MARTIN COUNTY — A new living shoreline is beginning to take shape offshore at Indian Riverside Park as Martin County moves forward with a long-term effort to address erosion along the waterfront while preserving both natural and historic resources.
The project involves constructing a series of offshore breakwaters designed to absorb wave energy before it reaches the shoreline. According to county officials, the approach is meant to work with natural coastal processes rather than relying solely on hardened structures.
“The goal of the living shoreline project is to stabilize the shoreline and prevent future erosion and also create habitat along the shoreline,” said Jessica Garland, the county’s coastal program manager.
Beyond erosion control, the project is tied to the protection of one of the county’s most significant historic sites.
“We have the Tuckahoe Mansion that is there, which the mansion sits on top of one of the largest historical Indian middens in the state of Florida,” Garland said. “So protecting that midden is a very important thing for Martin County.”
While a seawall currently lines the area, Garland said it's not a permanent defense.
“There is a seawall there, but the seawall will not last forever,” she said. “So by having the breakwaters in the water slows down the wave action that is hitting the seawall.”
The breakwaters themselves are sizable and positioned offshore to reduce wave energy while encouraging sand to settle back along the shoreline.
“The breakwaters are out in three to five feet of water depth,” Garland said. “They’re roughly about 100 foot long each and there’s 24 of them ranging in different sizes, and they will stick out above the water at least two to three feet.”
Construction on the living shoreline began in the summer of 2025 and will continue in stages throughout the year. Garland said the installation of the breakwaters is expected to be completed by summer 2026, after which the project will shift to restoring native vegetation along the shoreline.
“That will begin probably in August of 2026 and that’s a four month long process,” she said.
Even after planting is finished, the project will not be considered complete. Grant requirements call for ongoing monitoring, and the county plans additional ecological restoration in the area.
“We’ve got the grant required monitoring that we will be doing which is a six month long monitoring,” Garland said.
She added that future work includes seagrass restoration between the breakwaters and the shoreline, along with routine checks to ensure the structures remain intact.
In recent weeks, construction activity has moved toward the south end of Indian Riverside Park near the pier. Garland said the work has not significantly affected public access, in part because the most impacted shoreline was already unusable.
“There’s no sidewalks closed. There’s no access that has been denied other than this one area,” she said. “It had a five foot cliff to begin with.”
As crews work closer to more heavily used sections of the park, visitors are being advised to remain aware of construction activity, particularly near the water.
“There will be a barge directly in front of the beach area,” Garland said. “It will not stop them from using it. They just have to be cautious when in the water or around the pier.”
The living shoreline project is partially funded through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resiliency Grant Program. County officials expect construction activity in the busier areas of the park to conclude before the peak summer season.