FORT LAUDERDALE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has withdrawn its state permit application for a major dredging project at Port Everglades, temporarily halting an effort to deepen the shipping channel that environmental groups say threatens some of the last surviving staghorn and elkhorn coral colonies in Florida.
The dredging is designed to accommodate larger, more fuel-efficient cargo ships that currently must be lightly loaded and wait for high tide to enter and exit the harbor — conditions port officials say create logistical, safety and economic problems. Port Everglades officials said in a statement that the project “is absolutely necessary to remain competitive with other ports,” NBC Miami reported.
Dr. Rachel Silverstein, CEO of Miami Waterkeeper, said the reefs near the port entrance sit directly in the path of the proposed deepening. “One of the last places where there are still somewhat healthy populations of these staghorn corals is the area right around Port Everglades,” Silverstein said. Elkhorn and staghorn corals have seen such massive declines across the state that scientists have declared them functionally extinct in Florida.
“So we’re talking about the last few remaining colonies of these species of corals that used to be the dominant species across Florida,” Silverstein said. A coalition of environmental groups has fought the project, and Silverstein said the Army Corps decision to pull the permit application carries weight. “We hope that they are gonna come back and call the project off or rethink it with significantly less impact to the marine environment in the area,” she said.
The precedent weighing on opponents is the Army Corps dredging of the Port of Miami, which badly damaged the reef there. Silverstein invoked the rallying cry opponents have adopted: “Take care of our reef, and we care about it and don’t dredge on me.”
Port Everglades officials, however, characterized the withdrawal as a technicality in the permitting process. A port spokesperson said they fully expect the dredging project to move forward and that it will include a massive coral restoration program to mitigate the damage they acknowledge will be caused by the work. Coral experts counter that there is no way to guarantee those restoration efforts will work, especially when it comes to replacing a thriving staghorn colony.
The Army Corps has not announced a timeline for resubmitting the permit application. Port officials and environmental groups are expected to continue pressing their cases as the federal review proceeds.