Speakers oppose a proposed Daily's gas station, convenience store and car wash in Fruit Cove. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 31, 2026 at 5:07 pm
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A controversial gas station proposal in the Fruit Cove neighborhood is off the table.
The latest plans for a Daily’s Place gas station and car wash along State Road 13 in Fruit Cove were originally scheduled for a hearing by the St. Johns County Commission this coming Tuesday. In a notice Friday afternoon, the county confirmed that Daily’s parent company, First Coast Energy, had withdrawn its application.
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The latest proposal marked the third time First Coast Energy sought approvals to build a gas station on the 7.7-acre parcel at 600 State Road 13. Many residents have opposed the project since it first arose.
The St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Board heard the latest proposal at a meeting earlier this month and unanimously recommended that it be denied. That board’s decisions are merely advisory, and the final decision would have been up to the County Commission.
A First Coast Energy representative was not immediately available for comment.
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Speaking with Jacksonville Today, Fruit Cove Estates HOA President Mike Dunlop says he is thrilled if the project has truly been axed. Considering it has come back repeatedly, he is waiting for all of the details before he really celebrates.
“Hopefully this is the end of an 11-year journey, and we can stop worrying about it,” Dunlop says.
At a community meeting in April, representatives from First Coast Energy said that if the gas station was not approved by the county, the company would likely sell the property. Doing so, they said, could result in the land being developed into commercial businesses.
That’s preferable to a gas station, Dunlop says.
“It was the issues of the gas station and everything that comes with it that concerned us,” he says.
