03/17/2025
Please Read and Share!!!
The St Joe River levels are dangerously low this spring! All of us in the recreational boating industry are working towards getting funding for dredging to create enough depth that we will be able to navigate the river comfortably and safely. Last year we were fortunate to have a very rainy spring to bring the water level up enough, this year there is a very realistic chance this won’t happen.
Most people do not realize the economic impact recreational boating has to our area. Thousands and thousands of people come to our area to boat or go fishing, and when they do, they spend money at our local shops and restaurants, hotels, etc. We have countless charter captains that rely on the boating industry as a source of revenue during the years, and their customers spend money around our towns when they are here. Recreational boating brings tens of millions of dollars to our area every year.
There are many parts of the river that are extremely low this year, and our goal is to create a permanent solution to dredge certain areas of the river, hopefully on an annual basis, so we do not have these issues in the future. What that looks like, we are not sure. The commercial boating industry in our area, which brings in a fraction of the economical value compared to recreational, is dredged and funded annually from our taxpayers dollars. Right now, we are just working on a temporary solution, to have a small, critical area of the river dredged that should make the river navigable for all.
In the past, the marinas in the area were left to front the bill, and we are going to be funding a large portion of this dredging, but are looking for people willing to help that understand what this industry brings to our community! Kathy Myers and Pier 1000 Marina have spearheaded this movement and created a non-profit organization that any and everyone can make a tax-deductible donation to. It’s called the Saint Joseph River Improvement Association, or SJRIA. You can mail or drop off any donations to Pier 1000, or to us and we will make sure they get it. If you are able and willing to donate, or just share this message, we thank you!!
