The
Jacksonville Beaches, known locally as "The Beaches" or simply "The Beach", is the collective name for the towns and communities on the northern half of
San Pablo IslandSan Pablo Island is a proposed name for the barrier island that lies east of Jacksonville, Florida and the northern parts of St. Johns County. From its northern extremity at the mouth of the St. Johns River in Duval County, to its southern extremity at the mouth of the Guana River, in St...
on
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
's
First CoastThe First Coast is a region of Florida, in the United States. It extends along the Atlantic, or eastern, coast of the state, from the Georgia border, past the southern end of Anastasia Island, to Marineland....
, all of which are suburbs or parts of the city of
JacksonvilleJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida, and is the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, as a result of the consolidation of the city and county government, and a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county, Jacksonville became the...
. These communities are separated from the main body of the city of Jacksonville by the
Intracoastal WaterwayThe Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals...
. The Jacksonville Beaches are located in
DuvalDuval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 778,879. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 826,436 . Its county seat is Jacksonville, Florida.-History:...
and northern
St. Johns CountySt. Johns County is located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2000 census, the population was 123,135. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population as of 2008 at 181,540. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra and Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the...
, and make up part of Jacksonville's metropolitan area.
The
Jacksonville Beaches, known locally as "The Beaches" or simply "The Beach", is the collective name for the towns and communities on the northern half of
San Pablo IslandSan Pablo Island is a proposed name for the barrier island that lies east of Jacksonville, Florida and the northern parts of St. Johns County. From its northern extremity at the mouth of the St. Johns River in Duval County, to its southern extremity at the mouth of the Guana River, in St...
on
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
's
First CoastThe First Coast is a region of Florida, in the United States. It extends along the Atlantic, or eastern, coast of the state, from the Georgia border, past the southern end of Anastasia Island, to Marineland....
, all of which are suburbs or parts of the city of
JacksonvilleJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida, and is the county seat of Duval County. Since 1968, as a result of the consolidation of the city and county government, and a corresponding expansion of the city limits to include almost the entire county, Jacksonville became the...
. These communities are separated from the main body of the city of Jacksonville by the
Intracoastal WaterwayThe Intracoastal Waterway is a 4,800-km waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals...
. The Jacksonville Beaches are located in
DuvalDuval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 778,879. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 826,436 . Its county seat is Jacksonville, Florida.-History:...
and northern
St. Johns CountySt. Johns County is located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2000 census, the population was 123,135. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population as of 2008 at 181,540. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra and Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the...
, and make up part of Jacksonville's metropolitan area. The Population of the beaches (2009)= 68118
The northernmost of the beach communities in Duval County is Mayport. Moving south along the coastline are three incorporated towns:
Atlantic BeachAtlantic Beach is the name of some places in the United States of America:*Atlantic Beach, Florida*Atlantic Beach, North Carolina*Atlantic Beach, New York*Atlantic Beach, South Carolina...
,
Neptune BeachNeptune Beach may refer to:* Neptune Beach, California, a former amusement park in Alameda, California* Neptune Beach, Florida...
and Jacksonville Beach. All three maintain their own municipal governments; however, due to the consolidation of the county government with that of the City of Jacksonville in 1968, denizens of these beach municipalities also vote for Jacksonville City Council members and the mayor of Jacksonville. Continuing south into St. Johns County is
Ponte Vedra Beachthumb|right|300px|Ponte Vedra Beach on a December afternoon. During the summer months, the beach is often filled with local families as well as tourists....
in St. Johns County.
Relations between the Beaches and the Jacksonville city government have at times been tense. The three incorporated towns in Duval County have fought with the city over the ways taxes and government services are shared; this led to a lawsuit in 1979, which established an interlocal agreement. The Beaches governments took up a second lawsuit in 1993 alleging a breach of the agreement, and members of the Jacksonville City Council sought to review the charter in 2006, angering locals. During much of this time the Beaches threatened forming their own county, "Ocean County", though this was resolved following the election of Neptune Beach resident
John DelaneyJohn Adrian Delaney is an American lawyer, politician and university administrator. He currently serves as the president of the University of North Florida and as the interim chancellor of the State University System of Florida...
as
Mayor of Jacksonville in 1995.