Vilano Beach renourishment starts

Beginning September 8, vehicles won’t be permitted on Vilano Beach because of a beach renourishment project to restore the dunes, St. Johns County Government said in their latest release.

The project is expected to continue until early 2021.

It is designed to restore critically-eroded shoreline and dunes, St. Johns County officials said.

In addition to the beach driving ban, the Surfside Park parking lot and pedestrian beach access point will be closed during the project, officials said.

On-beach driving, horseback riding and commercial fishing will be restricted from Vilano Beach to Serenata Ocean Villas.

Construction of the project will result in a resilient and efficient plan, aimed to significantly reduces damages, better enables emergency equipment to get into a coastal region for post-storm recovery efforts, ensures that evacuated residents can return home sooner, and avoids the high costs of cleanup and rebuilding structures. 

According to the government, these features of the authorized plan will lead to a more resilient community better able to recover faster from coastal storms.