JEA issued a service availability letter March 2 for a proposed Compass Hotels by Margaritaville site in the St. Johns County Beachwalk community off County Road 210, indicating the project is advancing.
The service availability request asked JEA to determine the availability of connection points for water, sewer and other utility services. It signals that a project is being explored and not that a deal is imminent. JEA serves customers in northern St. Johns County.
Plans reviewed and approved Dec. 23 by the St. Johns County Development Review Committee show a four-story, 65,117-square-foot hotel with 111 rooms. Committee approval is an initial step in county permitting.
Beachwalk, about 2 miles east of Interstate 95, is a master-planned community that includes residential neighborhoods and commercial developments including Publix, Wawa and BJ’s Wholesale Club. There’s also a 13.92-acre water feature for recreational use by residents.
Short-term-stay cottages also are part of the plans, although they have not been submitted for permitting.
The cottages would be managed by the Margaritaville Hotel and would not be advertised on Airbnb or Vrbo, representatives said during a November 2024 St. Johns County Commission meeting.
The short-term lodging cannot operate as timeshares or be occupied by the same person, family or group for more than three consecutive months, the developer told the county.
Elsewhere on the site, an unnamed full-service restaurant is proposed. On Feb. 6, the county received a permit application for the project, but its identity was not disclosed. The Development Review Committee is scheduled to discuss those plans March 4. The St. Johns River Water Management District approved them Feb. 18.
The overall Beachwalk development is led by Beachwalk Retail Center LLC, a partnership between Boca Raton-based PEBB Enterprises and Falcone Group. The partnership will develop the hotel and cottages and owns the land, according to the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s website.