Fruit Cove and Julington Creek seawall planning
Fruit Cove, Switzerland and the Julington and Durbin creek shores sit on the St. Johns River in St. Johns County, where the daily tide is small but storm water can be extreme.
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Get to know your waterfront
Fruit Cove is a census-designated community in northwest St. Johns County on the St. Johns River, with Switzerland to the south and the mouths of Julington Creek and Durbin Creek to the north and east. On this stretch of river the daily tide range is only about 1 foot, but Hurricane Irma pushed Julington Creek 5.35 feet above normal high water in 2017.
2024 Census Gazetteer: Florida places; USGS GNIS · St. Johns River upriver station datums (8720503, 8720625, 8720774, 8720767, 8720296, 8720333, 8720409, 8720406) · NWPS gauge JULF1 – Julington Creek at Old Saint Augustine Road
Small tides, big storm water
The NWS gauge on Julington Creek at Old St. Augustine Road counts minor flooding from 1.2 feet above normal high water, and its record crests are Irma (5.35 feet), Matthew (3.76 feet) and Nicole (2.91 feet). Upstream, the Durbin Creek gauge at Racetrack Road peaked at 6.69 feet NAVD88 during Irma. A wall that rarely sees high water can be overtopped and saturated in one storm. NWPS gauge JULF1 – Julington Creek at Old Saint Augustine Road · NWPS gauge DUCF1 – Durbin Creek at Racetrack Road
Salinity is low here, so gribble is less of a concern, but the borer Sphaeroma favors low-salinity and tidal-fresh water. Timber still needs a close look. Wood-Boring Marine and Estuarine Animals in Florida (SGEB-15)
County buffers along the river
St. Johns County requires a 50-foot natural upland buffer along the St. Johns River and connected tributaries, never under 25 feet, with a 25-foot minimum for older single-family lots of record, and waterfront yards measured from the seawall where one exists. St. Johns County Land Development Code, Sec. 4.01.06 · St. Johns County Land Development Code, Sec. 4.01.02.E · St. Johns County Land Development Code, Sec. 6.01.03.G
What could the work cost?
Long riverfront lots often combine a wall with a long dock. Price dock reconnection and any buffer restoration with the wall.
Published prices are attributed planning context from contractors’ own pages, not a measured Jacksonville average or this website’s quote. Ranges differ about five-fold between publishers; your written, itemized scope decides the real number.
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 | Building permits, Clearance Sheet, notice of commencement over $5,000. | Parcel ID, survey and engineered drawings. (904) 827-6800. |
Florida DEP Northeast District (Jacksonville) | State environmental resource permit or exemption, and state-lands consent for work at or below the high-water line. DEP handles single-family docks and shore protection not tied to a larger development. | Survey with the existing wall face and high-water line, the proposed alignment and photos. DEP Northeast District: 904-256-1700. |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District | Federal authorization for work in tidal and navigable waters, often verified by DEP through the state programmatic general permit or covered by a nationwide permit. | Ask DEP whether its review includes federal verification for your scope, or which nationwide permit applies. |
A Fruit Cove river checklist
Use these steps to prepare for an assessment and a permit conversation.
Find your nearest gauge
Julington Creek, Durbin Creek and the Shands Bridge gauge give your local flood history; Shands Bridge peaked at 3.66 feet above normal high water in Matthew.
NWPS gauge JULF1 – Julington Creek at Old Saint Augustine Road · NWPS gauge DUCF1 – Durbin Creek at Racetrack Road · NWPS gauge GCEF1 – St. Johns River at Shands Bridge
Pull parcel and flood-zone records
Use the St. Johns County Property Appraiser parcel search and the county flood zone viewer.
St. Johns County Property Appraiser home page · Flood Smart brochure
Check the buffer before designing
Ask whether your lot is a lot of record with the 25-foot minimum buffer, or subject to the full 50 feet.
Plan your Fruit Cove & Julington Creek seawall project
Tell us where your Fruit Cove & Julington Creek property is, what you have noticed and what you want to decide. We will help you plan the next step.
Local guidance. A clearer plan for your waterfront.
Fruit Cove & Julington Creek project questions
Is Fruit Cove in the City of Jacksonville?
No. Fruit Cove is in St. Johns County. The Duval side of Julington Creek is in Jacksonville and uses the City’s permit system.
2024 Census Gazetteer: Florida places; USGS GNIS · Building Permits – Permit Guidelines & General Information
How high has Julington Creek flooded?
The NWS record at the Old St. Augustine Road gauge is 5.35 feet above normal high water, set by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
NWPS gauge JULF1 – Julington Creek at Old Saint Augustine Road
Keep planning
Nearby waterfront guides
Show sourcesHide sources
- 2024 Census Gazetteer: Florida places; USGS GNISSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- St. Johns River upriver station datums (8720503, 8720625, 8720774, 8720767, 8720296, 8720333, 8720409, 8720406)Source reviewed 2026-10-24
- NWPS gauge JULF1 – Julington Creek at Old Saint Augustine RoadSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- NWPS gauge DUCF1 – Durbin Creek at Racetrack RoadSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Wood-Boring Marine and Estuarine Animals in Florida (SGEB-15)Source reviewed 2026-10-24
- St. Johns County Land Development Code, Sec. 4.01.06Source reviewed 2026-10-24
- Building Permits – Permit Guidelines & General InformationSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Northeast DistrictSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Operating Agreements ERP Permitting: DEP District Offices and the Water Management District OfficesSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Operating Agreement Concerning Regulation Under Part IV, Ch. 373, F.S., Between SJRWMD and DEP (eff. 07/01/07)Source reviewed 2026-10-24
- Federal Permits and Coordination Agreements Between DEP, WMDs, and the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- SPGP VI – 1. Shoreline Stabilization, Activity descriptionSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Reissuance and Modification of Nationwide Permits (91 FR 768, Jan. 8, 2026)Source reviewed 2026-10-24
- NWPS gauge GCEF1 – St. Johns River at Shands BridgeSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- St. Johns County Property Appraiser home pageSource reviewed 2026-10-24
- Flood Smart brochureSource reviewed 2026-10-24