Florida’s Big Dig

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A number of universities and independent scholars have been studying the effects of wind and wave action upon our shorelines. In 1924, a number scholars and politicians formed the American Society of Shoreline and Beach Protection.

Even before the incorporation of this Association, the Army Corps of Engineers had been studying the effects of waves upon shorelines on harbors for national defense and the use of rip-rap and jetties to divert ocean currents in an effort to keep harbors from becoming impassable.

Several years ago, I was invited to board the Corps of Engineers’ (Survey Vessel) S/V Floridafor the annual inspection of a stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway, as required by federal law. One of the experiments the Corps had undertaken was the planting of new shoots of mangrove eroded away by the fast moving Jupiter Inlet current.

The Corps inserted hundreds of shoots inside PVC piping to protect the young mangrove shoots from destruction by the fast-moving current. Several years later, from what we could observe, the young plants had taken root. Today, the plantings are thriving.

The development of the lighthouse in the United States, particularly in the New England states is a lesson in the doctrine of federalism, a lesson in the history of early colonial America.

In the beginning, America was a confederation of separate colonies. Each had its own coinage, import and export policies, and separate obligations to provide for the common defense. Under the Articles of Confederation, the obligations of the colonies were spelled out with no obligation on the part of the colonies as a whole to defend an attack on one colony and no ability of the confederation to impose taxes on all of the colonies as a whole.

Upon the adoption of the Constitution, the federal government had certain specified powers. But to the extent no specific power was vested in the federal government, such power was vested in the states or in the individual. This was a unique change in government. The people governed themselves through the right to vote and on the limitations placed on government itself by the people.

When the thirteen colonies under the new Constitution saw the need for lighthouses to guide ships along the Atlantic coast, there was no power vested in the new Congress to impose taxes and build lighthouses. Such power appeared to be reserved to the states and to the individual. Eventually, Congress reached a compromise. If the States provided the land, the federal government through the Army Corps of Engineers would provide the lighthouse and its keeper.

The idea of shared power and responsibility would grow to include a broad range of powers and responsibilities under the Commerce Clause, the Common Defense clause, and the Common Welfare clause.

Built in the 1860’s, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is a natural entry point onto the Jupiter River and the Intracoastal Waterway at Jupiter, Florida, in Palm Beach County. Each year, hundreds of recreational and commercial vessels transit through the Inlet to a leisurely cruise along the coast or to the Caribbean Sea for serious deep sea fishing.

Designed by U.S. Army General George Meade, who later won acclaim on the battlegrounds at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

This lighthouse has guided ships of all sizes and types safely through the inlet for over 150 years and survived many hurricanes and tropical storms that typically plague the southern coast of Florida during the summer months.

Equipped with the world renowned French-designed Fersnel lens, a small amount of light can be magnify light to guide ships at sea as far away as fifteen miles from the the coast,

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is approximately 20 miles south of St. Augustine.

Well-hidden behind a curved inlet and lush vegetation, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, formerly known as the Mosquito Inlet Light, is the tallest lighthouse in the State of Florida.

Constructed in 1836 but only first lit in 1887, this lighthouse composed of brick in a conical design reaches 175 feet into the sky.

Lit by various orders of Fresnel lenses at various times, the light can be seen by ships as far as 17 miles away. Restored by a non-profit organization, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1998.