Neighborhood Council of St. Augustine

North Davis Shores

Welcome To North Davis Shores (SANDS)

Just east of downtown across the Bridge of Lions, North Davis Shores occupies the northern end of Anastasia Island - a neighborhood that exists because of one of Florida's most ambitious land schemes.

In 1925, Tampa developer D.P. Davis bought 1,500 acres of tidal lowland here and raised it in a massive dredge-and-fill operation. His plans were extraordinary: fifty miles of streets, two golf courses, a casino, a yacht club, hotels and Mediterranean Revival residences, with street names drawn from local heritage — Coquina, Oglethorpe, Arpieka. The Bridge of Lions, completed in 1927, was built to be its grand entrance.

Davis vanished at sea off a European liner in October 1926. Only eleven of his buildings were ever finished. The neighborhood stayed quiet until the post-war years finally brought it to life.

Today it's a settled waterfront community of neighbors a short walk or bike ride from the oldest city in the country.

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