ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Streets in the nation’s oldest city were again covered in water Monday as a king tide pushed floodwater into neighborhoods, repeating scenes from over the weekend.
In some areas, roads looked like rivers, with water pooled in the middle of the roadway, creating a headache for neighbors.
On Sunday, a Coquina Avenue resident sent Action News Jax video of her neighbor kayaking down a suburban street.
The flooding wasn’t constant. By the time Action News Jax went live at 5 a.m. Monday, the streets were mostly dry, despite a “road under water” sign. But the full moon soon showed what it was capable of, and by about 9 a.m. floodwater had returned to Coquina Avenue, where residents have dealt with flooding for some time.
The king tide arrived at a bad time for Rachel Swanson, who was laying sod on her soaked front lawn.
“We’ve been waiting two weeks to get sod. It was delayed because of the previous storms we had,” Swanson said.
Swanson, a lifelong St. Augustine resident, said she knew there was a risk but decided to go ahead anyway.
“I’m from Saint Augustine. I’ve been here my whole life so I knew, you just kinda have to take the risk,” she said.
She also warned that visitors may not realize the danger of driving through the water.
“There’s a lot of Airbnbs, so if you’re staying here, you’re not familiar. People are driving through this water thinking it’s rainwater; it’s actually salt water. So they think it’s just gonna rinse your car off, but it’s actually gonna rust their car,” Swanson said.
The streets near Swanson’s home were like the sea in more ways than one. Ibises were seen wading in the flooded street near her home—a picturesque scene of Florida.
The flooding also has a less idyllic effect: The city of St. Augustine says trash pickup will be delayed on flooded streets.
The First Alert Weather team says tidal flooding can be expected through Tuesday.
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