As a follow-up to a recent announcement regarding the Army Corps of Engineers awarding funding to restore Fort Pierce Beach and the Martin County shore to their pre-Hurricane Sandy conditions, Congressman Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) announced yesterday that the Army Corps has also allocated funds to begin engineering and design activities to prepare for dredging the Fort Pierce Inlet and the St. Lucie Inlet to respond to shoaling impacts from Hurricane Sandy.
“On the heels of my meeting yesterday where the Army Corps discussed award announcements for beach restoration for Fort Pierce Beach and the Martin County Shore Project, I am pleased to announce that the Army Corps has slated funding to begin dredging projects for the Fort Pierce and St. Lucie inlets. These funds are vital to the health of our beaches and waterways, which is crucial to our local community and economy, ” said Rep. Murphy.
“I have been working closely with the Army Corps and the officials from St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach counties and it is great to see that through this collaboration we were able to get funding allocated for four local projects that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. The importance of these and similar projects cannot be understated, which is why I have been advocating continuously for them since being elected. I will continue to work closely with the Army Corps and local officials to support additional projects that are vital to our community such as these. “
Congressman Murphy has been actively working with the Army Corps in support of these projects since his first days in office. In January, he met with Rock Salt, a senior Army Corps official, at the Army Corps headquarters at the Pentagon to express his support for the projects in Martin, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach counties that were affected by Hurricane Sandy.
At this meeting he also emphasized his support for Everglades Restoration Projects and the progress of the C-44 Reservoir project. Following this meeting, Congressman Murphy sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Darcy, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers, advocating for supplemental funding for these projects. He also met with the Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Dodd on February 20th, again stating the importance of shore renourishment and inlet dredging projects in Martin, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach counties.
Congressman Murphy then hosted senior Army Corps official Mark Mezzanti and Martin County Commissioners in his D.C. office on March 20th where he again expressed the importance of inlet dredging and shore restoration, and again sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Darcy advocating for emergency funding for these important projects that were negatively affected by Hurricane Sandy. Yesterday, Congressman Murphy met again with Colonel Dodd and St. Lucie County Commissioners to discuss these pending projects.
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Press Release, March 28, 2013