Publix will spend $1 million to renovate its Kernan Square grocery store on Beach Boulevard, according to a city building permit issued Thursday, Oct. 15.

The permit covers an interior renovation of the 50,944-square-foot store at 12620 Beach Blvd., as first reported by the Jacksonville Daily Record. Tenant Contractors Inc., a North Florida general contractor, is listed as the project contractor. The permit does not detail what specific interior changes are planned.

The store was built in 1998 and last underwent an $800,000 remodel that the Daily Record reported in October 2018. That earlier permit listed the store at 52,724 square feet. The new permit lists 50,944 square feet, a difference the permit records do not explain.

Lakeland-based Publix has a remodel program in which every store is assessed on a designated rotation based on a location's needs, the Daily Record reported in 2018. The chain has renovated or rebuilt more than 20 area locations over the years.

The Kernan Square renovation follows a similar project on Anastasia Island. A renovated Publix at 1033 A1A Beach Blvd. reopened Nov. 13, 2025, after upgrades that added a liquor store and catering services, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Other commercial permits have been filed along Beach Boulevard in recent months. As we reported Oct. 15, Harbor Freight is planning a $2.4 million build-out at Pablo Station, at 14333 Beach Blvd. Parker's Kitchen is seeking a $2.2 million permit for a gas station and convenience store at 11355 Beach Blvd., near St. Johns Bluff Road, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.

No timeline for the Publix renovation's completion has been announced. The permit was among the largest commercial permits the city issued Oct. 15.