A dredging project that will remove excess sand from John\u2019s Pass took its first tentative steps Monday. This includes\u00a0the removal of approximately 13,000 cubic yards of sand from the north side of
the channel.<\/p>\n
It was a long time coming. Sand has been accumulating in John\u2019s Pass, which divides Madeira Beach and Treasure Island, for decades. According to Dylan Hubbard, who operates fishing excursion boats and sightseeing tours from Hubbard\u2019s Marina, on the Madeira side, business owners have been pleading with local and state government to dredge the pass since 1997.<\/p>\n
In recent years, boats from Hubbard\u2019s Marina have rescued dozens of swimmers who\u2019ve mistaken the sand and shallow water for a public beach, only to get swept into the churning current underneath the John\u2019s Pass bridge and into the path of moving vessels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the number one water rescue location in the entire area,\u201d Hubbard said. \u201cI have a letter from the Madeira Beach Fire Chief, who stated \u2018it\u2019s not if, it\u2019s when\u2019 there\u2019s another serious incident, where someone\u2019s life is threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every Spring Break, Hubbard added, \u201cthere will be hundreds out people out there, and everybody\u2019s swimming in the water. People get swept out to sea all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The accumulated sand also impedes the recession of flood waters. At Hubbard\u2019s Marina, \u201cThere\u2019s an FDOT drain there, and there\u2019s a city drain. So those drainage systems get blocked with sand, and then it floods Gulf Boulevard when the FDOT drain is blocked, and it floods John\u2019s Pass when the city drain is blocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a danger to marine mammals. Manatees and dolphins moving through the pass, between Boca Ciega Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, can\u2019t swim in the extreme shallows and must move to the center, where they are vulnerable to boat strikes.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ron DeSantis approved the $1.5 million in funding for a dredging project in fall 2022, after Pinellas County, the City of Madeira Beach, Hubbard\u2019s Marina, FDOT and the Army Corps of Engineers commissioned a study on the issue.<\/p>\n
The study recommended extension of the north-side jetty to prevent more sand from entering the pass. It also advised dredging \u2013 and suggested that \u201cin five, 10 years, it\u2019ll be right back where it is today,\u201d according to Hubbard.<\/p>\n
He also said the dredging permit was not applied for until June 2024. \u201cAt every meeting, I\u2019d ask about it, and the City Manager\u2019s response was always \u2018We\u2019re waiting for Army Corps.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
A notice from the City of Madeira Beach indicated dredging equipment is being \u201cmobilized\u201d today in John\u2019s Pass Park. Physical dreging should begin Wednesday. The project is estimated to take 60 to 90 days to complete.<\/p>\n
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