Army Corps closes Little Jetties park for 2 years

Army Corps of Engineers removing portion of jetty to restore natural water flow

MAYPORT, Fla. – A popular fishing spot in Mayport is closed while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses it as a construction staging area. 

Helen Cooper Floyd Park, also know as "Little Jetties," lies along the St. Johns River just west of Mayport Naval Station at Mile Point, where the the St. Johns River meets the Intracoastal Waterway.

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Fishermen are upset the park will be closed for two years.

Gerald Janda said he usually hits the jackpot when he fishes Little Jetties, but now he's fishing outside the jetties area because of the closure.

"I've seen Jack's redfish, red drum, sheepshead, flounders, little spot fish, pinfish, some trout, so many different types of fish out here," Janda said.

Fishermen said before the closure, they could drive through and get to Little Jetties, but the city has put up a gate keeping people out.

"Obviously, (I'm) quite upset," Janda said. "At the same time, I did a bit of research on it and found some good about what they're doing. (But it) definitely made me upset about the fishing end of it."

The park is closed while the Army Corps of Engineers begins removing a little portion of the jetty to restore the natural flow of the water in that area.

The current state of the jetties creates dangerous crosscurrents that prevent large ships from navigating the area between high tide and low tide.

That's what the $36 million Army Corps Mile Point Project is designed to correct.

"Hopefully in their (work) that they're going to be doing, they don't disturb any type of oyster beds for the preserve that are out there, so that the fish stick around when (they're) done with the construction," Janda said.

Another avid fisherman, Denny Ford, was trying to take his fiancee to the jetties, but the plans got scrubbed when they saw the closed sign.

"For us, that is crazy," Ford said. "If you're local and you live here, (it's) absolutely absurd. It's the first I've heard of it and I know the guys that live out here in Mayport don't appreciate it, but what can you do?"

Ford said he's looking forward to the Little Jetties opening back up so he can bring his fiancee back.

"It's the shells you're going to get. It's first come, first served out here," Ford said. "If you're the first to get out here, you're going to find the fresh washed-up shells, sharks teeth, and if you're the first one of the people in the water, you're gonna get the best."