ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — When families pulled into Mickler's Landing Monday, they found a closed sign.
Alison Dean's parents were visiting from the West Coast. She had them and her two children in the car when they learned the beach access and public parking is now closed Monday through Friday until February for a private project.
Mickler’s Landing is officially closed to the public. We found these signs on the gate leading to the park. A deputy is here, several people have asked him where else they’re supposed to get on the beach. I heard him tell them Guana or Jax Beach @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/lxWQkx4ziK
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) November 4, 2019
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"That's a big bummer," Dean said. "We're here multiple times a week. It's packed during the week."Thirteen homeowners have hired a contractor for dune restoration work behind their beachfront homes. John Walls is one of them.
"There are some homes in our group of 13 that could be in danger if we face another storm like we had in Matthew, Irma or Dorian," he said. "All we're trying to do is provide a very temporary stopgap measure that's environmentally sound and responsible."
At an Oct. 1 commission meeting, a St. Johns County administrator said the contractor was asking to use 25 percent of the Mickler's parking lot for the project.
The county now says in the interest of public safety, they decided the entire park would close during the work.
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"Now I'll have to drive down further in St Johns County or go to Jax Beach or Duval to get my exercise," neighbor Jane Lockett, 72, said.
Action News Jax asked the county how taxpayers benefit from letting the company use the lot for the private project.
A county spokesperson said the county isn't being paid but that all visitors will benefit from a better-fortified beach.
He added that new bathrooms and showers are being put in during the closure.
The contractor said the project could take up to 60 days. They won't be working on weekends. The park will reopen for families from Friday night to Sunday.
"We completely understand why people would be frustrated because we would be in that same situation," Walls, the homeowner, said. "Our goal number one is not to go to February. We hope we're done by mid December."Some neighbors believe the geotubes the homeowners are having installed are not safe for sea turtle nesting.
Walls argues that's not the case. "This was a professionally recommended suggestion of how to address the situation," he said.
In the meantime, families are having to find a new place to go to the beach."I understand what they're doing," Lockett said. "I just wish we were able to still approach the beach safely.
"We called and emailed all five commissioners to talk about their vote to allow the closure. Commissioner Paul Waldron declined to comment by phone.
Commissioner Jimmy Johns sent us this statement:
"The County Administrator Mike Wanchick and his staff negotiated the contract and modifications, if any, with the contractor. I heard concerns from residents about the inaccessibility and referred them to Mr. Wanchick to respond to their concerns. I understand that Billy Zeits is the point of contact for details responding to and addressing the concerns. I hope this is helpful in guiding you to the coordinator of this project's details."
Commissioner Henry Dean returned our call just before airtime and said he'd be happy to talk about the process.
We'll update this story once we learn more from him and if we hear back from other commissioners.
Cox Media Group
