Indian River State College’s proposal for a huge 370-foot dock at the old Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station has recently hit a road bump, as the college and its developer have abruptly paused requesting state approval.
The college has spent months submitting site plans, surveys and other documents about the former military station on Seaway Drive to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, requesting approval of the dock that would accommodate roughly 20 boats.
But neighbors have questioned the need and safety of the 370-foot installation.
Why has the request for approval been paused?
College spokesperson Lindsey Skully declined to give details about the project and explain why the college and its tenant, Audubon Development, need the dock. She also declined to say why the college paused seeking DEP approval.
“We have temporarily paused permitting for a marine structure at the historic Coast Guard Station,” Skully said in a statement. “The goal is to ensure this project supports the college, meets the needs of our partners in the facility and works with both neighbors and nature along the inlet. We look forward to sharing updated plans soon.”
The pause comes about a month after the DEP closed the public-comment period for the dock proposal. A handful of residents and homeowners’ associations objected to the dock based on its sheer size.
Who owns the old Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station?
Indian River State College owns the old Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station.
In addition to once being a station, the building is also the former home of the school’s Marine Science Center. The college evicted its longtime tenant, nonprofit Ocean Research & Conservation Association, in 2021.
In 2023, the college and Audubon Development signed a 40-year agreement for use of the historic Coast Guard Station as a bed and breakfast, event space and cigar bar.
At that time, the college and Audubon Development President and CEO Dale Matteson proposed a star-shaped dock for dinghy and jet ski parking and a 20-slip boat dock with a 75-foot dock for the water taxi, according to the plans.
Where is the old Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station?
The old U. S. Coast Guard building and grounds are located at 1420 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce.
Fort Pierce neighbors oppose dock at historic military station
“The excessive length of the proposed dock will also materially interfere with neighboring properties’ ability to safely utilize their existing docks, particularly the approved docks at Inlet Palms (townhomes),” neighbor and Inlet Palms resident Scott Barnes wrote the DEP. “Because the proposed dock extends significantly farther into the inlet than surrounding dock structures, maneuvering vessels into and out of adjacent slips will become substantially more difficult and create additional navigational conflicts within the area.”
Neighbor Blades Robinson is also concerned the dock extends too far into the inlet, he told TCPalm.
“That is a whole lot of dock,” Robinson said. “It’s an aggressive application for a college that does not have a marine science program or boats. I think it’s all about putting boat slips there. That sounds like a commercial marina.”
The dock and the old Coast Guard Station do not qualify as a marina by Fort Pierce zoning laws because they would not provide moorage, launching, storage, supplies and a variety of services for recreational, commercial fishing and charter fishing vessels, Barnes and Inlet Palms attorney Tyson Waters wrote to DEP. There is a lack of significant landside services such as a ship’s store, bathrooms, laundry facility or other similar amenities traditionally associated with a marina.
Where is Indian River State College?
Indian River State College, authorized by the Florida Legislature in 1959 as Indian River Junior College, has various campuses spread across Florida’s Treasure Coast.
Here’s where, according to IRSC’s official website:
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: What’s new with proposed dock at old Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station?
Reporting by Ashley Ferrer and Timothy O’Hara, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashley Ferrer and Timothy O'Hara, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
