential Waste Collection Services
- St. Johns County residents who would have had household solid waste collected on Thursday will have it collected on Friday. Residents who would have had household solid waste collected on Friday will have it collected on Saturday.
- St. Johns County recycling collection will be suspended through Friday and resume normal operations next week.
- The Tillman Ridge and Stratton Road Transfer Stations will reopen on Friday. Residents may bring household solid waste, yard waste, and storm debris to these two transfer stations free of charge.
- The City of St. Augustine will collect only yard and storm debris on Friday and Saturday. Regular solid waste curbside pickup will resume on Monday
- The City of St. Augustine will not collect recycling on Friday.
- The City of St. Augustine Beach will resume solid waste collection services on Friday.
Public Library System
- All St. Johns County libraries will resume normal operations on Friday, though services may be limited or delayed because of potential damages or reduced staffing due to the significant impacts from Milton.
- Due dates will be extended and fines will not be incurred until Monday, Oct. 14.
- All library programs have been canceled for Friday.
- The bookmobile stop that was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday has been canceled. All due dates and holds have been extended to the next scheduled stop at this location.
Parks and Beach Services
- Community Centers will reopen on Monday.
- Solomon Calhoun Pool will reopen on Friday at noon.
- Programming will resume on Monday, and the Hastings Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Walk previously scheduled for Saturday is rescheduled to Saturday, Oct. 26.
- St. Johns County Pier will reopen after inspection and the and Pier Gift Shop will remain closed until repairs can be completed due to damage from Hurricane Milton.
- St. Johns Golf Club will reopen on Friday after assessments are completed. Call 904-209-0350 to confirm your tee time.
- Beach Driving and Boat Ramps will remain closed until conditions allow, due to storm surge and flooding. Beach walkovers will reopen after assessments are completed.
- Parks and Athletic Fields will reopen on Friday after assessments are completed. Please be cautious of downed limbs, standing water, and other hazards related to the storm.
- The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is staying closed until services there can be restored.
Schools
- All St. Johns County School District schools and district offices will remain closed on Friday.
- Extracurricular activities and athletic events taking place through the weekend are canceled.
- The St. Johns County School District is monitoring the storm and will make further announcements regarding additional closures at www.stjohns.k12.fl.us.
Council on Aging and Sunshine Bus Service
- St. Johns County Council on Aging (COA) has announced that all COA senior centers and facilities, including River House and COA administrative offices, will remain closed on Frida in continued response to Hurricane Milton.
- For more information and for updates, please visit www.coasjc.org/news, or call 904-209-3700 during operating hours.
- Sunshine Bus public transportation will resume regular services starting Friday with the exception of the Flagler Estates area, which will not have service on that day.
- The Hastings Circulator will be limited to running through the Buzz Mart on Friday.
- Paratransit transportation services will resume for life-sustaining trips, including dialysis, on Friday.
- For information and updates on Sunshine Bus and Paratransit transportation services, visit https://sunshinebus.net/alerts-updates.
For more information, please contact the Citizen Information Hotline at 904-824-5550.