The trail may still be built along the curvy two-lane Shore Drive, near the Matanzas River south of St. Augustine. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 28, 2026 at 3:08 pm
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St. Augustine South residents have more opportunities to voice their opinions about controversial plans for a paved multiuse path.
Plans to build a 3-mile path connecting the Doug Crane Boat Ramp and the Moultrie Boat Ramp along Shore Drive have existed in some form for roughly 20 years, but the latest iteration of the project was abruptly axed last year amid outcry from St. Augustine South residents.
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Vocal members of the community told county officials they believed the paved path was unnecessary and would damage local plant life.
Although work on the Shore Drive project halted last February, St. Johns County Commissioner Clay Murphy directed county staff in April to work with a local citizens group and come up with plans that would satisfy the neighborhood.
Now, with plans back on the table to build the 5-foot-wide path along the Matanzas River, St. Johns County is launching an online survey and hosting an open house next month.
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The short survey is available here through March 1. It asks if the respondent lives near where the path may be built and whether they support the project.
The open house will give people an opportunity to review the latest plans for the path, provide feedback and speak with county staff about the project.
The community meeting is scheduled from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the St. Augustine South Improvement Association, 709 Royal Road.
Results of the survey and feedback from the community meeting will be provided to St. Johns’ Board of County Commissioners.
The Shore Drive clash
If the paved walkway is built, it will give pedestrians and cyclists a place other than the road or the grass to walk along Shore Drive.
Before the St. Johns County Commission approved plans for the waterfront trail in 2024, signs in support and opposition of the project dotted lawns all along Shore Drive.
Even after the project was approved, residents frequently attended County Commission meetings to decry the project as useless, environmentally damaging, a waste of money or all of the above.
When it came before the County Commission last year, elected officials decided against pursuing grant money that was an integral part of funding the $2.2 million project.
As recently as this month, members of the St. Augustine South community urged the St. Johns County Commission to take the money allocated for the Shore Drive project and put it toward other projects.
Supporters of the project, however, have repeatedly cautioned elected officials that while they may not be as vocal, they want to see the trail.
