Public invited to comment on Castillo de San Marcos seawall rehabilitation plan
According to officials, the current condition of the seawall, which helps prevent flooding of the area during storms, ranges from fair to poor.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The public input period runs from June 9 to July 9, allowing review of the Environmental Assessment of the plan. It includes three alternative plans and analyzes potential impacts.
'We continue to be excited about this project and look forward to increasing resiliency from storm events and flooding to the Fort and St. Augustine,' said Gordie Wilson, Superintendent of Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. 'This project will replace critical centuries-old infrastructure in a thoughtful and sensitive way. The priority is historic preservation and flooding protection of the Fort and the surrounding communities.'
To review the plan and provide your own input online, click here.
Although submitting comments through the project website is preferred, comments may also be mailed to:
Attn: Superintendent Gordie Wilson Raise and Rehabilitate Seawall Project
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument 1 South Castillo Drive
St Augustine, FL 32084
Mailed comments must be postmarked by July 9, 2025.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wildfire that destroyed historic Grand Canyon Lodge spread after being allowed to burn for days
A wildfire that tore through a historic Grand Canyon lodge and raged out of control Monday had been allowed to burn for days before erupting over the weekend, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service's decision not to aggressively attack the fire right away.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wildfire that destroyed historic Grand Canyon Lodge spread after being allowed to burn for days
A wildfire that tore through a historic Grand Canyon lodge and raged out of control Monday had been allowed to burn for days before erupting over the weekend, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service's decision not to aggressively attack the fire right away.


Gizmodo
13 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Arizona Governor Chastises Federal Response to ‘Devastating' Wildfires
A pair of fast-moving wildfires burning near the Grand Canyon's North Rim destroyed a historic lodge, triggered evacuations, and forced officials to close this part of the national park for the remainder of the 2025 season on Sunday. Arizona's governor argues the federal government is largely to blame. The Grand Canyon Lodge—the only lodging within the park's North Rim—and a nearby water treatment facility are among 50 to 80 structures consumed by the Dragon Bravo fire, the National Park Service stated Sunday. The blaze, which resulted from a lightning strike on July 4, has consumed roughly 5,000 acres. On Sunday, it was 0% contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Dragon Bravo is burning about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the larger White Sage fire, which broke out after lightning struck Kaibab National Forest on July 9. As of Sunday, this fire had doubled in size overnight, consuming more than 40,000 acres. The blaze was 0% contained and 'experiencing rapid growth' to the north and east, the NIFC stated. Rather than working to immediately extinguish the Dragon Bravo fire, NPS responders attempted to manage it using a confine-and-contain strategy, which allows a fire to burn while limiting its growth. According to Arizona Republic, officials reasoned that this approach would reduce the accumulation of organic fire fuels and allow nutrient-rich ash to support new plant growth. Their efforts 'included multiple containment features to protect structures, facilities, and infrastructure,' the NIFC stated. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs believes this strategy ultimately exacerbated destruction of the North Rim and has called for an investigation into the federal government's management decisions. 'An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government's emergency response,' Hobbs said in an X post Sunday evening. 'They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.' Hobbs noted that the federal government chose to manage the Dragon Bravo fire 'as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer' and demanded a 'comprehensive and independent' investigation into the management of this fire. In his own X post, Senator Ruben Gallego echoed Hobbs's statements. 'As Governor Hobbs has rightly called for, there must be a comprehensive, independent investigation into the handling of fire and the rationale for treating it as a controlled burn—especially as Arizona experiences the driest, hardest part of summer,' he said. 'I will do my part on the federal level to get answers.' Gizmodo reached out to Hobbs's office, the National Park Service, and the Department of Interior for comment. The agency refuted Hobbs's claim that responders treated the Dragon Bravo fire like a controlled burn. 'The allegation that this fire was managed as a controlled burn is not at all accurate and our wildland fire experts certainly know the difference,' a spokesperson told Gizmodo in an email. 'The Department of the Interior takes the threat of wildfires with the utmost seriousness and is committed to protecting lives, communities, and treasured public lands through science-driven fire management and rapid response.' Gizmodo did not receive a response from Hobbs's office or the NPS by the time of publication. On July 11, strong northwest wind gusts drove the Dragon Bravo fire to jump multiple containment features, according to the NIFC. As the blaze expanded, authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for all remaining North Rim residents. By the evening of July 12, the fire exhibited 'extreme and volatile' behavior, resulting in a 500-acre expansion, the NPS stated in a July 13 update. As sustained winds of 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) drove the fire to rapidly intensify, firefighters made 'significant efforts' to slow its progress overnight, according to the update. This included aerial bucket drops near the Grand Canyon Lodge and Transept Canyon. In addition to decimating the Grand Canyon Lodge—which stood atop Bright Angel Point for nearly a century—the Dragon Bravo fire damaged a water treatment facility, triggering a chlorine gas leak in the afternoon of July 12. Exposure to this gas can damage the lungs and may be fatal in extreme cases. The leak forced authorities to evacuate firefighting personnel, preventing the NPS from using aerial retardant in this area. This situation is still unfolding, as is the White Sage fire. This massive blaze threatens communities north of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, particularly the Jacob Lake area. So far, no one has been injured or killed by either of these fires, but incidents like these underscore the danger of rapid wildfire intensification. As climate change pushes hot, dry regions to become hotter and drier, wildfires are becoming increasingly difficult to control. While it's worth asking whether federal responders could have done more to prevent the Dragon Bravo fire from spreading, perhaps a better question is: Will they be able to adapt to such extreme conditions?