The City of Jacksonville’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department was highlighted in the winter 2019 edition of the Florida Recreation & Park Association Facility Showcase Journal for a project on Exchange Club Island, a unique park located in the St. Johns River adjacent to Downtown.
The $487,000 project features a newly constructed visitors’ area where boaters, canoers and kayakers can dock and have access to two pavilions with tables and grills, and a hiking trail. Visitation to the island was previously difficult to manage, spurring unauthorized usage that included bonfires and overnight camping, which threatened a negative impact on the island’s resources. The addition of the designated space provides a new destination for the island’s visitors while helping to preserve its unspoiled green space.
The Exchange Club Island Park project is a component of a larger government initiative to activate local waterways, especially in the city’s center.
About Parks, Recreation and Community Services
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) serves diverse populations of all ages and abilities through recreation activities and programs, conservation and marine resources, sports & entertainment, senior services, social services, disabled services and extension services serving approximately 900,000 residents in Duval County. PRCS offers over 400 parks and recreational spaces. For more information about The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, visit
www.coj.net/departments/parks-and-recreation.
Exchange Club Island Dock
Exchange Club Island Picnic Shelter