FEMA Dune enhancement project to begin in November
Trucks loaded with sand will travel from the Keystone Heights mine to the Cornerstone Park where 80 to 100 trucks will be staged. The trucks will come in early each day beginning at 6:00 AM. From Cornerstone Park the trucks will be released one at a time to the access points including empty lots at addresses 725 and 965 Ponte Vedra Blvd., and Mickler Beach (Mickler will only be utilized Monday thru Friday). At these access points the trucks will either bring sand onto the beach or use the access point as a staging/dumping area from which a backhoe will move the sand over the dune. There will be a total of 19,000 Truck Loads of sand or approximately 200 Truck Loads per day.
There will be a police presence at intersections, access points and on the beach. The role is to ensure public safety and maintain adequate traffic flow. The planned route from Cornerstone is A1A to Mickler and onto Ponte Vedra Boulevard. There are no plans to utilize Solano or Corona at this time.
Dune restoration will likely occur simultaneously for both the north and the south ends of Ponte Vedra Beach. Lot 965 can be utilized to provide sand to both the north and south projects. A total of 9 miles will be restored. 85% of the property owners have provided access and will participate in dune restoration. Applications will be accepted up to 2 weeks before work begins in a home-owner’s area. however, this is flexible.
Sand placement for the north end will likely begin November 1. The hard end date set by FEMA has been moved from December 31 to June 30, 2022. The contractor has been asked to be substantially complete by February 28, 2022 with a hard finish by March 31, 2022.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Department will determine the actual start date. It is desired that the project be completed before the beginning of the turtle nesting season.
