16.12.2025, 10:30
Subject: Strong Progress at Dec 10 JID Meeting – 450+ Signatures & Growing! Let’s Hit 500 before the next board meeting
Good Morning,
Thank you for helping us obtain more than 450 signatures for a safer, more navigable Jupiter Inlet. Your support is already making a real difference!
Please keep sharing the petition with boaters, fishermen, marinas, local businesses, and friends:
www.openpetition.org/!safejupiterinlet Note: it is a two step process: first sign at this link and second, confirm your signature in your email.
A quick post, story, or forward on Instagram/Facebook goes a long way.
Key Takeaways from the December 10 Board Meeting:
The District’s Charter clearly states its responsibility “to ensure safe navigation… and to maintain the Jupiter Inlet, including its seaward approaches.” This confirms the Jupiter Inlet District board has authority over the area east of the jetty.
Encouraging steps forward:
- Dredging and marking a channel east of the jetty dominated the meeting with active board and engineering engagement — it’s now firmly on the agenda.
- Strong support to increase bathymetric surveys to at least monthly so boaters and engineers get accurate, timely depth information. A drone-based survey demo is tentatively set for January 7–9 at the inlet. This technology could cut costs by up to ⅔, allowing monthly surveys within the current budget. More details here: gamma.app/docs/Drone-Based-Bathymetric-Surveying-for-Jupiter-Inlet-2vtovbybg076npx
- District Engineer Ken Craig (Taylor Engineering) presented a preliminary scope for dredging a channel to the southeast of the jetties: 50–60k cubic yards initial dredge, 10–30k annually for maintenance — roughly half the scope of dredging the existing sand-trap inside the inlet (~100k yards/year at ~$16/yard).
Local captain Jay Carpenter shared his “Big Broom” plan including near term actions and a long term vision based on robust benchmarks from the Outer Banks that are scaled down for Jupiter. Because the district spends on average $1M in mobilization fees to dredge the Sand Trap each year, Jay floated the concept that a more robust and responsive dredging program, that includes inlet access, could be cost neutral. His presentation was well received and the board agreed to better understand how a similar program could be built here in Jupiter.
View his presentation here:
drive.google.com/file/d/16h0vbRqIkvuXrKJvCUaRFL7aFXRz3JuZ/view?usp=sharing
While progress is clear, near-term action remains limited and there was essentially no buy-in to quickly appeal to the Army Corp for a ‘Letter of Permission’ to extend the current dredging program and create the channel to the East, so continued community pressure is essential. Until we get concrete action to move sand, the inlet will remain dangerous and unusable for many.
Our simple goals:
- Dredge the inlet access channel to 12 feet
- Permanently mark the safe channel
- Conduct and publish monthly depth surveys
Your signatures are the reason this topic is now a priority. Let’s push past 500 signatures before the January meeting to show the Board, Army Corps of Engineers, and permitting agencies that the boating community is united and expects action.
Forward this email. Share the link. Tag a friend.
Thank you again,
Chris Ball
Tequesta, FL
chrisball016@gmail.com
P.S. Direct link to sign/share: www.openpetition.org/!safejupiterinlet
