The National Park Service said a new outdoor memorial would mitigate flooding concerns at the current memorial location.<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The National Park Service is seeking public input on an environmental assessment for the proposed relocation of the Fort Caroline Memorial Exhibit.<\/p>\n
The project proposes to create a new outdoor memorial to commemorate French settlers, who built Fort Caroline in the 1560s, and mitigate damage to the memorial from Hurricane Ian, while also addressing frequent flooding concerns.<\/p>\n
The NPS said the project will act on the recommendations provided in the April 2021 Facility Management Hazard Resiliency Workshop Report, as well as public input provided during early public engagement in summer 2025.<\/p>\n
The preliminary preferred action would be to completely remove the Memorial Fort Exhibit to an area outside the floodplain that would not be impacted by flood or storm surge, the NPS said.<\/p>\n
Under the preliminary plan, actions would include:<\/p>\n
Relocation,\u202fredesign\u202fand construction of a new memorial on higher groundSalvaging\u202fsignificant\u202fexhibit items\u202ffrom the old memorial site, such\u202fas the vaulted entry gate\u202fand incorporating them into the new memorial site.\u202fProviding new accessible opportunities for the public and the new fort exhibit location.\u202f <\/p>\n
\nHow to give input <\/p>\n
The NPS will accept public input on the environmental assessment of the fort’s relocation through one of the two methods below (comments must be given by April 1):<\/p>\n
Online (preferred): The public can submit comments through the project website<\/a>.Mail (postmarked by April 1):\u00a0SuperintendentAttention: Relocate Fort Caroline MemorialTimucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve 13165 Mount Pleasant Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32225 <\/p>\n