St. Johns County recorded a preliminary 3,960 traffic crashes in 2025, the most in at least nine years, according to state data reported by the St. Johns Citizen.

Yet the per-capita crash rate fell. The county had about 11 crashes per 1,000 residents in both 2024 and 2025, the lowest marks in the data, the Citizen's Selim Algar reported Nov. 10. Population growth outran the rise in collisions.

The county added more than 100,000 residents between 2017 and 2025, a 42% increase, according to Census Bureau estimates cited by the Citizen. The U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimate put the county at 346,328 residents as of July 2025. The Bureau of Economic and Business Research projects 663,200 by 2050, according to a Florida Department of Transportation presentation on planned CR 210 improvements.

That growth is why the county is spending heavily on road construction. St. Johns County is managing 44 active road projects with a combined budget of $183.1 million, according to St. Johns Community reporting.

CR 210 work targets congestion and safety

A 2.3-mile rebuild of CR 210 between Cimarrone Boulevard and Greenbriar Road is converting the corridor from two lanes to four with a 22-foot median and bike lanes. The county budgeted $30.5 million for the work in fiscal year 2025 and $21.3 million in fiscal 2026.

A separate $19.5 million project at the CR 210 and St. Johns Parkway intersection aims to cut crashes there by an estimated 54% and reduce travel delay by more than 80%, according to an FDOT project presentation. The intersection operates at Level of Service F, the presentation showed. Construction is scheduled for 2027 through 2029.

Traffic fatalities have not kept pace with the county's growth. Thirty-one people died in crashes in 2025, tying 2019 for the second-lowest toll in nine years, the Citizen reported. The lowest was 2024, with 23 deaths.

Through Nov. 5, the state had recorded 3,232 crashes, 1,736 injuries and 26 deaths in the county for 2026, the Citizen reported, citing Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) data. Both the 2025 and 2026 figures were preliminary as of the agency's Nov. 7 update and may change as reports are finalized.

County responds to deadly stretch

County commissioners backed a pedestrian-safety enforcement program called Operation Best Foot Forward on July 21, after six people were killed in five crashes between July 14 and July 19, St. Johns Community reported. The program identifies dangerous crosswalks and runs high-visibility enforcement operations.

Commissioners also approved an agreement with Florida Power & Light to install improved pedestrian lighting at four crosswalks along State Road A1A.

One caveat on the per-capita figures: crash totals include collisions involving visitors and nonresidents, while the rates use only the county's resident population and do not account for miles driven.

Residents can view crash data on the FLHSMV's online crash dashboard.