Completed in 2002, the new Palm Valley Bridge, near Ponte Vedra Beach, is the only bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida not owned or controlled by the State. This fixed span bridge is owned by the Federal Government and maintained and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its vertical clearance is 65 feet.
All other bridges in Florida are state-controlled but generally built by matching funds provided by both the State of Florida and the Federal Government. Except for Palm Valley, the State of Florida provides for the funding of all bridge tenders. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security establishes the schedules for all bridge openings through the agency of the Coast Guard.
Other rules regarding use of the waterway by vessels such as vessel speeds and anchoring (or mooring) in open water may be imposed by the state or local government or both to the extent the Federal Government decides to take no action.
Florida’s Big Dig 