Historic Downtown & Bayfront seawall repair planning
Plan a downtown St. Augustine seawall repair with bayfront project records, archaeology checks, drainage questions and a clear permit checklist.
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Get to know your waterfront
The downtown bayfront has more than one generation of shoreline construction. Beside the Municipal Marina, the City’s Avenida Menendez project addresses a lower link between earlier works. Read that public project as a lesson about connections and drainage, not as a design approval for a private waterfront lot.
Find the gap before choosing the repair
A crack, low cap and public stormwater outlet can sit close together yet need different owners and different repairs. Mark the beginning and end of your wall on the survey. Include the return walls, promenade, marina access and any outlet that crosses the proposed work.
The City’s fact sheet describes a roughly 570-foot marina-area project with wall repairs and a new parapet. Its stated +7.1-foot NAVD target belongs to that project. It is not a citywide minimum for every private seawall. Have a surveyor identify your actual elevations and a designer explain which local requirements apply. Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet
Three records worth asking for
- Ownership: the parcel boundary and any public easement beside the wall.
- Construction: approved drawings and inspection records for the segment, including earlier repairs.
- Drainage: the outlet owner, required maintenance access and intended discharge route.
Before excavation or tieback work, describe the depth and disturbed area to Planning & Building. Archaeology review can apply to ground disturbance in mapped zones; flood walls are among the listed examples. Early review helps keep a repair estimate from overlooking a separate investigation. Archaeology Review Process
Ask each bidder to distinguish concrete surface repair from replacement of a structurally distressed segment. A public waterfront photograph cannot establish the condition of reinforcement, piles or buried anchors on your property.
Local facts to carry into the site visit
- The marina-area Avenida Menendez fact sheet describes approximately 570 feet of repair and floodwall work.
- That public fact sheet identifies a target elevation of +7.1 feet NAVD for continuity along the bayfront.
- The marina-area work is intended to close an elevation gap between previous bayfront improvements.
- The project also concerns the pedestrian route serving Municipal Marina facilities.
- The City lists flood walls among projects that may need archaeology review in mapped zones before ground disturbance.
Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet · Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet · Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet · Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheet · Archaeology Review Process
What could the work cost?
Separate investigation, archaeology coordination, pedestrian protection, water access and restoration in the estimate. Neither a public-project budget nor its elevation supplies a reliable residential price per foot.
Start with a published planning range, then refine it with a written price for your St. Augustine property.
Compare quotes and plan a budget →Find the relevant permits and records
| Starting point | What to resolve | Prepare and look up |
|---|---|---|
City of St. Augustine Planning & Building | Confirm the parcel jurisdiction, building review and any right-of-way or drainage approvals. | Provide the parcel ID, survey, photos and proposed work. 904-825-1065. |
Florida DEP / water management district | Confirm the environmental resource, wetland and submerged-land review for the complete shoreline scope. | Show existing and proposed alignment, habitat, access and disposal; request a written permit or exemption determination. |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Ask whether the work needs federal authorization for structures or fill in jurisdictional waters. | Submit the same current drawings used for state review; keep each written determination in the project file. |
Build a bayfront property file
Resolve the ownership and excavation questions before comparing construction proposals.
Locate the exact segment
Mark the private frontage and adjoining public assets. Avoid using the name Avenida Menendez as if it identified one construction contract or one uniform wall.
Request drawings with elevations
Ask for the marina-area project sheet only if your parcel touches it. Have the surveyor show the datum and the high and low transition points on your own frontage.
Screen ground disturbance
Submit the wall, anchor and utility excavation footprint for the parcel’s archaeology check. Include disturbed area and depth, rather than only the wall length.
Plan your Historic Downtown & Bayfront project
Save the shoreline details and questions you want a qualified marine contractor to review.
Clear guidance for your waterfront project.
Historic Downtown & Bayfront project questions
Does the public seawall target set my required height?
No. The published elevation describes the City’s marina project. Your survey, proposed scope, drainage and applicable approvals must be reviewed for your parcel.
Can a low connection matter if most of the wall is sound?
The City’s project specifically addresses an elevation gap between earlier works. Ask your designer to inspect both end connections and drainage routes as part of your own assessment.
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Lincolnville & San Sebastian, Davis Shores, Camachee Island & Hospital Creek
Show sourcesHide sources
- Avenida Menendez Seawall Project fact sheetSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Archaeology Review ProcessSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Building Permit Information: bulkhead/retaining wallSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Northeast District PermittingSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Nationwide Permit InformationSource reviewed 2026-10-26