As a local construction firm wraps up work on the first phase of the $15 million Apalachicola Bay Living Shoreline project in Franklin County, Florida, the oyster population and the amount of sediment have already increased.
“There has been a decade-long struggle for the bay and the oyster industry,” said Jamie Miller, Project Manager with North Florida Construction of Clarksville, Florida, the contractor completing the project. “It’s great to be part of the rehabilitation and potential improvement of the ecosystem.”
Franklin County, with about 13,000 residents, remains a rural and economically impoverished county, according to Josh Adams, Environmental Planning Manager with the Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) of Tallahassee, Florida, owner of the project. Most of the county contains a state forest. The area along U.S. 98 is the only developable section of the county. For years, residents survived by removing oysters from the bay, but the state has suspended the harvesting of wild oysters. The current shoreline project covers a 6-mile area from Eastpoint to Yent Bayou.
Engineers at WSP, with multiple offices in the state, recognized the need for the project and found an owner to take it on. WSP designed the project, completed environmental studies, worked on permitting, and oversees construction.
“Some sort of erosion control was needed,” said Will Mather, Project Manager with WSP in Tallahassee.
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Before construction, the strong sand movement prevented oysters from growing, and the county had spent millions of dollars trying to sustain the shoreline with concrete seawalls, riprap, concrete rubble, and concrete block mats — all without success. The road continued to suffer damage as hurricanes came roaring through the area, even though seawalls and riprap were placed to protect the road, adjacent to Apalachicola Bay.
“This small coastal strip is subject to a lot of storms, and that’s why we need this project,” Adams said. “It helps reduce the erosion.”
A 2019 planning survey determined that U.S. 98 was most suited to a habitat restoration project. ARPC held eight public meetings and met with members of a steering group, including university researchers, regulatory officials, Audubon Florida, and other nongovernment groups.
The original 12-mile ARPC study area, from Eastpoint to Carrabell, included installing in total 20 acres of reefs to decrease wave action next to U.S. 98 (a hurricane evacuation route) while avoiding existing sea grasses, as well as rebuilding 30 acres of salt marsh.
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ARPC evaluated different materials for the reef, including milk crates, limestone, shells, jute encased with Portland cement, and granite. After 18 months, the amount of marine organisms was the same whether using dolomitic limestone from a quarry north of the project or the more novel and expensive jute.
“There was no difference in the size or distribution of the oyster settlement,” Adams said.
The project team tested the hardness of the limestone at the quarry, before selecting it for most of the reef installations. Crews also placed 40 concrete dome structures, which have been used in South Florida. That included 20 3-foot dome structures and 20 4-foot dome structures.
The overall project will help stabilize the shoreline, enhancing road safety and reintroducing oysters to the area. WSP designed the new reef to withstand Category 3 hurricanes.
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The ARPC applied for and received funding for the project through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund and the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund program, created by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP oil spill settlement with the federal government. The project team wanted much of that money to stay in the community, and it has.
North Florida Construction received the construction contract. The company primarily works on public projects in north Florida counties, but it also has worked in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. The heavy civil and utility firm has completed several beach renourishment projects.
Subcontractor Coastline Clearing & Development of Eastpoint, Florida, hired many of the displaced oystermen to perform much of the rock placement. The family-owned and -operated company, founded in 2004, tackles residential and commercial projects in a four-county area. About 90 percent of the people working this project were formerly commercial fishermen.
“They are doing good,” said Tim Butler, Owner of Coastline Clearing. “They had to learn a new trade. I am glad to see this project happening in Franklin County and putting locals to work.”
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Some of those local former fishermen are working on other jobs with Coastline Clearing.
“These folks are used to working in and around the water and make perfect individuals to be part of the team installing the reefs,” Adams said. “The project is expected to help in returning the oyster population.”
The first mile-long phase ran alongside U.S. 98, a school, and other public land, making permitting easier. Construction and building the reefs began in October 2023. Crews placed rocks and the concrete domes.
It was quite important not to place any rocks or domes on the sea grass. WSP surveyed and staked out the existing sea grass areas, placing white PVC poles to serve as a guide for the people placing the rocks. Construction crews had to stay 15 feet away from the sea grass.
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“We cannot destroy the sea grass beds,” Mather said. “It’s extremely important from an ecosystem standpoint.”
Crews hauled the rock to Coastline’s storage area, until it was needed at the project site. Then the team reloaded the rock and offloaded it along the shoreline or to barges. Guided by highly accurate real-time kinematic GPS equipment, crews used excavators to move the rocks into place at the proper elevation to create the reefs as designed by WSP.
“The tops of the reefs are low and line up to where the natural oysters grow along the shoreline,” Mather said.
North Florida Construction and Coastline Clearing paid attention to the tides. Most of the rock installation could take place from the shoreline during low tide. Excavators worked on mats to protect the bottom of the bay. During high tide, which brings in 2 to 3 feet of water, the team deployed shallow water barges to work off of while placing the rock fills.
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“We worked the tides from both directions,” Miller said.
The reefs capture sediment. The Conservation Corps of the Forgotten and Emerald Coasts in Eastpoint is planting spartina marshes, with some planting ongoing. North Florida will make any needed shoulder repairs.
Mather said that the design of the new artificial reefs is unique and that they intentionally appear natural and not manmade.
North Florida Construction stands ready to start the next phase of the living shoreline project, which includes areas adjacent to private property, pending approval of the permits. Many landowners initially resisted the project, but now that they have seen the positive results, they are asking for the work to include their shoreline, Adams said.
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“Our goal is to complete the entire 6 miles, but it will take us a while to get there,” Mather said.
ARPC anticipates the remaining work will wrap up in 2026.
“I am so excited that what I am doing could make a long-term difference,” Adams said.
