Summer Haven & Matanzas Inlet seawall repair planning
Plan Summer Haven shoreline repairs using current river and dune project records, Matanzas Inlet conditions, revetment history and permit questions.
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Summer Haven’s public records describe repeated river infilling, overwash and coastal protection work. This is an inlet and beach-management problem as well as a private-property repair setting. Before a contractor proposes a wall or rock repair, establish the current shoreline, ownership and relationship to the County’s separate projects.
Keep three projects and their dates separate
The County marks the Old A1A revetment project complete in July 2025. Its Summer Haven Projects page separately records a February 2026 vote to fund engineering, design and permitting for river-sediment removal and a buried enhanced dune system. A third item describes proposed Corps Intracoastal dredging in 2027. Completion of the revetment does not mean the other work is complete or that every private parcel is protected. Summer Haven Revetment Project Summer Haven Projects Summer Haven Projects Summer Haven Projects
Build the brief around present conditions
- Supply a current survey and the most recent shoreline photographs, not only a pre-storm aerial.
- Mark the existing revetment, any exposed wall, road edge and relevant project easement.
- Describe whether the immediate issue is lost access, river infilling, undermining or damage to a private structure.
- Ask the designer which proposed temporary work needs its own authorization.
The National Park Service describes the Matanzas as a tidal waterway connected to two ocean inlets. A familiar waterline is therefore not a stable elevation reference. Ask the contractor to plan access using current conditions and the survey datum rather than estimating from a single photograph. Matanzas Inlet/River
Request written confirmation of any assumption about beneficial-use sand, public construction timing or access through a project area. A planned public project should not be used as a promise that a private repair will be cheaper, unnecessary or completed on a particular date.
Local facts to carry into the site visit
- The County held a completion ceremony for the Summer Haven Old A1A revetment on July 25, 2025.
- In February 2026 the County funded design, engineering and permitting for removing overwash sediment from Summer Haven River.
- A separate 2026 funded design effort concerns a buried enhanced dune system from R-204.5 to R-208.5.
- The County page describes Corps Intracoastal dredging and beneficial sand placement planned for 2027, still in design.
- The National Park Service describes the Matanzas River as tidal and connected to two ocean inlets.
Summer Haven Revetment Project · Summer Haven Projects · Summer Haven Projects · Summer Haven Projects · Matanzas Inlet/River
What could the work cost?
Obtain separate allowances for current survey work, coastal design, access, temporary stabilization and permanent restoration. Public dredging and dune budgets are not residential seawall rates, and a proposed funding award does not settle a private owner’s scope.
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 |
|---|---|---|
St. Johns County Building Department | Confirm the parcel jurisdiction, building review and any right-of-way or drainage approvals. | Provide the parcel ID, survey, photos and proposed work. 904-827-6800. |
Florida DEP / water management district | Check the Coastal Construction Control Line and coastal armoring review for the ocean side; ask separately about work in wetlands or tidal water. | 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. |
Confirm the project interface before design
Start with records that distinguish completed protection from planned work.
Identify the relevant project
Ask Coastal Management whether the parcel interfaces with Old A1A revetment, river excavation, the buried dune concept or the future Corps dredging. Record the answer and date.
Use a current shoreline survey
Provide the recent survey and dated observations to the designer. State which conditions changed after the last report so the design is not based on an outdated bank line.
Get the interim scope in writing
If stabilization is urgent, ask which agency authorizes it, what is temporary and how it relates to the permanent work. Do not treat an emergency concern as an automatic permit exemption.
Plan your Summer Haven & Matanzas Inlet project
Save the shoreline details and questions you want a qualified marine contractor to review.
Clear guidance for your waterfront project.
Summer Haven & Matanzas Inlet project questions
Are the Summer Haven river and dune projects already complete?
The County page describes engineering, design and permitting funding approved in February 2026, while separate Corps dredging is planned for 2027. Those statements are not completion records.
Can I use a Matanzas waterline to set a cap height?
No. The waterway is tidal. Ask a surveyor and designer to use a defined vertical datum and the project’s applicable criteria rather than a waterline photograph.
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Crescent Beach, Butler Beach, St. Augustine Shores & Moultrie
Show sourcesHide sources
- Summer Haven Revetment ProjectSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Summer Haven ProjectsSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Matanzas Inlet/RiverSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Building DepartmentSource reviewed 2026-10-27
- Coastal Construction Control Line ProgramSource reviewed 2026-10-26
- Nationwide Permit InformationSource reviewed 2026-10-26