St. Augustine Beach Homes for Sale

Anastasia Island is the barrier island directly east of downtown St. Augustine, about 14 miles long and roughly a mile wide, separated from the mainland by the Matanzas River (the Intracoastal Waterway). Matanzas Bay lies between the island and the historic district; the Matanzas Inlet and Fort Matanzas National Monument mark the south end.

What matters most for buyers, and especially for short-term rental (STR) investors, is that the island is split among three jurisdictions:

• City of St. Augustine. The north end, including Davis Shores and Lighthouse Park along Anastasia Boulevard, is inside St. Augustine city limits and follows the city’s STR and zoning rules.
• City of St. Augustine Beach. A separate municipality incorporated in 1959, about 2.2 square miles, 2020 population 6,803, bounded by the Atlantic, the west right-of-way of SR A1A, Pope Road, and the Sandpiper Village subdivision. A1A Beach Boulevard, the pier, Coquina Gables, Sea Colony, and Marsh Creek are inside the city. Roughly a third of its housing units were vacant at the 2020 census, a sign of how many are second homes and vacation rentals.
• Unincorporated St. Johns County. Everything south of the city on A1A: Butler Beach, Crescent Beach, Treasure Beach, and, south of the inlet, Summer Haven. The county’s vacation rental ordinance applies here.

Because jurisdiction can change from one block to the next, confirming which rulebook governs a specific parcel is the first thing we check on any investment purchase.

Housing ranges from 1930s cottages to new oceanfront construction, and prices vary widely by location, elevation, and ocean proximity.

• Oceanfront and ocean-view condos. The largest share of STR-oriented inventory on the island is condominiums along A1A Beach Boulevard and A1A South. Each association’s documents govern rental rights on top of city or county rules, so minimum stays differ building by building, from nightly to 30, 90 days, or longer.
• Sea Colony. A gated oceanfront single-family community in St. Augustine Beach with a community pool and private beach access; the island’s best-known luxury enclave, with recent listings in the multi-million-dollar range.
• Marsh Creek Country Club. A gated golf community on the Intracoastal side of St. Augustine Beach, less than a mile from the Coquina Gables beach blocks, with single-family homes on golf, marsh, and lake lots.
• Davis Shores. Planned in the 1920s (the Bridge of Lions was built in 1925-1927 partly to serve it) and developed mostly from the 1930s onward: cottages, mid-century ranches, Spanish-style homes, and newer builds, with canal and Salt Run waterfront on some streets, walkable to downtown. Much of Davis Shores is low-lying and in a mapped flood zone; some homes flooded during Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (2017), so elevation and flood history matter here.
• Lighthouse Park. The older neighborhood around the 1874 lighthouse, on higher ground than Davis Shores, with cottages and some Salt Run frontage.
• Coquina Gables. Roughly 400 single-family homes between A Street and F Street, from A1A Beach Boulevard to the ocean, mostly built in the 1970s and 1980s, about a mile from the pier and blocks from Publix. Inside St. Augustine Beach city limits.
• Butler Beach and Crescent Beach. Unincorporated county south of the city line: beach bungalows, brick ranches, and custom homes, with beach-driving ramps and Frank Butler Park’s beachfront pavilions.
• Summer Haven. A small unincorporated beach settlement just south of the Matanzas Inlet, dating to about 1890, with roughly 60 structures. It has a long erosion history: A1A was moved inland in the 1970s, and the Army Corps revetment destroyed by Hurricane Matthew was rebuilt between 2020 and June 2025. Budget for coastal insurance and study the erosion record before buying here.

Three sets of local rules operate on this island, plus state and county registration that applies everywhere. This summary reflects the published ordinances and city and county web pages as of our last review; rules change, so verify with the jurisdiction before you buy.

Everywhere. A vacation rental needs a Florida DBPR transient public lodging license (F.S. 509.241) and a Florida Department of Revenue sales tax account. In St. Johns County, rentals of six months or less also pay the 5% county Tourist Development Tax and require a county Business Tax Receipt and TDT registration with the Tax Collector.

City of St. Augustine Beach (Coquina Gables, Sea Colony, Marsh Creek, A1A Beach Boulevard). The city regulates “transient rentals” under Section 3.09.00 of its land development code. Transient rental of houses is allowed only in Commercial and Medium-Density Residential land use districts, and the city caps the number permitted in Medium-Density Residential at 100 (no cap in Commercial). Owners need the DBPR license, sales tax permit, a city Business Tax Receipt, a transient rental application, and a Building Department inspection, all renewed annually. A registered transient rental loses homestead exemption and pays commercial trash rates. Condominiums fall outside Section 3.09.00 and instead need a Business Tax Receipt under the hotel/condo-for-rent tax code, usually obtained by the association. Practical takeaway: a house’s land use district and the availability of a slot under the 100-unit cap decide whether nightly rentals are possible at all.

City of St. Augustine (Davis Shores, Lighthouse Park, Anastasia Boulevard). The city adopted its STR ordinance in 2019 and requires registration and a life-safety inspection. Minimum stays follow zoning: RS-1 and RS-2 single-family districts allow rentals of one week or longer only, HP-1 historic districts require monthly or longer, and other districts allow nightly. Registration fees under Resolution 2020-27 start at $294.48 plus $73.81 per rental bedroom. Much of Davis Shores and Lighthouse Park carries RS zoning, so confirm the parcel on the city’s online parcel map before counting on nightly income.

Unincorporated St. Johns County (Butler Beach, Crescent Beach, Treasure Beach, Summer Haven). The county’s vacation rental ordinance (Land Development Code Section 2.02.04.B.19, adopted 2021) requires annual registration for rentals east of the Intracoastal, with exemptions for owner-occupied homesteads and managed multi-family buildings. Registration requires the county Business Tax Receipt, DBPR license, DOR certificate, an affidavit, a sample lease with required tenant provisions, and a fee. Occupancy is limited to two transient occupants per sleeping room (generally a maximum of 10, subject to a vesting schedule), excluding children 12 and under. One off-street parking space per three occupants is required, and vehicles, boats, RVs, and trailers may not exceed the off-street spaces. Fire extinguishers, covered trash containers, noise compliance, and hurricane evacuation information are mandatory. There is no minimum-stay rule, which is why the unincorporated beaches hold most of the island’s nightly-rental single-family homes. County Code Enforcement handles registration at 904-209-0734 or shorttermrentals@sjcfl.us.

For investors, the bottom line: a house at Crescent Beach and a comparable house six miles north in Davis Shores can have very different income potential because of the line on the map, not the property. We model both before you commit.

Anastasia State Park covers about 1,700 acres at the north end of the island, with four miles of beach, a 139-site campground, nature trails, a lifeguarded swimming area in summer, and kayak, paddleboard, and bike rentals on Salt Run, the tidal lagoon where dolphins and manatees are common.

St. Augustine Amphitheatre, owned by St. Johns County and located inside the state park at 1340C A1A South, is a 4,700-seat outdoor concert venue for national touring acts. It also hosts a year-round Saturday farmers market (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is the 165-foot 1874 tower at the north end of the island, operated as a nonprofit museum.

St. Johns County Ocean Pier & Park at 350 A1A Beach Boulevard has a 1,300-foot fishing pier (rebuilt after Hurricane Matthew, reopened 2023), a splash pad, lighted sand volleyball courts, and the Wednesday morning farmers market (8 a.m. to noon). The pier itself is closed for piling repairs from May 13 through the end of November 2026; the park stays open.

Beach driving. St. Johns County allows vehicles on designated sections of about 12 miles of beach from March 1 through September 30 with a beach pass. Island ramps include A Street and Ocean Trace Road in St. Augustine Beach, and Dondanville Road, Matanzas Avenue, Mary Street, and Crescent Beach further south, subject to conditions.

The Publix at Anastasia Plaza (1033 A1A Beach Boulevard) reopened in November 2025 after a full rebuild as a 55,000-square-foot store with a pharmacy and adjacent Publix Liquors. The Anastasia Boulevard corridor between the Bridge of Lions and the state park has a compact restaurant and shop district (Blackfly the Restaurant, the Chop Shop butcher, Candlelight South, Book in Hand, among others). A1A Beach Boulevard in St. Augustine Beach is lined with beach bars, breakfast spots, surf shops, and bike rentals within walking distance of the pier. Downtown St. Augustine’s restaurants and galleries are a short drive or bike ride over the Bridge of Lions.

Anastasia Island is served by the St. Johns County School District (SJCSD). Zoning varies by address along the island. Northern island addresses (Davis Shores, Lighthouse Park, St. Augustine Beach) are generally zoned for R.B. Hunt Elementary at 125 Magnolia Drive on the island, with Sebastian Middle School and St. Augustine High School on the mainland. Addresses toward Butler Beach and Crescent Beach are generally zoned for W. Douglas Hartley Elementary, Gamble Rogers Middle School, and Pedro Menendez High School. Attendance zones are redrawn periodically as the district opens new schools, so confirm any specific address with the district’s 2026-2027 Attendance Zone Locator at stjohns.k12.fl.us/zoning or by calling the district’s GIS staff at (904) 547-7680. Independent ratings are published by GreatSchools and Niche.

Two bridges connect the island to the mainland. The Bridge of Lions, a double-leaf bascule bridge opened in 1927 and rehabilitated 2006 to 2010, carries A1A from Davis Shores directly into the historic district; it opens for boat traffic, so allow for occasional delays. The Mickler-O’Connell Bridge on SR 312 (3.8 miles from SR 207 to A1A) connects the middle of the island to US 1 and is the faster route to I-95 and the mainland shopping corridors.

On the island, A1A (Anastasia Boulevard at the north end, A1A South further down) is the single north-south spine, with A1A Beach Boulevard running parallel along the ocean through St. Augustine Beach. Traffic builds on summer weekends and event nights. Jacksonville is reached via SR 312 to I-95 north; Palm Coast and Daytona are south via I-95 or A1A through Summer Haven and Marineland.