Posted on November 11, 2021
MARINELAND, Fla. — New photos and videos from the air show a bird’s-eye view of a breach in the sand dunes along the coast between Marineland and Matanzas Inlet in St. Johns County.
The breach, caused by the severe weather over the weekend, is causing those beachfront homes along A1A to be nearly surrounded by water. A local drone pilot, Ryan McDermott, shared photos and videos of the breach with First Coast News.
The area has seen breaches consistently over the years as seas rise and temperatures warm. This past weekend’s damaging nor’easter followed another in 2020 that caused a breach near the same spot, according to the National Weather Service.
Hurricanes through the years have also caused damage to that stretch of coastline, including Hurricane Dorian, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Matthew.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working to battle erosion in St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach and Vilano Beach for years.
Last year, erosion unsurfaced a 19th-century shipwreck on Crescent Beach.
