The lagoon community has the most interesting development story in St. Johns County right now — and the most misquoted one. Here’s what the permits actually say.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
Every item verified September 18, 2026 against the named source. Statuses are re-checked monthly; when one flips, this page changes.
Finished and verifiable — you can go see these today.
The widening project finished this year: six lanes past Beachwalk Blvd with a new signal at Badger Park Dr. The construction-era commute complaints about this stretch are out of date.
Source: News4Jax, Apr 30, 2026; sjcfl.us
Permitted and physically underway — dates are milestones, not promises.
St. Johns County issued the $10.5M building permit on August 24, 2026 for the 4-story, 65,117 sq ft, 111-room hotel on the lagoon’s southwest edge. No formal groundbreaking or opening date has been announced — the permit is the verified milestone.
Source: Jax Daily Record, Aug 24, 2026
The shipping-container Smalls Sliders at 1545 W CR 210 was staged with a May 2026 opening target, and a roughly 6,500 sq ft restaurant adjacent to the Margaritaville hotel site entered permit review in February 2026. I verify current opening status per visit — container restaurants move fast.
Source: Jax Daily Record regional update, Dec 17, 2025; permit filing Feb 6, 2026
Real announcements from named developers — but timelines this early move.
The 68 short-term-stay cottages planned alongside the hotel entered water-management permitting on September 2, 2026 — earlier in the pipeline than the hotel itself.
Source: Jax Daily Record, Sep 2, 2026
The Margaritaville hotel is real — the county issued the $10.5M vertical-construction permit on August 24, 2026 — but no groundbreaking date or opening year has been announced, and anyone quoting one is guessing. The buyer question that actually matters: 111 hotel rooms plus 68 short-term-stay cottages on the lagoon’s southwest edge will change weekend lagoon traffic. If you’re buying for the lagoon, ask me which streets feel it and which don’t.
This is the work I do every week. I can walk you through exactly where the hotel and cottage sites sit relative to any Beachwalk street you’re considering.
Work with Krista (904) 333-8595 Text
Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
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