Planning board approves Inlet Drive shoreline resilience project after public debate over access and views

The City of Saint Augustine Planning and Zoning Board on Oct. 7 approved the Inlet Drive Shoreline Resilience Project, a city capital improvement effort to build a new landward retaining wall, upgrade stormwater systems and design a living-shoreline enhancement along Inlet Drive in North Davis Shores.

City Chief Resilience Officer Jessica Beach told the board the project would build a 692-foot precast segmented concrete retaining wall landward of the existing wall, tie into existing bulkheads at 117 and 151 Inlet Drive, replace two curb lengths to improve stormwater access and install tide check valves. "The goal of this project is to provide a higher level of flood protection for a portion of Inlet Drive, a critical road in the North Davis Shores neighborhood," Beach said.

The project stems from repeated shoreline damage dating to hurricanes Matthew and Irma and was awarded funding through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida grant program, Beach said. The city has $1,100,000 in grant funding (federal ARPA funds administered by DEP) for design, permitting and as much construction as can be completed before the grant closeout date, which the city said is June 30, 2026. Beach said…