With the completion of the Bonefish Cove Restoration project only months away, we look forward to visiting the mangrove islands and oyster reefs in the central Lake Worth Lagoon north of Hypoluxo Island. American avocets, black skimmers and royal terns, among other of our fine-feathered friends, have already begun feeding in the sand there.
But the $15 million project, originally planned for at least five years, almost came to a roaring stop before it even began early last year.
In late February 2024, Hypoluxo Island residents, particularly boaters who live on the east side of the northern end of the island, got wind of the project via a flyer sent to their homes. While they supported the environmental benefits of the project, what they couldn’t stomach was losing boating access to the Intracoastal Waterway — and having their property values plummet as a result.
The blueprint originally called for three islands, but the middle one was directly above La Renaissance channel, the passageway boaters traditionally used to reach the deeper Intracoastal waters.
The project is a partnership between Palm Beach County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The goal is to create treasured habitat for flora and fauna that had otherwise been lost or degraded because of past dredge and fill activities, stormwater discharges and shoreline hardening.
Named Bonefish Cove after a popular fish that recently returned to the area due to previous county restoration projects, the islands have been formed with 320,000 cubic yards of sand from Peanut Island.
Construction was set to begin weeks from the day residents got those flyers, leaving little time to change course. Bill Simons, a boater who had been using the channel since 1996, and his neighbor Jordan Nichols, a retired civil engineer who once worked for the South Florida Water Management District, went door to door to blast the alarm.
They enlisted another neighbor, former Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart, who connected with Town Manager Brian Raducci to set up a meeting where residents were able to air their concerns and hear from county and Army Corps officials.
What followed was a flurry of letters and phone calls and petitions from residents for hearings. Neighbors reached out to state and federal senators and representatives for help.
Islander Stuart Fain met with residents who talked about hiring a lawyer but held off and were “politely working” with the county. Turns out, politeness and persistence were effective.
In response to complaints, Deb Drum, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, sent a letter to the Army Corps requesting that it sequence the project to not put any fill in the area identified by the neighbors as their navigation pathway until there was a redesign of the project to avoid that area. And, eventually, a redesign was done and the project was changed from three islands to two, leaving the channel in place.
Incredibly, the issue was resolved within a month, a remarkable feat and testimony to the diligence and fortitude of the men and women of Hypoluxo Island who fought so doggedly.
It wasn’t smooth sailing. But when their navigation rights were threatened, leaders emerged to take the helm, and they came with admirable navigational skills. They knew what to do and they didn’t give up.
They set a good example for all of us.
— Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor
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