At a joint meeting, July 9th, with the Town of Jupiter Island, Martin County reaffirmed its commitment to work with state and federal partners to maintain a safe and navigable St. Lucie Inlet, as it has for decades.
The Commission also stated their continued intent to place these valuable sand resources on beaches to the south of the Inlet, including in Hobe Sound and Jupiter Island, in compliance with the State’s existing management plan.
To date, the County and its partners have dredged over 3,287,000 cubic yards of sand from this federally-authorized Inlet, following the goals and strategies contained in the existing 1996 Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Inlet Management Plan.
Martin County has always shown a clear and consistent commitment to maintaining the navigability and safety of the inlet, actively pursuing all potential funding sources to ensure dredging occurs, and using the valuable sand resource in a responsible fashion for the public’s benefit.
The DEP is currently working with local stakeholders to update this Plan. In the meantime, the County must obtain the necessary permits to dredge the Inlet when the timing is right. Any delays in permitting could prevent the County from responding to emergency conditions in the Inlet and puts it at risk of losing a half million dollar grant in critical funding for Inlet maintenance.
Moving forward, Martin County hopes to resolve issues with the Town of Jupiter Island regarding the timing and quantity of sand placement. Martin County recognizes the importance of the Inlet from a safety, economic, recreational, tourism and environmental perspective and continues to work with its partners to ensure there will be a dedicated funding source for its continued maintenance.
[mappress]
Press Release, July 10, 2014