Projects
Inlet Management
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Ponce de Leon Inlet & Port District, through implementation of the state adopted Inlet Management Plan, continue working together to improve navigation at Ponce de Leon Inlet.The next improvement planned for Ponce de Leon Inlet is a 1,000-foot seaward extension of the South Jetty. This project is designed to correct a channel migration problem that has resulted in severe interior inlet shoaling and very treacherous channel and wave conditions within Ponce de Leon Inlet. The project will begin in 2004. For additional information on this project please click the above link.
The Ponce de Leon Inlet & Port District, as the "local sponsor" for the federal navigation project at Ponce de Leon Inlet also has an inlet-related beach erosion control responsibility. This responsibility is spelled out in the State of Florida adopted and approved Inlet Management Plan for Ponce de Leon Inlet. The Inlet and Port District has therefore - in an effort to shoulder this responsibility - established a partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Beaches and Coastal Systems, through its statewide Long-Range Beach Erosion Control Program.This state program provides funding to communities for implementation of Inlet Management Plans, and beach renourishment and dune enhancement/management projects in state designated Areas of Critical Beach Erosion. Volusia County currently has 18 miles of state designated critically eroded shoreline and, as put forth above, a state adopted Inlet Management Plan. This qualifies Volusia County for funding under this program, and the Volusia County Council has designated the Ponce de Leon Inlet & Port District as the county agency charged with providing matching funds for and implementing the State of Florida Long-range Erosion Control partnership.
To this end, the Volusia County Council has entered into a contract with the State of Florida to:
- Jointly fund Erosion Control Feasibility analyses and Beach Renourishment/Dunes Management Construction projects for the North and South Peninsulas
- And to implement the Inlet Management plan for Ponce de Leon Inlet.
Local beach erosion control and inlet management plan projects eligible for cost-share funding through the State of Florida Long-range Beach Erosion Control program are:
- South Peninsula Erosion Control Assessment
- North Peninsula Erosion Control Feasibility Analysis
- Countywide Beach Compatible Sand Source Investigation
- Ponce de Leon Inlet Sediment budget update
- Ponce de Leon Inlet Flood Shoal Removal Feasibility Analysis
This program also will provide funding for a share of the planned USACE South Jetty Seaward Extension project, the Florida Inland Navigation District’s MS434-A, and Intra-coastal Waterway Dredge Material Maintenance and Beach Disposal program.
Another aspect of beach erosion control that the Inlet and Port District has occasionally been involved in is emergency response to catastrophic coastal storm events impacting the beaches of Volusia County (such as hurricanes or severe northeast storms). Occasionally, coastal storms can cause dune and beach erosion of such severity that beachfront residential and commercial structures are threatened. In emergency cases like this, it has been the responsibility of the Inlet and Port District to mobilize to safeguard beachfront homes and businesses, in coordination with federal, state and local emergency management efforts.
During and immediately after the 1999 Hurricanes Floyd and Irene, for instance, the Inlet & Port District served an important liaison role with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and brought to bear nearly $500,000 of federal and state aid to protect beachfront structures from further erosion damage. One such project installed a 1,000-foot aluminum toe scour protection structure along the 6400 block of South Atlantic Avenue in the Bethune Beach, an area that was severely impacted by erosion from these storms.
Illegally abandoned and derelict vessels are an unsightly and often polluting public nuisance along the coastal waterways of Volusia County. Their removal is often a matter that falls through the cracks among the myriad public agencies involved in waterway and coastal zone management. Through the dedicated leadership of the Volusia County Council, the Ponce de Leon Inlet and Port District has been designated as the local agency in Volusia County to deal with these dangerous marine environmental hazards. To this end, the Inlet & Port District works closely with the State of Florida Derelict Vessel Removal grant program. This program provides reimbursement funding to local government agencies interested in removing abandoned vessels from public waterways. The Inlet & Port District works with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrol officers to monitor and enforce derelict vessels in Volusia County, and when enough vessels have been located, initiates a grant project and begins removal.In 2000, the Inlet and Port District removed 21 vessels from the Halifax and Indian Rivers. The cost of this project was 100% reimbursed by the state and cost local taxpayers nothing. The Inlet and Port District, in conjunction with the State of Florida Derelict Vessel Removal grant program, will conduct future derelict vessel removal work on an as-needed basis.
Handicap Boat Ramp Dock Facilities
In 1996, the Halifax Sport Fishing Club, through their Fishermen Involved in Serving the Handicapped, or F.I.S.H. committee, endeavored to pursue construction of a boat ramp dock facility that would provide safe and easy handicap access to boats at public launch ramps. Four years later that idea became reality with funding assistance from the Ponce de Leon Inlet and Port District and the construction of the handicap floating dock at Port Orange Causeway Public Boat Ramp. This oversize, floating, stepped aluminum dock provides a wide and stable platform for vessels of varying lengths and gunnel heights to evenly match with the docks’ deck surface height and thereby allow for easier boarding for mobility-impaired handicapped individuals.The F.I.S.H. Committee first approached the Inlet and Port District Advisory Board regarding funding for this program in 1998. In 1999 the Volusia County Council granted $50,000 to the group for the siting, engineering and construction of three floating dock facilities to be located at public boat ramps along the Intracoastal Waterway in Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach.
The total cost for the Port Orange facility was approximately $16,000, and the F.I.S.H. Committee continues to work with the cities of New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach to develop construction plans for the two additional docks.
Sadly, the driving force behind this project, Mr. Dick Stork, passed away in late 2000. Dick has been sorely missed; however his legacy of assistance to handicapped fishermen everywhere will live on through this project that had meant so much to him.
Joint Participation Program (JPP)
Over the last two decades through the Joint Participation Program (JPP), the Inlet & Port District has provided partnership funding to local public agencies for the development of waterway recreational facilities such as riverfront parks, fishing piers and boat ramp facilities. These public waterfront facilities offer myriad opportunities for residents and visitors alike to experience the enjoyment of our coastal waters. Whether launching a boat for an exciting fishing trip in the Atlantic Ocean or on the Halifax or Indian River, or merely strolling along the inlet or river shoreline, the dozens of public facilities funded through the JPP have greatly enhanced the unique quality of our coastal life that we enjoy in Volusia County.The JPP works simply as a matching grant program available to public agencies and municipalities lying within, or having jurisdiction within, the boundaries of the Ponce de Leon Inlet and Port District. Projects are competitively ranked and reviewed by the Inlet and Port District Advisory Board and then recommended for funding approval to the Volusia County Council. Program funding guidelines are very flexible and thereby allow applicants to lever additional project matching funds from a variety of other state and regional agencies.
Generally, the types of projects eligible for JPP funding are those that provide public access facilities along the navigable inshore waters of the Inlet and Port District. This includes the Halifax and Indian Rivers, Mosquito Lagoon, Spruce Creek, the Tomoka River and the Ponce de Leon Inlet.
For further information on the JPP and to obtain the most recent program guidelines, please contact the Inlet and Port District offices.
Dredging Assistance Program (DAP)
Similar to the JPP, the Dredging Assistance Program (DAP) provides funding assistance to public agencies in the district for dredging projects that improve navigation on the publicly accessible waterways of the Inlet and Port District.Project requests are accepted year-round and are reviewed by the Inlet and Port District Advisory Board for recommendation to the Volusia County Council.
For further information on the DAP, please contact the Inlet and Port District offices.
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