Wakulla County Receives $522,689 for Rock Landing Dock

The Board of County Commissioners has received a grant in the amount of $522,689 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Boating Improvement Program. The grant is for improvements to the Rock Landing Dock in Panacea.

The scope of work includes demolition of the current dock, construction of new dock with approximately 10 boat slips for commercial fishermen and charter boats, parking improvements and the installation of a stormwater retention area.

According to Pam Portwood, the County’s Special Projects Coordinator, and manager of this project, “The funding for this facility has been a long time coming. We've been working on it since 2001 when Panacea was designated as a Waterfronts Florida Community. The facility is one of the major goals of the "Panacea 2020 Vision Plan" established by the community for revitalization of their waterfront.” County Administrator, Ben Pingree added, “Rock Landing has a rich history as the place where commercial fishermen have “landed their catches” for generations and the construction of this facility will go a long way in reviving the traditional waterfront economy of Panacea.”

Design and maintenance of the facility will be closely linked to guidelines under the "Clean Marina Program" - as one of Panacea's goals (outlined in the vision plan) is to be a model for best practices in their revitalization effort. Additionally, a fee structure for the slips will be developed as part of an overall management plan so that the County can cover maintenance of the dock, but stay affordable to enable the fishermen and charter boat captains to maximize their profits.

- Pam Portwood, Director, Special Projects

This article originally published on August 16, 2007.