ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to spend $400,000 to fund an engineering study of the Summer Haven breach, with an eye toward the best way to either repair it or find other long-term methods of dealing with ongoing erosion there.
Summer Haven residents spoke passionately about the need to fix the breach, saying it threatens the Matanzas Inlet. Other residents spoke against the use of taxpayer dollars in what they consider a losing battle against the ocean.
“There has been a regression in the inlet,” said Ken Manning.
Beth Darby said the dunes that have been placed near the water do not prevent the erosion. Darby said that if the beach can’t be protected, the breach can’t be fixed.
“Anything that you put out there that isn’t compatible will simply blow away, and that’s why that beach continues to erode,” Darby said. “Putting any kind of dune up like the dune that was put up that costs about $1 million basically eroded in less than two months and caused a breach in the river.”
In November, a nor’easter blew through, which led to the breach in the river. It was the third breach in the river in five years. The breach is gradually becoming another inlet.
Homeowners have voiced concerns to county leaders for months. Residents also had a chance to address county commissioners last month during a public meeting at St. Anastasia Catholic Church.
“Preserving this is something that we certainly hope that that the commission and others will take the history and the legacy of it all into consideration,” said Lawrence Perkins, a homeowner.
Before Tuesday’s commission meeting, a neighbor who didn’t want to be identified said people are divided on what should be done. She said not every Summer Haven resident wants to fix the breach. Instead, some feel that mother nature should be able to take its course and leave things as is.
Homes in Summer Haven have a total property value of $160 million and homeowners pay $1.5 million in property taxes each year.
Some property owners who have been dealing with erosion and flooding have asked the county to hire a contractor to close the breach.
Commission Chair Henry Dean said his primary focus is to find a way to maintain the flow of the Summer Haven River from a financial and environmental standpoint.