St. Johns County wants residents to weigh in on a beach trolley that could help the county pay less for long-term federal shore protection.

The county announced Monday it will hold a community meeting Oct. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, 505 Guana River Road in Ponte Vedra Beach. The session will introduce a preliminary concept for a trolley system serving South Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach.

The same presentation will run at 4, 5 and 6 p.m., each followed by breakout stations for questions and feedback.

How the trolley ties to federal beach funding

The trolley concept is tied to federal dollars. St. Johns County is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to establish a long-term federal partnership for beach restoration along South Ponte Vedra Beach's shoreline.

The county's cost share in that partnership hinges partly on how much public beach access exists in the project area, according to the county's announcement. A trolley with designated stops at county-owned properties could increase the number of public access points counted in the project area and improve the financial terms.

Stops at existing public access points in Vilano Beach could also improve the county's cost share for a separate Army Corps project already underway there, the county said.

Trolley plan joins other county coastal projects

The trolley discussion comes as the county pursues multiple coastal projects. St. Johns County completed a $38.6 million Ponte Vedra Beach Restoration Project two months ahead of schedule, restoring roughly 9 miles of coastline. State funding and grants covered about $30.6 million of that cost.

A separate South Ponte Vedra Beach dune restoration project funded through FEMA is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in late 2026, according to the county's project page. The county was still working to obtain 12 remaining easements in the project area as of June 2026.

No decisions yet as county seeks resident input

No stops have been chosen. The county stressed that no decisions have been made on trolley-stop locations or whether the concept will move forward at all. Community input from the Oct. 7 meeting will help shape the county's evaluation.

Depending on turnout and interest, the county may schedule additional meetings during this preliminary stage.

The Oct. 7 presentation will be recorded, and a transcript of the question-and-answer sessions will be posted at sjcfl.us/CoastalProjects after the meeting.

Residents can submit questions in advance to St. Johns County Coastal Management at 904-209-0260 or [email protected].