The Apalachee RPC is diligently working to implement a living shoreline project in Franklin County. This groundbreaking coastal resiliency project, dubbed “Franklin-98", includes the establishment of nearshore reefs which will reduce wave energy and allow the creation of salt marshes to protect approximately eleven miles of shoreline and U.S. Highway 98 between the City of Carrabelle and Eastpoint. The project will improve Apalachicola Bay's health and productivity with anticipated benefits to include:
• Twelve miles of shoreline habitat improvement and roadway protection
• Thirty acres of salt marsh formation
• Twenty acres of estuarine reef creation
• 3,000 community residents positively impacted
When asked about the project, Franklin County Commissioner Ricky Jones was quick to point out the positive impacts of this collaborative effort. “Both our community’s identity and economy depend heavily on coastal resources. The Franklin-98 project sets out to embolden the resiliency of an important stretch of our shoreline, which has potential to pay dividends to our region for generations to come”.