If you dialed a Northeast Florida telephone number in the past few days the way you always have – by entering seven digits – chances are that you were not connected to your intended recipient.
Instead, you heard a recorded message: “To make this call, you must first dial the area code plus the phone number. Please hang up and try again.”
The recording took effect Jan. 29 to help people prepare for the Feb. 26 launch of the region’s 324 area code overlay, approved in May 2022 by the Florida Public Service Commission.
With Northeast Florida’s population growing, the new 324 area code is joining 904 to serve the Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Fernandina Beach, Orange Park and surrounding communities.
The 324 area code will expand the area’s supply of telephone numbers.
Customers keep their current telephone numbers, but new customers, or requests for additional lines, may be assigned the 324 area code.
With the addition, 10-digit dialing will be required to make local calls (the area code plus the seven-digit telephone number).
“As Florida’s 4th originally assigned area code, the 904 area code has a long history of adapting to Florida’s growth,” PSC Chairman Andrew Fay said when the change was announced.
“This approved relief was the first of its kind for Jacksonville as the 324 area code overlay is designed to meet the increased demand for new numbers in this thriving area.”