- April 19, 2024
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A coastal wetland restoration project directed by the St. Johns Water Management District has drawn concerns from coastal Flagler County residents — and, now, from Flagler County commissioners.
But there may not be much they can do.
"It's gorgeous now. People use it all the time for kayaking; the fishermen are happy with the area; it's all been regrown, and my personal view is — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
—DAVID SULLIVAN, county commissioner
"We don’t get a vote," County Commission Chairman Greg Hansen said during an Oct. 1 commission meeting, responding to a resident's question about the project. "We had [the Water Management District] come brief us and we listened to public comment, and it was real clear that the people that live up there are not interested in doing that at all, and the fishermen are not interested doing that at all. The Water Management District heard all that, but, once again, we don't get a vote on that."
The project had been the subject of a County Commission workshop on Sept. 17, with experts from the St. Johns Water Management District explaining to commissioners that removing the old mosquito control dragline ditches near Flagler Beach would enhance the wetland and the habitat for local wildlife.
But many residents attended the workshop and voiced their concerns about the project and the heavy earth-moving equipment that workers have been using in the marsh.
County Commissioner David Sullivan, speaking at the Oct. 1 meeting after Hansen, said he'd gone out with charter fishing captain Chris Herrera to tour the restoration area by boat.
"It’s a gorgeous area, the way it is right now," Sullivan said. "It's true, the dragline was done 60, 70 years ago, and if it was still like bare land and that kind of thing, I could see what they're talking about doing makes sense. ... But I'd say, it's gorgeous now. People use it all the time for kayaking; the fishermen are happy with the area; it's all been regrown, and my personal view is — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
County Commissioner Donald O'Brien agreed with Sullivan.
"It's almost like it's a solution in search of a problem, just utilizing money," he said.
"Maybe we should weigh in," Hansen said. "Maybe that's something we should discuss at the next workshop."
The restoration project will also be the subject of two upcoming community meetings hosted by the St. Johns Water Management District, according to a Flagler County government news release.
Both will be at Flagler Beach City Hall, at 105 S. 2nd Street. The first meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. The second will be held at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7.
“We know this topic is very important to our residents here in Flagler County, so we are helping to get the word out,” County Administrator Craig Coffey said in the county news release. “These meetings will allow the public to provide input to the Water Management District.”
For more information, visit http://www.sjrwmd.com/facts/flagler-wetland-restoration-project.
