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Contact: Steven Kidd, 904-805-7510
Jacksonville, FL - The National Park Service at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve announced a civic engagement public comment period and a public meeting on July 23 for the relocation of the Fort Caroline National Memorial Exhibit. The goal for this project is to create a new outdoor memorial that commemorates the French settlers who built Fort Caroline in the 1560's.
A newsletter about the project is available for review and comment from July 9 to August 8, 2025 at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/FortCarolineRelocation
The purpose of this project is to mitigae damage that occurred at the Fort Caroline National Memorial exhibit becuase of Hurricane Ian and will address frequent flooding concerns from increasing tidal influences. The project will act on the recommendations provided in the April 2021 FM HAzard Resiliency Workshop Report to redesign and construct a new memorial on higher ground within the park. For the new memorial, all permanent structural elements will be located at or above the 14' contour.
The proposed project includes:
- Relocation, redesign and construction of a new memorial on higher ground.
- Salvaging significant exhibit items from the old memorial site, such as the vaulted entry gate and incorporating them into the new memorial site.
- Properly disposing of un-salvaged materials from the old memorial site.
- Depending on available funding, wetlands restoration may be undertaken at some or all of the current exhibit area.
The park will be hosting a public meeting about the project on July 23, 2025 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the William "Bill" Gulliford Community Center (4875 Ocean St., Jacksonville, FL 32233). All are invited to attend to learn more, speak with park representatives and ask further questions about the proposed project.
The public may comment on the Fort Caroline Exhibit Relocation project during the review period, which ends August 8, 2025. The preferred method of providing comments is through the project website, https://parkplanning.nps.gov/FortCarolineRelocation
Comments may also be submitted in writing to:
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
Attn: Superintendent, Fort Caroline Exhibit Relocation EA
13165 Mount Pleasant Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Mailed comments should be postmarked no later than August 8, 2025.
Last updated: July 14, 2025