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BOOK 1i �'k' � in April in the afternoon. By that time the waterway was blocked so they only saw canoes and other personal watercraft. His clients are asking that the County put them back in the situation they were in before the bridge was built and restore their ability to get to the intracoastal waterway. Commissioner Ginn questioned whether his clients had contacted the Coast Guard, and Mr. O'Haire responded that there was no notice to the clients. Public Works Director Jim Davis noted that he had been sworn and gave a brief history of the project. In 1981 the County planned to connect No Name Island to Round Island Park by a small bridge. The bridge was actually built in 1997. Director Davis showed a 1992 aerial on the ELMO and pointed out that there were no homes north of the peninsula, nor any docks. He then showed a 1994 aerial, again demonstrating no homes or docks. In 1996, home development began. County staff was in this area many times and had never seen any large boats using this area. The width of that channel is less than 100 feet, possibly 70 or 80 feet, and the area of the bridge is fairly deep, but just to the north it becomes very shallow. The docks were built in 1996 and 1997 and the water depth at the end of those docks is 2.5 feet. The County did submit permit applications to St. Johns River Water Management District and a public notice was published in the Press Journal that the County was building a foot bridge and a fishing pier to serve the public. There were many meetings before the public, both before the Board and before the Parks and Recreation Committee. The bridge was raised in response to several letters received from Mr. Olsen and Mr. DeGrazia. The Coast Guard simply wrote a letter stating that no permit was necessary. Director Davis continued that deep water access is the complaint and there is no channel between the peninsula and the end of the private docks. The water depth there is DECEMBER 14, 1999 0 -66- •