Hurricane-ready marina opens in Florida
MICCO, Fla. – The $12-million Sebastian Inlet Marina in Micco, Fla., is open for business and has been built to remain that way after the facility it replaced was destroyed by Hurricane Jeanne four years ago, Florida Today reported in a story on its Web site.
The destruction of Miners Marina led Melbourne-based designers, MAI Architectural Engineering Construction, to pay special attention to storm protection when designing Sebastian Inlet Marina, MAI President Dave Menzel told the newspaper.
“This one is beyond sturdy,” Menzel said. “It’s designed to withstand winds up to 140 mph, with 12-inch thick concrete throughout and pylons that go 35 feet into the ground. It’s not going anywhere.”
The three-acre marina features storage for 240 boats up to 40 feet in length and 25 wet slips on floating docks, as well as a 2,600-square-foot ship’s store and captain’s lounge.
“We worked very closely with boat storage specialists to create an integrated design for this project,” Menzel said. “This building is all about form following function.”
It also boasts several environmentally friendly features, such as a water system and retention pond that will keep water from the site from flowing into the Indian River Lagoon.
And unlike with the old marina, the new one has moved operations 50 feet back from the lagoon edge, planting red mangroves and native grasses in the new space.
The marina, which has six employees and plans to hire six more, officially opened Aug. 30.
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