Residents and sailing instructors press for Salt Run no‑wake protections as commission approves dredging grant

Public commenters at the March 9 St. Augustine City Commission meeting pressed for immediate action to make Salt Run safer for small sailboats and youth sailors, and the commission approved a grant application and interlocal match to dredge the channel.

Multiple speakers described wakes from high‑speed recreational boats creating hazardous conditions in Salt Run, particularly for small non‑motorized training boats used by the St. Augustine Sailing Center. Forrest, assistant director of the Sailing Center, presented a photo and asked the commission to reclassify a roughly 1.5‑mile stretch from a "minimum wake" to a "no‑wake" zone so children and moored sailboats would not be subject to dangerous wakes.

Jacob Weber, grants administration coordinator, presented Resolution 2026‑05, which authorizes the city manager to apply for a Florida Inland Navigation District Waterway Assistance Program grant of $300,000 for a Salt Run maintenance dredging project. Weber said the project would remove approximately 4,000 cubic yards of material toward a permitted depth of minus 10 feet mean low water and noted an interlocal agreement providing a $100,000 match from the St. Augustine Port Waterway and Beach District.

Action taken: The commission voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2026‑05 and the interlocal agreement providing the $100,000 match, allowing staff to proceed with the grant application.

Next steps and constraints: Several commissioners and staff noted that changing no‑wake designations is not solely a local administrative action; state agencies (including Fish and Wildlife) may require data demonstrating safety problems before reclassification. Staff offered to provide follow‑up contacts and to work with the sailing center and Flagler College students who are gathering usage and incident data to build a case for reclassification. Separately, the dredging grant — if awarded and permitted — is intended to maintain recreational and commercial navigation and improve safety by restoring template depth.

Attribution: Claims about wakes, proposed no‑wake limits, and the dredging grant are drawn from on‑record public comments and the staff presentation on Resolution 2026‑05.