Long before Flagler built the Ponce de Leon Hotel, tourists, entrepreneurs and artists came to St. Augustine for vacation and stayed. That transition from north to south, or west to east, continues with some new residents starting or expanding a business and others working remotely from home.

Why have they chosen to come to this area instead of somewhere down along A1A or Naples? Many feel that the small cities of St. Augustine and Palm Coast offer the best of small-town life: a region rich with history, plus miles of beaches, extensive parks and a variety of attractions and restaurants.

Raised in Missouri, Melody Carey first visited northeast Florida as a child, spending vacations with her dad. She moved to New York City after college “because that’s what everyone did. For over 32 years, I lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, and commuted to New York City.” Later, Melody vacationed here, found a home for her future retirement, and then decided to move here now and manage her New York business from St. Augustine.

Alex Drywa is a partner in a walking tour company that started in Manhattan. “Manhattan Walking Tours was going well when my business partner, Garry, moved to Palm Coast. I have a history background,” said Alex, “and when I visited him and saw St. Augustine, I was blown away by the area.” In 2019, Alex and Garry started with a craft beer walking tour in St. Augustine. When the pandemic paused their business in Manhattan, Alex and his wife decided to move to Florida to concentrate on St. Augustine Experiences.

Alex found that running a business in St. Augustine was different from running one in Manhattan. “In St. Augustine, I learned to slow down a little bit. Early on, I visited a business that had a sign saying, ‘Sorry, we’re closed. There’s good surf today,’ and I knew we had to slow down. I told Garry that we were running a marathon, not a sprint.” Now St. Augustine Experiences offers a variety of food and history-focused tours with customers from all over the world. “2021 was fantastic, and 2022 was a huge year for us when we won the number one award for the world on TripAdvisor’s Travelor’s Choice.”

This year, Jennifer Preston expanded her business to St. Augustine. Eight years ago, the Florida native started 30A Babysitters on Florida’s west coast, providing short-term child care to tourists traveling with their families, “allowing moms and dads to feel comfortable going out for an adult dinner or attending a wedding.” said Jennifer. “All the sitters are over 20, and all are childcare professionals with at least three years of experience.” The area along 30A, near Panama City Beach, has a large number of family-friendly vacation rentals. Jennifer has grown her business to be “the No. 1 sitter service on 30A,” providing jobs for over 30 professional babysitters.

Jennifer had visited northeast Florida as a child, so when she sought a destination for a family vacation a few years ago, she came to St. Augustine. She soon realized that “there were houses up and down the beach that host multiple families. I knew that those people vacationing with their children would want to go out one night for an adult evening.”

The timing was right this year. “My new manager, Karen, loves St. Augustine and she and her partner want to move there. St. Augustine has a well-educated local population and, because there are a lot of private schools, there are many experienced babysitters, so we have a lot of recruiting opportunities.”