ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — Those living and working near Mayport Road in Atlantic Beach call it a 'food desert' because of the lack of grocery stores in the area.
Other than the Mayport Naval Station Commissary, which provides groceries to military members and their families, there is not another store, making it difficult to shop without reliable transportation.
"There's not a lot of options," Mayport resident Lisa Steltzer said.
Steltzer calls the three-mile bike ride from the Mayport RV Park to the commissary 'a trek'. She buys most of her groceries at the commissary but says one necessity is hard to find.
"Water is hard to come by if you're buying bottled water," Steltzer said.
Stelzer says the next closest grocery store is not bikeable. Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford agrees Mayport Road is a 'food desert' and says city officials are aware of the need for more grocers.
"If you are all the way to the North on Mayport road, you're four or five miles from groceries. If you are on the south end of Mayport Road, close to Atlantic Boulevard, you're less than a mile away," Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford said.
Up until a few weeks ago, Terry's Country Store, a small local grocer, provided service to the area, but since its closure Ford says there is no place to buy fresh meats or produce.
"I'd like maybe a Winn-Dixie or a Harvey's probably a Publix," another nearby employee said should be built in the area.
Chain grocery stores are aware of the need on Mayport Road, but Ford says multiple factors determine a store's location. Plus, the commissary would be a competitor.
"A store like Aldi would require about 20,000 square feet, perhaps three acres of land, and would ideally like to be located at an intersection where on Mayport Road, do we have availability of that? We do not. So it would require somebody actually coming in and cobbling together multiple properties, which may already be improved. And that means you've got tenant displacement," Ford said.
Ford says there is not an immediate solution but is encouraging an open conversation about the options available.
He says so far there has not been any interest to replace Terry's with another small grocery store.