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South Davis Shores Flood Resilience Project
Coquina Park
(Left: Grading at Coquina Park)
Work has been delayed on the Coquina Park project due to staff shortages from the COVID-19 pandemic, including Governor DeSantis’ April 1, 2020, 30-day Safer-at-Home mandate. Work resumed on final grading for the southern portion of the project the week of May 4, soon to be followed by construction of privacy fencing along the southern park boundary. Bids for installation of the irrigation system have been received and a contract is being developed. Installation of sod for the park will follow the irrigation system installation. Increasing the water service line from 3/4“ to 1” to provide sufficient water flow for the irrigation system is scheduled for week of May 18, to coincide with installation of tide check valves and minimize the duration of Coquina Avenue road closures adjacent to Coquina Park. Tide check valve installation is delayed to the week of May 18 due to current astronomical high tides.
Prior to stopping work, the city received an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) exemption from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for the proposed work on the site. This is due to proposing no wetland impacts, no construction of impervious area and using a previously issued exemption for installation of the tide check valves in the two 36” culverts for Coquina ditch. (Right: Artisian well located in Coquina Park)
Appropriate erosion control measures are being implemented on the site. Regulatory personnel from the SJRWMD have inspected the site on multiple occasions to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The city previously installed a tide check valve at that same location for the Arricola and Coquina intersection. The stormwater inlet grate at this location has degraded and needs to be reconstructed due to repeated saltwater events prior to installation of the tide check valve and previous flooding across Coquina Park, both of which have been resolved.
The City entered into a cost share agreement with the SJRWMD to allow them to plug an existing on-site artesian well through their abandoned artesian well plugging program. This work is complete.
Menendez/Coquina and Ferdinand Culvert Slip Lining with Tide Check Valves
The culvert maintenance (slip lining) of the leaky culverts at Menendez and Ferdinand Avenues have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contractor, Shenandoah Construction, is located in Pompano Beach, Florida, and was not willing to travel to St. Augustine to perform the work due to violation of Governor DeSantis’ April 1, 2020, 30-day Safer-at-Home mandate. The City agreed with the delay to avoid placing the contractor’s employees and St. Augustine residents at risk for COVID-19. With the reopening of the State of Florida on May 4, the contractor is rescheduling the work with the goal to be complete by the end of their contract, which has been extended to June 30. Upon completion of the culvert lining work, the City has tide check valves ready to install or reset at these locations.
Arricola/Arredondo FDOT tide check valve
The City installed a one-way tide valve in the FDOT culvert for the Arricola and Arredondo intersection. Recent lunar high tides with nor’easters have not resulted in any flooding of the intersection. This work is complete.
Maintenance of Coquina Ditch
Maintenance of Coquina Ditch, to improve drainage for a significant portion of South Davis Shores, has been completed. Full benefits from this project will be achieved when installation of the one-way tide check valves at Coquina Park are installed. This will greatly reduce nuisance flooding for the neighborhood, but will not, at this time, fully protect the neighborhood from storm surges related to tropical events. Additional protection from tropical events will require a step-by-step, house-by-house sequence of improvements for marsh front properties. Maintenance of what is classified by the SJRWMD as an upland cut drainage ditch removed nearly all vegetation from the ditch. Small amounts of vegetation remain on the banks of the ditch. Due to the maintenance, one-way valve installation is justified. (Below: Coquina Ditch maintenanence)
Stormwater Inlet Inspections
The City Utilities Department has completed a maintenance sweep of all stormwater inlets in Davis Shores using City equipment and workforce. This work is complete and scheduled for annual inspections. There are currently 17 valves in South Davis Shores, with four remaining to be installed/reset: two at Coquina Ditch and following the culvert slip linings, Ferdinand Avenue and the reinstall at Menendez Avenue.
Coquina Avenue resident cooperative efforts
The City has entered construction easements with the property owners at 95 and 97/99 Coquina Avenue and is negotiating with 83 Coquina Avenue, for work that will provide additional flood protection for the residents of South Davis Shores in the Coquina Avenue vicinity. The work aspects vary, depending on the specific conditions of the various properties.