On August 31, 2016, a Project Partnership Agreement was signed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Brevard County. The Agreement allowed the Mid Reach (the 7.6 miles immediately south of Patrick Air Force Base and extending to Flug Avenue in Indialantic)
to formally become part of the Brevard County Shore Protection Project, as authorized by Congress. Prior to that date, the Mid Reach was excluded from the Project due to the presence of rocky outcrops along the shoreline. These rocky outcrops are
composed of compressed coquina shell sediments.
The term "worm rock" has been used loosely, and sometimes inappropriately, to describe the coquina rock outcrops. While these areas do provide habitat for a tube-forming polychaete worms, these rocks also offer shelter, food, and breeding areas for a
variety of species, including fish, marine turtles, and attached plants and animals. Those habitat values are recognized by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which designates such rocks as “Essential Fish Habitat.” Over geologic time,
the coquina rock outcrops have withstood variations in sea level that have caused them to be alternately buried and exposed.
The County has been working with state and federal agencies for more than a decade to develop an acceptable proposal for shore protection along the rocky area. The County has obtained both State and Federal permits which authorize limited sand placement
while minimizing burial of rock habitat. Burial of up to 3 acres of rock, which is less than 10% of rock in the area, is approved in the permits. This rock impact will be mitigated by the construction of an artificial reef immediately offshore.
Ten reef sites have been selected and the placement of low lying, concrete mats topped with coquina limestone in approximately fifteen feet of water will begin in May 2017. The reef sites will be roughly 1,000 feet from the beach and will form approximately
4.8 acres to mitigate up to 3 acres of nearshore coquina rock. Federal and state agencies tasked with environmental permitting review for beach projects require that impacts to environmental resources be both minimized and mitigated, and the
County's proposal meets this goal. The relevant agencies include the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National
Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed an approved General Re-evaluation Report (GRR) for the Mid Reach that compares the economic benefits of beach restoration, dune restoration, and coastal armoring along the Mid Reach shoreline. The
GRR also includes a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that evaluates the impacts of shore protection alternatives on the rock outcrops in the Mid Reach surf zone, and potential measures
that can be taken to minimize and mitigate such impacts. The GRR recommends a plan very similar to that approved in the County's permit.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently developing plans and specifications for sand placement along the Mid Reach and the County is seeking federal construction funds to match available state and local funds. Brevard County's Local Option
Tourist Tax provides a dependable source of local match for Mid Reach construction, mitigation, and monitoring.