San Marco Preservation Society

East San Marco: A Community-Shaped Success Story
For 60 years, San Marco lacked a grocery store. With the dawn of the 21st century, Publix agreed to locate here, and a plan began to be formulated. In 2006, plans for East San Marco were drawn up as a massive four-block, six-story project and presented to SMPS. The reaction was one of dismay over the project’s scale.

Fast forward to 2013, and a new revised plan was revealed featuring retail and apartments. This stalled out, and in 2020 the plans for the present-day development were unveiled, including Publix, much to the delight of SMPS and San Marco residents. East San Marco stands today as an example of how the thoughtful community involvement of SMPS can shape development to better serve both residents and businesses.

🏡 A small plaque. A big statement. Our refreshed San Marco Preservation Society house plaques now feature our updated logo with the iconic Three Lions of Balis Park 🦁. Each metal plaque is printed locally by a San Marco business, protected with a UV- and scratch-resistant finish, and designed to look great for years to come.

These plaques are not historic designations—they're simply a visible sign of support for preserving, beautifying, and celebrating our community ❤️. Best of all, you don't have to live in San Marco to display one! Whether at your home, office, or business, your plaque helps support local preservation efforts and the stories that make this place special. ✨ Show your pride. Support local preservation. Get yours today!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/be641a7d-d481-4c25-9675-e25c038223bb

SAN MARCO SUMMER SURVEY 🌞
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Your feedback is appreciated as we work together to keep San Marco an awesome place to live, work, and play! Just 10 questions ✅ make a huge difference in how we serve this community. Thank you for participating. 💗

SMPS ❤️ FEEDBACK Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

A huge THANK YOU to for joining our Storytime fun in Balis Park. This monthly FREE event for kids includes reading some of the best books on the market for early readers, provided by San Marco Bookstore & More, and is made possible through your donations. Our next Storytime in the Square is August 1st.🏖️

📚PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING STORYTIME.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/dada49d7-edc5-4962-b49e-49dbfb26c631

STORYTIME IS TOMORROW 📚! Join the fun in the Balis Park Gazebo at 10 a.m. for a reading adventure with . This monthly FREE event for kids includes reading some of the best books on the market for early readers, provided by San Marco Bookstore & More.

⏰ 10 AM
🗓️ JUNE 6
🌳 BALIS PARK
🌞 NO RSVP
🎒BLANKETS, CHAIRS, SNACKS, PETS & STROLLERS WELCOME!

CONGRATS to San Marco Beautification Award winner: for its gracious reinvention of Historic San Marco's bus shelter, part of the San Marco Boulevard transit spine that has connected the Square to Downtown Jacksonville for decades. 🚌

In honor of San Marco’s Centennial, JTA gifted the community with a complete rebuild of the shelter, echoing the historically sensitive design implemented during an earlier redesign of Balis Park and surrounding traffic patterns. Special thanks to Council District 5, Erica "Sunni" Pollard Jones, Gary Ayer, JTA’s Transit Stops & Amenities Division, and the entire JTA team!

CONGRATS to San Marco Beautification Award winner: The Gym playground at , with special thanks to Eric Schleif and Hayden Murphy of Preston Hollow Community Capital. We applaud your imaginative enhancements to the Southbank, and helping to make the greater San Marco community an amazing place to live, work, and play!

https://phccap.com/

STORYTIME IS SATURDAY 📚!! Please join us in the Balis Park Gazebo on Saturday, June 6th, for a reading adventure with . This monthly FREE event for kids includes reading some of the best books on the market for early readers, provided by San Marco Bookstore. 🌳✨ No RSVP necessary. 😄

Learn more about our special guests from P.A.C.K. Fitness here: https://www.packfitnessclub.com/
📍10 a.m.
📍45 MINUTES
📍JUNE 6
📍BALIS PARK GAZEBO
📍BLANKETS, CHAIRS, SNACKS, PETS & STROLLERS WELCOME!

CONGRATS to San Marco Beautification Award winner: the LaSalle Pump Station, along with John Hendrix with , the City's Public Works Department, and Joe Carlucci - City Council - District 5. We applaud this massive joint effort to protect and preserve Historic San Marco.

The San Marco Drainage & Flood Mitigation Project is a significant investment by the City of Jacksonville to alleviate chronic flooding in the San Marco neighborhood. This partnership with Haskell as the project’s design-builder is a $42.5 million undertaking. The Station will have a capacity to mitigate nearly 70,000 gallons per minute. We're so thankful to Haskell and the City of Jacksonville, for keeping the project on track.

CONGRATS to Residential Beautification Award winners: Jackie Sanicola, Natasha Husein, Kitty Gundlefinger, and Lauren Elise Claxton. All lovely ladies making their historic neighborhood lovely, too!

We're so excited about your recent improvement and restoration efforts and applaud your part in keeping San Marco a beautiful place to live and play!