MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Some people in Madeira Beach say they’ve been waiting years to fix a problem that impacts people’s safety, bridge erosion, and draining issues to name a few.
Dylan Hubbard says the caution tape and dozens of signs warning people not to swim or trespass are still not enough to keep people away from this part of John’s Pass.
“You have a dangerous attraction to tourists who don't know any better," Dylan Hubbard, vice president and co-owner at Hubbard's Marina said. "[Who] think this is a beach. They go out here and go swimming and get swept away."
The marina backs up to the sand he says is causing dangerous problems.
“We're constantly saving people who are either getting swept in or out of the channel off the sand,” Hubbard said.
He’s one of four generations that has owned and operated Hubbard’s Marina. He says since the 90s, John’s Pass has dealt with sand piling up and sticking around causing issues for businesses along the boardwalk, tourists, and even marine life.
“We're seeing businesses flooded," Hubbard said. "We're seeing a huge safety occurrence. It's impacting the natural wildlife. Manatees are forced away from their historical migration patterns."
Not to mention, the dangerous current. Hubbard says the sand accretion at the Pass creates an extremely strong tide.
“We are always out here rescuing people,” said Hubbard.
It’s because of those issues, Hubbard spent years putting together a grassroots movement. He put together flyers, sending dozens of emails to city and state leaders, pushing for change.
That change finally came in 2022 when the Florida Legislature awarded the city $1.5 million to dredge John’s Pass.
“I thought we were done," Hubbard said. "We got the money; we took pictures with the big check. This money is going to help us to do a dredge project. Get rid of this sand, and hopefully not have a problem for five, 10 or 15 years."
But since then, the problems just continue as the project has yet to start.
“We were required to obtain a variety of permits," Robin Gomez, city manager of Madeira Beach said. "The two lengthiest ones are from the Florida Department of...the State of Florida, Department of Transportation, and then the United States Army Corps of Engineers."
"And right now, it's within the Corps, and we're hoping that they will approve it," she continued. "If not, by the end of this month, by the end of September.”
10 Investigates asked Gomez about why it’s taking so long to get started.
“They've [Army Corps of Engineers] had all the information, but they got the final product a couple of months ago, and now we're just waiting for them for the approval,” Gomez said.
An approval, he still believes, will only take a few months.
“Anywhere from 6 to 8 feet will be removed, could be as much as 10 feet of sand," Gomez said. "And so that will lower everything. The water will come up to a certain area and that'll allow for more water to flow out."
Because he knows the dangers that come from the water here.
“If I recall, about a dozen or anywhere from a dozen to 20 rescues out here just in the last year alone,” Gomez said.
It’s something Hubbard says he sees all too often. And for the sake of businesses, homeowners, and tourists, he hopes the Army Corps of Engineers signs off on the project now.
“It is absolutely incredible that we're still dealing with this," Hubbard said.
We reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers, and they confirmed they received the formal application request from the City of Madeira Beach on July 19, 2024 and they went on to say the following:
“Corps Tampa Permits Section received an application from the City of Madeira Beach (applicant) proposing to dredge a portion of John’s Pass in late July 2024. The application has been assigned application number: SAJ-2022-03669. Due to the recency of application receipt, in conjunction with heavy workloads, there are no additional updates at this time.”