Parts of St. Augustine were underwater Monday morning after a combination of king tides, a nor’easter and heavy rain pushed water levels about two feet higher than expected. Streets surrounding Flagler College and the City Hall area were swamped, forcing residents to navigate the floodwaters in kayaks.
City officials monitor and respond
Jessica Beach, St. Augustine’s chief resiliency officer, spent the day monitoring the flooded roads and coordinating with emergency management. She explained that the timing of the nor’easter worsened an already challenging king‑tide season.
“We’re in the peak of our king tide season, so we had a nor’easter pop up that coincided with king tides,” Beach said. “There’s a lot of flood advisories that were issued by our emergency management system from St. Johns County.”
Why the flooding is different this year
Beach noted that the city’s storm‑drain system relies largely on gravity, which works well under normal conditions. During king tides, however, the water level rises dramatically, exposing weak points in the system.
“On a normal tide, it’s usually not an issue, but when we get into the king tides like this time of year, it’s extreme tides, and so that water is finding any weak point,” she said.
Long‑term infrastructure plans
The city has been reviewing large‑scale flood‑mitigation options, including a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The “Back Bay Study” examined the feasibility of flood walls and pump stations designed to hold back the Matanzas River.
“You’re basically looking to hold back the entire Matanzas River, which is a pretty tall feat,” Beach said.
Recent improvements and current performance
St. Augustine recently completed a drainage‑improvement project in one of the affected neighborhoods. Beach said the new system is operating as intended, but the unprecedented king tides are still overwhelming the river’s natural flow.
“The good news is that the storm system is working great,” Beach said. “The bad news is that when the Matanzas River overtops ground elevations, this is where the flooding is actually coming from.”
Impact on students and daily life
Students at Flagler College experienced a delayed start to classes. Maeve McCann, a sophomore, said morning classes were canceled, but she still had to walk through floodwater to get to campus.
“Yeah, except not really, because I’m still walking through floods,” she said.
Looking ahead
City leaders say the immediate response will focus on clearing roadways and providing safe routes for residents. Longer‑term efforts will continue to evaluate flood‑wall construction, additional pump stations, and potential upgrades to the gravity‑drain system to better handle future king‑tide events.
Residents are encouraged to stay tuned to local alerts and follow guidance from St. Johns County emergency management as the weather system moves offshore.
Original reporting: Jacksonville Today — read the source article.
