Construction on the Sebastian Harbor Marina is scheduled to be completed in October. | News4Jax
Published on August 21, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
After nearly 20 years idle, a long-stalled harbor basin in St. Augustine is being finished and will open as a 64-slip boutique marina in October 2026, developers said.
Sebastian Harbor Marina will occupy the San Sebastian River basin next to the AC Hotel by Marriott St. Augustine and the city’s historic district. The inland facility will put boaters under 2 miles from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and roughly 5 miles from the St. Augustine Inlet, with easy walking access to downtown restaurants, shops and attractions.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Work to complete the basin — originally dug in the early 2000s before the Great Recession halted the project — resumed this year under the property’s current owners, the same group behind the nearby hotel. They are investing millions to revitalize the waterfront and finish construction that stopped a generation ago.
John Valdes & Associates Inc. is overseeing the final phase, which includes dredging, upgrades to floating docks, new and reinforced pilings and other infrastructure improvements intended to strengthen the marina against future storms.
When finished, the marina will offer 64 wet slips for boats up to 55 feet and an expected controlling depth of about 7 feet mean low water after dredging. Planned amenities include shore power, potable water, Wi-Fi, gated access and around-the-clock camera monitoring. The facility will also provide modern restrooms and showers, laundry, pump-out stations and a harbormaster office. It will accept monthly and long-term slip tenants as well as transient visitors; live-aboard dockage will not be permitted. Two waterfront apartments adjacent to the docks will be available for short-term stays.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Operating the marina
Safe Passage Marina Management LLC will run day-to-day operations. The management team is led by John Valdes, who brings decades of marina construction and operations experience, and Nico Recore, who will serve as general manager after several years working at local marina and waterfront businesses.
“We want Sebastian Harbor Marina to be more than simply a place to dock a boat,” Recore said. He added the marina’s location offers a protected harbor and a chance to introduce visiting boaters to the St. Augustine experience as soon as they step ashore.
Attracting cruising boaters is a key part of the plan. St. Augustine is a common stop along the Intracoastal and a favored port for Great Loop cruisers; the protected basin offers an alternative to exposed anchorages and brings visitors within walking distance of downtown.
Construction and final preparations are underway ahead of the anticipated October 2026 opening. Slip rates are still being set; prospective slip holders and transient guests can join an interest list at sebastianharbormarina.com.
