DESTIN — If the city doesn’t act quickly, boat captains say it’s only a matter of time before the mouth of the harbor and navigation channel become choked up.
“Let’s not wait until the fleet is bottled up,” captain George Eller told the City Council at a recent meeting. “We are getting close to that crisis management point. Let’s not do crisis management, let’s get it done.”
According to Destin officials, the mouth of the harbor was last dredged in 2010. Prior to that, City Manager Maryann Ustick said the Army Corps of Engineers last dredged the mouth of the harbor 10 years ago.
Lack of funding for maintenance projects has led the Corps to focus more of its dredging on deep-water ports, which does not include Destin.
While the ultimate solution is the eventual stabilization of Norriego Point, the Corps should do something in the interim, Mayor Sam Seevers said.
“That’s their responsibility and they are not doing their jobs,” she said.
One solution would be to buy a maintenance dredge, Councilman Jim Bagby said. He said the city had a chance to buy a surplus dredge years ago, but didn’t bite. He said now might be the time to re-examine the idea.
“If we are going to be left to our own devices, we need to get some of our own devices,” Bagby said. “We need to consider that option.”
Eller told council members that owning a dredge wouldn’t be a bad idea. He said at one point he operated a maintenance dredging company, and would be happy to help the city out if it found one.
“We would be ready at any time,” he said. “We would never, ever be short of volunteers to operate that thing.”
Boat captain Tony Davis said the channel near the Marler Bridge is in bad shape.
“It’s going to get more dangerous,” he said. “Something has got to be done very soon or we are going to be in trouble.”
While buying a dredge would be a long-term solution, Councilman Tuffy Dixon said something must be done relatively quickly. He said he has talked to the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council to see if it can help.
City leaders unanimously voted to work with the TDC to try to get money for a dredge project.
With Destin having one of the largest fishing fleets in Florida, Davis told council members how important it is for boats to be able to travel freely through the harbor, especially with the spring break and summer seasons right around the corner.
“That sign says ‘World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,’ and we better protect what we’ve got,” he said.