Beaches Renourishment
Jax Beach Businesses get a Holiday Surprise
July 4th Weekend - A 6 block stretch of beach, including
the beach in front of Jacksonville Beach's 2 premier resort hotels, was closed
on Saturday due to the federal government and the state of Florida's beaches
re-nourishment project. Both the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort and the Comfort
Inn, located in north Jacksonville Beach found their beaches closed to their
guests all day Saturday and through the night as heavy equipment worked throughout
the night under lights, spreading and packing the sand.
"We had quite a few unhappy guests" says one employee of the Holiday
Inn. Employees of the Comfort Inn found that most of their guests were hanging
out poolside. By Sunday morning, the dozers had built walkways over the 4'
pipe straddling the strand, to allow beachgoers to access the beach. "Luckily
it was low tide for most of the day. Our guests seemed to be making the best
of it - not really much else they could do".
The project had just finished a stretch in south Jacksonville Beach and had
skipped over the "Strip" area of the city where the boardwalk, pier
and main business areas are, so as not to disturb the weekend festivities
and fireworks. "We had no idea they were coming until they started laying
the pipe a couple of blocks south of us".
By Sunday morning the dozers had piled up sand against the pipe at strategic
locations, allowing the stressed vacationers back onto their beach, as the
heavy work moved on to the north.
Off Limits to beachgoers as heavy equipment spreads the sand.
Beaches reopen Sunday as hotel guests make the best of it
