A boat floats at the new Met Park Marina on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, with the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences under construction in the background. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on August 12, 2026 at 3:36 pm
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As the fireboat Robert F. Kiely blasted fountains of river water skyward, Met Park Marina officially opened Wednesday to boaters using the St. Johns River.
Only hours later, eight of the marina’s 78 slips were already in use adjacent to the new One Tower Court office building and the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, which will open next door. River taxis were parked nearby.
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The 78-slip marina off Gator Bowl Boulevard replaces an earlier city dock and offers electrical and water hookup, marine fuel and a store. The adjacent Northbank Riverwalk also has reopened after renovation.
The marina shows that the riverfront is being activated, city recreation director Darryl Joseph said. The Four Seasons is under construction next to the marina; EverBank Stadium is undergoing renovations across the street; and a marine fire station is being built nearby.
Other coming changes include the planned Museum of Science & History on one side of the marina and Metropolitan Park renovations on the other.
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“The main thing that we are looking to do is connectivity. Everyone talks all the time about the Riverfront Plaza and things that are in the core, but getting people down to this sports and entertainment district is important as well,” Joseph said. “There were 78 slips before. This is just configured a little bit differently. As we noticed, boats have gotten a little bit bigger, so this will accommodate that different variety of boat.”
One of the first to dock there was Vance Stallings, whose Cruise Jacksonville company does private yacht charters on the river.
“We think it’s awesome,” Stalling said at an opening ceremony Wednesday. “We spent the night. I guess we were the first to spend the night, and it was very well lit, very comfortable. Electricity was perfect; check-in and checkout was nice; and the bathrooms were clean. It’s a great facility.”
The 78 slips are available for short-term and overnight stays. Expanded rafting docks also will be added for boaters arriving for special events and games. The marina also includes two dedicated water taxi slips.
Reservations and rules regarding the special event rafting docks can be found on the JaxParks website. To reserve a permanent slip, go to metparkmarina.com
The marina is operated by F3 Marina and Shanna Collective. The estimated $11 million-plus project was funded by the city and built by Iguana Investments, the real estate development firm owned by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, which also developed One Tower Court and the Four Seasons.
In recent years the USS Orleck has docked in the area as part of a maritime museum, while the 10-acre Shipyards West Park on East Bay Street will be built between it and Hogan’s Creek with an events center, Playscape, Riverwalk and multipurpose flex lawn.
Speaking before a ribbon-cutting, Mayor Donna Deegan said the new marina lets people take full advantage of the river and makes its natural resources more accessible.
“It marks an ongoing step in the transformation of our parks, our Downtown and our city as a whole. It all speaks volumes about where we are heading,” she said. “Our goal is to make the riverfront Jacksonville’s front porch, and it is certainly becoming that every single weekend.”
Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping said the marina is a great example of renewed Downtown infrastructure that will unlock new investment.
“The marina, the Riverwalk, the connection between this part of the Northbank and the sports complex — all of that is going to make possible more and more private investment going forward,” Lamping said. “This is great because it is a lot more fun cutting ribbons versus unveiling renderings. Here we have promises that were made, and now they are being being kept.”
