Local emergency declared for coastal erosion

Local emergency declared for coastal erosion
Posted: December 8, 2014 - 11:28pm
By THE RECORD
St. Johns County issued an emergency proclamation during a meeting on Monday declaring a local state of emergency due to coastal storm erosion.

The proclamation was made subsequent to evaluations by licensed St. Johns County engineers and representatives from other state agencies who determined recent severe wind, lunar tides, and high waves have caused erosion that poses an immediate threat of substantial property damage to habitable structures. Due to the severity and acceleration of the erosion and the vulnerability of numerous homes, the county deemed it prudent to expedite the permitting process in order to provide homeowners with the greatest amount of time to protect their property.

By approving the proclamation, the county enabled the provision of State Statutes that allow the county to issue temporary armoring permits for habitable structures in imminent danger.

The county can only issue permits for structures that meet the criteria established by State Statute and Guidelines. Homeowners who believe their habitable structure is eligible for temporary armoring are encouraged to contact the St. Johns County Engineering Department at 209-0110.

High tides and high winds Monday morning pushed water over the sea wall in St. Augustine, flooding sections of downtown. High tide was at 9 a.m.

The National Weather service reported winds between 15 and 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 40 mph on Monday. High surf and winds were expected to continue today and Wednesday prompting a Small Craft Advisory through Wednesday night.

A release from St. Johns County Monday said vehicular access to county beaches may be intermittently restricted through Wednesday. All beaches remain open to pedestrian access.