JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Jacksonville Beach city leaders are looking at a proposal to redesign the boardwalk on the beach. Not only do they want to provide more beach access to make it more walkable, but they want to add vendors, outdoor seating, and more.
They said the current boardwalk is only offering access to people in hotels.
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“When you think of a boardwalk idea, you want to think of something that’s lined with vendors, shops, and little places to stop by,” Jason Wilmot, a Jacksonville resident, said.
Nearby businesses said the Jax Beach boardwalk needs to be upgraded given the amount of growth this part of town has seen in just the past year.
“There’s not always a whole lot of other stuff to do besides staying at the hotel or searching around on the non-beach side of the beach. I think if there were more things to draw people in from the boardwalk side, it would be a colorful addition to the community,” Wilmot said.
Jax Beach City Council is set to hold a workshop at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, and one of the topics is enhancing the boardwalk.
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One neighbor said he has his concerns with this plan given the damage it may do to the nearby dunes.
“More boardwalk spaces mean more traffic and disruption to the dunes. If we destroy the dunes, there’s nothing protecting the hotels and businesses from hurricanes and storm surge,” Liam Koolkaneyer, a Jacksonville beach resident, said.
The city is looking at several boardwalk references in cities like Myrtle Beach and Fort Myers, Florida. Leaders said it is all a part of a plan to modernize Jax Beach and maximize all forms of accessibility.
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