Nease Beachfront Park

Nease Park is located 1 mile north of the St. Augustine Inlet on A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway about 230 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. The Nease Park site is located within the vicinity of the Vilano Waterfront Community boundary area designated as a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). Nease park site was the previous residence of Allen Nease built in the 1950’s on the eastern central edge of a 3.2 acre site.

The county has an excellent opportunity to preserve this historically significant home site as well as preserved the natural vegetative communities on site. The park site will only be modified slightly to accommodate beach access, some beach parking and the home will be turned into county offices for a staff naturalist and habitat conservation person, as well as establishing an environmental and historical education and interpretation displays. Anticipated new recreational facilities include bocce ball court, horseshoe pits, multi-use area, picnic and outdoor grilling area, nature trails and trail head, scenic wildlife observation platform and bird watching. In addition, cultural activities will be offered at this park site for the Vilano residents.

Because this project site is located within the Florida Forever Northeast Florida Blueway Phase II, this site is just another piece of a massive puzzle that interconnects federal, state and local initiatives to preserve, protect and maintain the natural resources (vegetative communities, wildlife habitat, improve water quality and protect shellfish harvesting areas) along the Intracoastal Waterway. The federal initiative is being pursued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and it’s administered through the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the implementation of the Guana, Tolomato, Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Management Plan. Other State initiatives being pursued by DEP and the SJRWMD include the GTM Water Quality Task Force and Northern Coastal Basins Program, respectively.