VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A popular jetty walkway in Ponce Inlet has been washed out again, leaving residents frustrated over the repeated damage.
The latest destruction came after a weekend of strong winds and unusually high tides, which left only debris where the wooden section of the Jetty Park Walkway once stood. While the cement portion survived the pounding surf, the wooden part could not withstand the forces of nature.
David Stieren said it’s not the first time he’s seen the walkway like this.
“We moved out here in 2020, and that’s either the third or fourth time that we’ve seen this destroyed,” Stieren said.
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Residents recalled that the walkway was previously damaged after hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Despite repeated repairs, the structure continues to suffer from storm damage. Crews had just finished rebuilding the wooden sections with new materials ahead of Memorial Day earlier this year.
When asked if the walkway should be rebuilt entirely with cement, longtime resident Jim Macri expressed doubts about the durability of such a solution.
“Even like the railings are made out of steel, and when a hurricane comes, it knocks out all the railings. So, I don’t know — not cement — how long that would last either,” he said.
Noll Stieren pointed to the concrete section of the walkway which was still left standing.
“I mean, look at the old one out there. It’s been standing for, what, 15 years? However long it’s been out there. It’s sturdy,” Stieren said.
For people who relied on the walkway to fish, the recent destruction has left them to go into the rocks that line the shore.
Signs outside the walkway read “no trespassing, closed for repair,” but Volusia County officials have not announced a timeline for when reconstruction might begin.
[MORE: Volusia beaches closed to swimming, Jetty Connector damaged amid strong tides, hazardous surf]