Federal, state and Riviera Beach officials announce dredging permits to deepen Intracoastal Waterway

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. – The federal government has cleared the way for a deepening of the Intracoastal Waterway, more than six years in the making, that will unlock the true economic potential of businesses along  Riviera Beach’s waterfront.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, announced November 11 in a joint press conference with officials from the City of Riviera Beach, mega-yacht refit and repair facility Rybovich and the Florida Inland Navigation District that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had issued the permits necessary to dredge about 3,500 linear feet of the Intracoastal Waterway. The dredging will happen in the channel west of Peanut Island from the area near the Port of Palm Beach to Rybovich’s Marine Center at 2010 Ave. B in Riviera Beach just south of the Blue Heron Boulevard Bridge.

“This is a transformational game changer in Riviera Beach that comes with new jobs and huge economic impact in south Florida,” Frankel said.

Riviera Beach Councilwoman Dawn Pardo, who has been working on getting the project approved for six years, said the dredging will allow Rybovich to bring in bigger yachts and more of them for service and refitting. It will also allow nearby defense contractor Lockheed Martin to bring larger U.S. Navy vessels into its facility directly for work. Currently those vessels can only be taken to the Port of Palm Beach for service.

“This will open the door for more jobs for Riviera Beach residents and related businesses, as well as a multi-million dollar boost to our economy in general,” Pardo said. “Coupled with the redevelopment of our marina, this dredging will completely reshape the future of business along the water in Riviera Beach.”

Rybovich Chief Executive Officer Wayne Huizenga Jr. explained that his business, which is a world leader in servicing and refitting yachts, has been severely limited in the size of vessel they could get into their Riviera Beach facility because of the shallow depths of the Intracoastal leading to his facility. The dredging will facilitate a planned expansion of the Riviera Beach yard that will allow Rybovich to service larger yachts up to 330 feet.

“It was the tireless efforts of Congresswoman Frankel and Councilwoman Pardo over the past several years that made this dredging a reality,” Huizenga Jr. said. “We are also thankful to the Florida Inland Navigation District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for seeing the enormous economic potential that could be realized by deepening the channel. Rybovich is an international destination for mega-yachts from around the world and we welcome the opportunity to expand our current operations into Riviera Beach.”

The Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) will oversee the dredging. Contractors working for FIND will remove about 95,000 cubic yards of dredge material to lower the bottom of the channel to about 15 feet below the mean low water line, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits issued on Friday. Contractors will use erosion controls and floating turbidity barriers to preserve the environment and all of the dredged material will be deposited at FIND’s existing Peanut Island Dredge Materials Management Area. FIND Executive Director Mark Crosley said he hoped to have the dredging done within a year.

For more information about the dredging project call Florida Inland Navigation District Executive Director Mark Crosley at 561-627-3386.