Two businesses at Beachwalk, the lagoon-centered community off County Road 210 in St. Johns County, closed within days of each other this month. The Daybreak Market convenience store and gas station shut down abruptly on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and BurgerFi at 345 Beachwalk Shore Drive posted a permanently closed notice, per the St. Johns Citizen's September 23 report. News4JAX followed on September 24. The closings land while the project's biggest commercial piece, the 111-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville, holds a county building permit issued August 24, per the Jacksonville Daily Record.
This page lays out what each outlet reported and when, where the reports differ, and what is and is not known for people who own, list or are shopping homes in and around Beachwalk.
What closed and when
Per the St. Johns Citizen, the Daybreak Market convenience store and gas station closed Sunday, September 20, and the reason was not clear. News4JAX reported on September 24 that the station's windows were boarded and its pumps taped off, and that Daybreak's corporate office did not respond to a request for comment.
BurgerFi's notice on the door read that the location was permanently closed, per the Citizen, which reported that neighboring businesses said the restaurant folded the week before. The restaurant held its grand opening on September 28, 2024, so it ran just under two years. The Citizen notes the chain's former parent filed for Chapter 11 in September 2024 and that BurgerFi was later bought out of bankruptcy by the owner of Savvy Sliders. Neither outlet reported a reason for the Beachwalk closure.
A pattern tenants have described since spring
The two closings follow earlier complaints from Beachwalk tenants about the pace of the commercial build-out. In May 2026, News4JAX reported that Seth Neiman, owner of Island Fin Poke, said much of the space around his restaurant remained undeveloped years into his lease; the developer told News4JAX it remained committed to completing the project. In his September 24 interview Neiman told News4JAX, "We were all sold a bill of goods," and said he has reduced staffing. He also said the approved hotel and cottages could bring more customers once built.
Where the hotel and cottages stand
The Compass Hotel by Margaritaville is planned as a four-story, 65,117 square foot building on the Crystal Lagoon at 220 and 259 Beachwalk Shore Drive, paired with 68 short-term-stay cottages on about four acres, per the St. Johns Citizen's October 10, 2025 report. The Citizen reported that representatives told county commissioners the cottages would be managed by the hotel and not listed on home-sharing platforms.
On August 24, 2026, St. Johns County issued a building permit valued at $10.5 million for the hotel, per the Jacksonville Daily Record. On September 2, an environmental resource permit application for the cottages was filed with the St. Johns River Water Management District, per a Daily Record report the same day. The developer did not respond to News4JAX's request for a timeline.
Where the reports differ
Three details do not line up across the sources. First, the hotel's approval date: News4JAX reports the county approved the hotel in December, while the Daily Record dates the building permit to August 24, 2026; these may describe two different steps, but neither report connects them. Second, the cottages: News4JAX reports the cottage plans were approved September 4, while the Daily Record reported on September 2 that the water management district permit application had just been filed. Third, the planned Beachwalk Shops retail building near the BJ's Wholesale Club entrance: the Citizen describes 32,619 square feet on 1.93 acres at 87 Beachwalk Boulevard with 10 units and 115 parking spaces, while a June 5 Daily Record report described about 30,000 square feet at 115 Beachwalk Boulevard with seven units and 104 spaces. We carry both versions of each.
What the housing numbers show
Beachwalk is a newer community: the Florida Department of Revenue 2025 assessment roll counts 709 homes built from 2018 to 2024, per our Beachwalk community page. As of September 24, 2026, that page shows a trailing 12-month median sale price of about $539,000, about $220 per square foot, on 46 closed sales, with a median of 86 days on market, from realMLS closed records. For a property-level estimate, see the Beachwalk home value page, which is prepared by an agent rather than generated automatically.
Those figures describe homes, not the retail strip, and no data yet ties the two closings to home values. Nothing here is a forecast.
What this means for buyers and sellers
For a buyer, the practical point is to separate what is permitted from what is open. A building permit and a filed water management application are firmer signals than a rendering, but neither is a completion date, and the developer has not given one publicly. Buyers weighing a purchase partly on planned amenities can ask the listing agent and the county for current permit status rather than relying on marketing materials.
For a seller, the September headlines are likely to come up in buyer conversations. Pricing against recent closed sales, and being ready with dated permit facts, is more useful than predicting when the commercial side fills in. Nearby, northern St. Johns County land-use decisions such as the Davis enclave denial near Nocatee are also shaping the county's longer-term supply picture, and our Beachwalk vs. Beacon Lake comparison puts two CR 210 area communities side by side on the same measures.
People also ask
What businesses closed at Beachwalk in September 2026?
Two, per the St. Johns Citizen (September 23, 2026) and News4JAX (September 24, 2026). The Daybreak Market convenience store and gas station closed abruptly on Sunday, September 20, per the Citizen, and News4JAX found its windows boarded and pumps taped off. BurgerFi at 345 Beachwalk Shore Drive posted a permanently closed notice; neighboring businesses told the Citizen it folded the week before. It had opened on September 28, 2024. Neither outlet reported a reason for either closure, and Daybreak's corporate office did not respond to News4JAX.
Is the Margaritaville hotel at Beachwalk still being built?
The reported record points forward. St. Johns County issued a building permit valued at $10.5 million for the 111-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville on August 24, 2026, per the Jacksonville Daily Record, and News4JAX reports the county approved the four-story hotel in December. For the 68 short-term-stay cottages, the Daily Record reports an environmental resource permit application filed September 2 with the St. Johns River Water Management District, while News4JAX reports the cottage plans were approved September 4. The developer did not respond to News4JAX's request for a timeline.
What do the Beachwalk closings mean for home prices there?
No data yet ties the two closings to home values, and we do not forecast one. As of September 24, 2026, our Beachwalk community page shows a trailing 12-month median sale price of about $539,000 (about $220 per square foot) on 46 closed sales, with a median of 86 days on market, from realMLS closed records. The county assessment roll counts 709 homes built from 2018 to 2024. Buyers and sellers can compare current listings and recent sales on that page before relying on any single headline.
The takeaway
BurgerFi and the Daybreak gas station closed at Beachwalk in mid-September 2026, per the St. Johns Citizen and News4JAX, with no reason reported for either. At the same time, the 111-room Compass Hotel by Margaritaville holds a $10.5 million building permit issued August 24, and its 68 cottages are in water management permitting or approved, depending on the report. The retail side and the hospitality side are moving at different speeds, and the home sales data on our community page is the place to watch for any effect.
Sources
- News4JAX, "A burger joint, gas station close near Beachwalk as development plans move forward", by John Asebes, published September 24, 2026, 6:19 p.m.: news4jax.com
- St. Johns Citizen, "Chain eatery shuts down Beachwalk location less than two years after grand opening", by Staff, published September 23, 2026, 12:54 p.m.: sjcitizen.com
- News4JAX, "'Deserted parking lot': Business owner criticizes Beachwalk developer over lack of progress; developer responds", published May 2026 (summary only): news4jax.com
- Jacksonville Daily Record, "St. Johns County issues $10.5 million building permit for Beachwalk hotel", published August 24, 2026 (headline and summary only): jaxdailyrecord.com
- Jacksonville Daily Record, "Rental cottages at Beachwalk enter permitting phase", published September 2, 2026 (headline and summary only): jaxdailyrecord.com
- Jacksonville Daily Record, "Beachwalk Shops nearing construction in St. Johns County", published June 5, 2026 (headline and summary only): jaxdailyrecord.com
- St. Johns Citizen, "Margaritaville provides an update on plans for new Beachwalk hotel and short term stay cottages", by Selim Algar, published October 10, 2025, updated December 1, 2025: sjcitizen.com
- Momentum Realty, Beachwalk community page (realMLS closed sales, 12 months ending September 24, 2026; Florida DOR 2025 assessment roll): movewithmomentum.com
How this article was prepared: every figure, date, name and quotation above is taken from the named reports and is attributed to the outlet that published it. The September 23 St. Johns Citizen report, the September 24 News4JAX report and the October 2025 Citizen report were read in full; the Jacksonville Daily Record reports sit behind a paywall and are cited from their headlines and published summaries only, and the May News4JAX report from its summary. Where the outlets disagree, both versions are shown. Housing figures come from our own community page and describe homes, not businesses. Nothing here is a forecast, legal advice or a recommendation, and Momentum Realty has no role in the Beachwalk development. Figures are deemed reliable but not guaranteed; verify with St. Johns County and the St. Johns River Water Management District before relying on them.