Issue report

Shoreline

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Reported by:
Shannon Blankinship
About this Location

St. Johns River : Unpermitted bulkhead construction

Unpermitted bulkhead construction and extension into the River
0 Observations
1 Issues
0 Comments
Anonymous caller called and said an unlicensed contractor was working on nearby waterfront property. they were filling in river and constructing a bulkhead that advanced their property line. so far, they had seen 12 truckloads of fill being brought in and dumped to expand property line. in addition, cypress and oak trees were removed that were protecting the shoreline. the caller had indicated that the epa had already come by and fined the owners for bulkhead construction. i called matt kershner from the fdep on 11/5/2018 to report and find out the status.

Issue history

  • 2018-11-06 - 12:54:00 Shannon Blankinship commented

    Matt Kershner, FDEP replied to initial request. He said they are providing corrective action as required in a Consent Order entered into on June 20, 2018. The consent order requires the property owners to remove fill, replace existing bulkhead, use a licensed contractor, and pay a fine. After receiving this information, I followed up to ask if those terms had been met?

  • 2018-12-01 - 12:45:00

    Shoreline reported to St. Johns Riverkeeper : St. Johns Riverkeeper team by Shannon Blankinship.

  • 2018-12-03 - 12:57:00 Shannon Blankinship commented

    Here is the reply from Keri Armstrong, FDEP, working on this issue. "Good morning, Shannon! I have made a couple attempts to get the property owner to respond to provide updates, but have been unsuccessful. I have sent another email this morning. The property is gated and we are unable to access without their permission, so I cannot speak to the status of the project at the moment. Once I am able to again establish communication with the property owner, I will be able to provide more details." Armstrong, Keri <Keri.Armstrong@FloridaDEP.gov>

  • 2018-12-17 - 12:58:00

    Shannon Blankinship has closed this issue.

    Update from Keri Armstrong, FDEP. "They did have to take down one tree this fall because it was dead. They took pictures of before and after and will be sending them to me. If a tree is dead, and a potential threat to property or people, the state generally allows it’s removal. It should be noted though, that we do not regulate the cutting down of trees unless they are in a conservation easement. They have a bulkhead contractor, but have not completed their bulkhead because of access issues. I understand that there is no room to get the equipment needed around their house and back to the water, and they are trying to access their backyard through their neighbor’s property, but have been unsuccessful at getting the permission to access and cannot trespass. Their neighbor does not live there and has been hard to get a hold of."