Major changes are coming to the shoreline right of way areas of Rickenbacker Causeway under the Shoreline and Roadway Protection project. The work is underway right now.
By current indications, the changes will result in:
- Substantially less parking and no more parking outside marked spaces.
- The beach will largely be replaced by a revetment and protected dune vegetation. Kite rigging and storage area will be largely removed. Alternatively, "Keys" or boat style launching may be required. That is IF kiting is allowed here.
- Running lines over the parking areas will not be allowed.
Current conditions
Conditions after project completion
The authorities have no choice but to take major steps to protect the Causeway from erosion impacts and to curtail surface water runoff into the bay particularly during hurricanes. They are not being allowed to replace sand in the eroded shallows bordering the Causeway over concerns for protected seagrass on man-made spoil islands. The alternative approach selected is to create an armored revetment or stabilized rock covered slope along the former beach to resist storm recession of the shoreline. This is the first part of the project. Access to the Hobie Beach area is to end within the month and not be reopened until the project is completed perhaps in August 2010.
Past conditions. Cars will no longer be allowed to park on the sand. The beach will largely be replaced with revetment and dunes with protected vegetation. It won't be possible to store kites here. Photo: A. Anderson
A photo of the revetment and improvements currently under construction along the western portion of Rickenbacker Causeway. The area around Hobie will have a different type of revetment from plans. Photo: Ovidio
The second part is to install curbing and storm water retention to reduce untreated runoff into Biscayne Bay. Currently turbid, contaminated water can run off into the Bay, the project is designed to reduce this.
The third part is to remove invasive plant species (like all those Australian pines along the western part of the Causeway) and landscape with native species.
As a result, the current level, sand and grass covered area shown below is going to change.
Photo: A. Anderson
Armored revetments are to be constructed above the MHW line largely covering up the narrow beach that currently exists, dunes are to be placed above the revetment and planted with protected sea oats, parking outside of marked spaces is no longer going to be permitted or feasible with the improvements, access to the water will be through a narrow pedestrian walk and still more.
We are having discussions with the authorities to try to maintain kiting access to Hobie Beach in some form.
Take it as given, IF we are successful, the days of showboating and riding routinely inside the buoys are gone forever. It always was a bad idea, time hasn't improved it.
Hobie Beach after these changes will have:
1. Far less parking, restricting the quantity of people that can use and visit the right of way park.
2. The beach at high tide doesn't look like it will exist in the eastern portions of Hobie Beach. It will be under the revetment. There will be no apparent area to stockpile inflated kites on dry sand in this eastern area with a dune and protected sea oats to the west.
3. There looks like there will be no real upland setup and tear down areas for kite gear. There will be no clear room, running lines across the paved areas has always been illegal, count on enforcement after things are reopened. You can't walk or put anything on the sea oats on the dunes.
Hobie will likely be changed into something common in the Florida Keys. An area in which you likely need to have your lines preattached, your battens inflated, kite rolled lengthwise taco style to be inflated in the shallows. When you come back in, you will likely have to put it back into the same form just to be able to get it to you car. Turbolaunchers can help with line management in this process. This is nothing for new kiters to be attempting. This is a MAJOR change in how kites will be setup, launched, landed, stored and torn down there.
That is if we are even permitted to kite off here. As there is no kiting inside the buoys, we hope we can be permitted to have an access corridor into Biscayne Bay from here. Launching and ideally landing out near the buoys and riding outside the buoys exclusively.
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