City of St. Augustine/George Gardner's St. Augustine Report: City seeks federal FEMA grant for seawall

Protection of original seawall first
Responding to concerns that a proposed $7 million seawall project south of the Bridge of Lions would destroy the original coquina seawall, City Manager John Regan said Monday, "When this plan was developed, first was protection of the original seawall, and second was flood protection."
It is the flood protection that justifies the grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), citing, "significant damage to the St. Augustine Seawall during Tropical Storm Faye in 2008."
Plans call for exposing more of the original seawall as a new, stronger, barrier is built twelve feet further out into the bay.
Noting concerns that the city would be obligated to fund $2 million of the $7 million project, Commissioner Bill Leary noted, "All we're doing tonight is joining in a memorandum of agreement. We haven't got the grant at this time."