VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County’s coastline suffered damage after days of rough surf and king tides. Damage extends from Ponce Inlet in the south to Daytona Beach in the north.
Debris is visible across the sand at multiple beach approaches, and seaweed left on ramps indicates how high the tides reached.
Strong waves wiped away the wooden walkway at the Ponce Inlet Jetty, and pieces of it are now on top of the rocks or floating out in the ocean.
“The ocean is angry right now, and we don’t know why. But somebody, well mother nature takes it out once again,” said Joann Juralewicz.
“They spent so much time rebuilding it, and it just gets redestroyed,” said Isabel Macdougall.
Further north in Daytona Beach Shores, sand that came from the dredge project in Ponce Inlet meant to protect beachside structures is nowhere to be seen.
“All that is just BS really. That’s not going to buffer the ocean really. They built too close to the coast. That’s the bottom line,” said Jacob Wilson.
Both projects are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local dollars and carry multi-million dollar costs. People don’t understand why the work always seems to take place during hurricane season.
The county said it is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to build a concrete walkway to the jetty, but obtaining permits can take years and construction depends on the weather. So, in the meantime, the wooden walkway will continue to be rebuilt.
“Can somebody please move these permits along? What are we waiting for?” said Juralewicz.
There is still rough surf and a chance debris could be floating in the ocean, so Volusia Beach Safety is warning people to swim and surf with caution.
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