Mayor Dylan Rumrill and Bridal Law, the city building official, said the new Publix in St. Augustine Beach is nearing completion and the building will be "energized" at the beginning of next month to begin system tests and inspections. "We're gonna turn on electricity, begin the climate control systems, to begin all their engineering reports," Bridal Law said.

The update matters because it sets an expected timeline for a large neighborhood grocery and the surrounding retail plaza. Mayor Dylan Rumrill said he expected the store to open by November, adding, "Publix doesn't like to miss Thanksgiving 2 years in a row." That comment framed the schedule as important to holiday shopping patterns.

Bridal Law described the energizing process as a phased activation of electrical circuits while inspectors complete engineering checks. He said crews are doing mostly exterior work and that interior finishes — including polished floors and completed sheetrock and painting — are in place. "Painters are in there. The cases for all the food is already in there," he said.

Work on the shopping plaza is continuing, with stucco being applied to the eastern side and construction on the western side, Bridal Law said. The city has completed plan review for a new restaurant tenant, First Watch, and is awaiting that construction to begin; he said he expected the plaza to finish at about the same time as Publix.

Bridal Law said parking-lot work is scheduled to begin at the start of next month and that the city is conducting roughly four to five inspections a day at the site. No formal opening date was announced during the remarks.

Remarks about the project occurred during a brief public update led by Mayor Dylan Rumrill and the city building official. The officials said photos would follow and encouraged residents to follow upcoming updates.