JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The George Crady Bridge fishing pier is a mainstay in northern Florida and a longtime local landmark for fishers and anglers alike. The only problem, the bridge’s structure has been in disrepair, with Jacksonville city officials saying the state has no plans for repairs on the horizon.
“I was told directly that they just intended to let this thing go until the bridge collapses,” Jacksonville city councilman Matt Carlucci outlined Wednesday morning.
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This comes as city and state officials outlined in a community meeting at Jacksonville City Hall Wednesday morning that the beloved bridge and pier have faced significant structural deterioration over the years.
Members of the community are also now raising concerns about the state park system taking away the pier’s bait station and running water, as well as a large portion of the bridge still being fenced off due to safety concerns.
“It says that’s a mile-long bridge. At this time, it’s a fourth of a bridge,” Jacksonville resident Leatrice Bell complained Wednesday. “So they squeezed 200 to 300 people on a fourth of a bridge, then they say it’s problems. Of course, it’s going to be problems.”
Now, members of the Jacksonville & Nassau communities, as well as city and state officials, are calling on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to keep its end of its original agreement with FDOT, the city of Jacksonville, and Nassau County. That agreement states FDEP is responsible for the bridge’s upkeep.
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“A certain amount is allocated between each of those counties, and it’s been going into an account, but it isn’t enough money,” state representative Dean Black told Action News Jax Wednesday. “So we’re going to have to sit down and have a real heart-to-heart talk about exactly what kind of plan could be executed and when.”
In the meantime, city officials discussed Wednesday the possibility of allocating money from the bridge’s trust fund to restoring its bait station and running water, with the clock ticking on more funding and help from the state to save the bridge.
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