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Tide Views Preserve
Welcome to the Atlantic Beach Turtle Crawl! If this is the first turtle you’ve found, there are 23 others scattered throughout our park system, in places of historic significance, and even in some unexpected locations. If you’re up for a scavenger hunt to find every turtle on our Turtle Crawl, you can find a map HERE.
Sunset Pier
Named for its massive block-like head, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle is the most common sea turtle found in Florida. The symbol of Atlantic Beach is a world traveler who comes here to lay her eggs between May and October. A sea turtle nest can contain up to 125 eggs and incubate for approximately 60 days. The same female turtle will return to her nesting beach every two to three years an average of four times a season. Once hatched, the young will dig out of the nest and crawl to the ocean. Survival rate of the young during their first year is low as they have an extensive number of predators in the marine environment.
Bennett's Wave
The Common Snapping Turtle are easily recognized by their dark carapace (upper shell) with deeply serrated back margin and a small plastron (bottom shell) that does not completely cover all of the animal’s flesh. This large freshwater turtle is an ambush predator that can weigh up to 75 pounds and can live over 30 years. Usually docile in water, snapping turtles can be aggressive when traveling across land. If you find a snapping turtle in your yard, give it the respect it deserves. They have powerful, sharp jaws.
Sunset Pier
Efforts by the City of Atlantic Beach to acquire the Tide Views Preserve property began in the 1980's with hopes to develop the land into a regional park. However, initial efforts were unsuccessful as agreements could not be reached to purchase the property. Several years later, James Tresca agreed to sell roughly 7 acres of marsh front property to the City in 1994. The city was later reimbursed for the purchase through grants from the Florida Communities Trust (FCL) and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND). Shortly after the purchase, the city hired Dames and Moore, Inc. to plan and design the future park. The final plan for the park which included a canoe launch, a large picnic area, signage, nature trails, a boardwalk, and restrooms was approved by the City Commission in December 1996. The park remained unnamed until October 11, 1999, when the City Commission agreed to name it “Tide Views Nature Preserve” and to name the park in honor of Carl Walker, the longtime Beautification Coordinator for the city who passed away earlier that year. The park was then opened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on October 30, 1999. Around the same time, the park was expanded by roughly one acre with the purchase of additional land on the corner of West First Street and Begonia Street. Within the next few years, the city closed off a portion of Begonia Street which was then sold to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to allow them to construct a retention pond in connection with the Mayport Flyover construction. In 2009, the city received a grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District for the construction of a pier and a kayak/canoe launch. Two years later, the pier was completed and officially named “Sunset Pier.” In 2015, the park was again expanded with the purchase of 280 Camelia Street, which created a new access point to the park for neighborhood residents Tide Views Preserve is located at the end of West 1st Street and Begonia Street, west of Mayport Road.
Bennett's Wave
Just before Thanksgiving Day in 2021, about 50 people took part in an event to celebrate the conservation acquisition of the Bennett’s Landing property – which included a ribbon-cutting for the Bennett’s Wave pergola, named in honor of Sara Bennett and Fenis Reuben Bennett, Sr.
The half-acre parcel that makes up Bennett’s Landing, where the pergola now stands serves as an entryway for the neighborhood community, is also an extension of the Tide Views Preserve – an eight-acre scenic park and trails venue located along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Standing at Bennett’s Wave you can spot two bodies of water. Interestingly, one is fresh water, and the other is salt water.
Tide Views Preserve consists of 8 acres of passive parkland. Tide Views offers a scenic view of the Intracoastal Waterway, 2,500 feet of trail and boardwalk, restroom facilities, canoe launch, scenic overlook, a fishing area, and public parking. Opening hours are roughly sunrise to sunset; the hours fluctuate, accordingly. The preserve cannot be reached from Atlantic Blvd.
What makes Florida sunsets great?
The short answer is humidity, air quality, and thunderstorms. Florida’s best sunsets occur in the fall and winter. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the lower humidity compared to summer makes for better scattering of the light through air molecules. Winter skies also have higher clouds which catch colors, according to the National Weather Service. In addition, Florida has fairly good air quality. Though some mistakenly believe that pollution is what makes good sunsets, the opposite is actually true. Summertime haze and urban smog tend to dilute the brilliant colors often found in sunsets. Florida summers still produce amazing sunsets though. First, the rain from daily thunderstorms helps tamp down any pollution particles in the air making it cleaner. Second, lingering clouds from those thunderstorms capture wonderful colors, similar to what happens in the winter with high clouds and make beautiful photographs even more interesting.