WHERE IS NORRIEGO POINT GOING?

Good question. Where is the Point going? At this rate, by the time the political red tape is unraveled, where the Point is going won't matter. It will be gone. Wake up folks. Can you say bulkhead, rock jetty, seawall...anything proactive to address the issue while there is still an issue to address. The same applies to those on Holiday Isle and Destin Pointe and the problems they face with their disappearing beaches. Oh yes, and then there's the East Pass channel issue where dredging is again a necessity. Here's a suggestion...cut through all of the political gauntlet, get the Local, State and Federal parties involved together and hammer out a viable solution that encompasses the entire set of problems. And get it done in rapid fashion. The time for action is now. The agencies can bicker amongst one another at a later date. I only hope this same time next year we won't be reading about the demise of the western reaches of the Destin Harbor. Here's part of the story...

A smaller Norriego Point could become a big problem for Destin's harbor and some of its inhabitants. Erosion occurring at the tip of the point could also mean trouble for a planned marina and additional boat slips to be built along the western end of the harbor. Bruce Craul, chief operating officer of Legendary Inc., which has plans to build a marina near the company's Emerald Grande high-rise condominium project, said wave action from the East Pass and Gulf of Mexico could batter boats docked on the western end of the harbor if they're not afforded some protection by Norriego Point. "This is significant," he said in an interview. "This is as bad as any beach erosion we have. The property that's being threatened here has an effect on the livelihood of the entire area."Despite Legendary's plans to build a new marina at the Emerald Grande, Craul said what's happening to Norriego Point transcends corporate interests. "This is a community story, it's not a Legendary story," he said. He has three aerial photos, made last year in March, November and December, that he said show the point has receded an estimated 125 yards.

Jim Breitenfeld, executive director of the Destin Harbor Association, said its members, many of whom are harborfront business owners and/or work along the harbor, see it as a problem with potentially disastrous consequences. Breitenfeld said the harbor association plans to present the issue to the Destin's City Council within weeks to brief them on the problem with Norriego Point along with other harbor related issues, such as the proposed dredging of a new navigational channel in the harbor and the dredging of the East Pass. "We need to be more proactive rather than reactive, which is kind of how issues with the harbor have been handled in the past," Breitenfeld said.

The problem with Norriego Point isn't one of awareness but rather of ownership as confusion over who owns the spit of sand, he said. "The challenge is jurisdictional," Breitenfeld said. "It seems like with everything down on the harbor, no matter who you talk to, they'll tell you it's somebody else's problem." Norriego Point appears to be no exception. Jim Trifilio, director of beach management for the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, said he wasn't aware of any formal declaration of ownership on behalf of any government agency at any level. "My understanding is that there has never been a definitive answer as to the ownership issue," he said. "Some have said state, federal, local and private." Terry Jangula, site manager for the Panama City office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said he didn't know who owned the land or who was responsible for maintaining Norriego Point. Destin City Manager Greg Kisela said the state claimed ownership of the point with an arrangement with the county to "manage" the property. Okaloosa County Administrator James Curry said that after a little research, he found that in the early 1960s the county turned over ownership of Norriego Point to the state and that armoring the point would require state approval and permitting.

Charles DuPlantis, the owner of Boogie's Watersports, a business now located at the docks at Emerald Grande, said unimpeded wave action has wreaked havoc on his rental boats. "On certain days, we have waves washing over the docks. It beats everything up," he said. Advocates of protecting the point have suggested armoring it with a seawall or rock jetties to prevent further erosion. Trifilio said that without a study to determine the geological consequences of building such a structure, one isn't likely to be constructed by the state. "Armoring is not FDEP's (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) favorite method to control erosion, and lacking a study of some sort, it's not clear what would work in this location," he said. "Studies have shown that, while you can armor anything, the armoring often can cause additional problems." Over the years, Norriego Point has grown and receded. During Hurricane Opal in 1995, waves washed over the point, creating an island of sand between the harbor and the East Pass.