Excitement builds for installation of "living shoreline" at Coconut Point 

The image depicts a beach scene with water, rocks, and white poles along the shoreline, surrounded by greenery under a blue sky.
Coconut Point, the site of the living shoreline to be installed September 10
A group of individuals in waders stands in shallow water, some holding equipment, likely engaged in marine research or education.
Volunteers in training to monitor the soon-to-be installed living shoreline.
Three individuals are in shallow water, working together on an activity involving a white cylindrical object.
People in water are working with tools to conduct research or fishing, with sun protection clothing on a sunny day.
Sebastian Inlet District Executive Director James Gray hammers a marker into the water.
Two women in blue shirts discuss while standing in shallow water, with a third person working nearby. It's a natural, outdoor setting.
Sebastian Inlet District Commissioner Lisa Frazier and the agency Contracts and Accounting Manager, Stacy Busche, get their feet wet.
The image depicts a beach scene with water, rocks, and white poles along the shoreline, surrounded by greenery under a blue sky.
A group of individuals in waders stands in shallow water, some holding equipment, likely engaged in marine research or education.
Three individuals are in shallow water, working together on an activity involving a white cylindrical object.
People in water are working with tools to conduct research or fishing, with sun protection clothing on a sunny day.
Two women in blue shirts discuss while standing in shallow water, with a third person working nearby. It's a natural, outdoor setting.

On September 10, a new “living shoreline” will be installed along approximately 200 feet of eroded shoreline at Coconut Point, a finger of land on the south side of Sebastian Inlet State Park.

The pilot project aims to reduce erosion along the south side of Coconut Point at Sebastian Inlet State Park while improving the marine habitat diversity along  the shoreline. Project partners are the Sebastian Inlet District, Sebastian Inlet State Park, Ocean Research Conservation Association, and Reef Arches LLC. One or more Sebastian Inlet District Commissioners may be present at the event.

 “Coconut Point Shoreline Resilience Project” includes the installation of  22 reef arch structures and up to 90 seven-gallon mangroves along the shoreline. Reef arches are prefabricated, honeycomb-shaped modular units used for coastal protection and marine habitat restoration.

Living shorelines offer a resilient alternative to hardened structures like seawalls by absorbing wave energy, filtering pollutants, and naturally adapting to sea-level rise while restoring vital ecosystems for local fish and wildlife.

Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA), a Vero Beach-based environmental nonprofit organization, has partnered with the Sebastian Inlet District to fund 7 of the Reef Arches and about half of the mangroves, and is using volunteer citizen scientists to help monitor the project for at least three years. ORCA has already begun monitoring baseline site conditions in anticipation of the plantings and reef installations.

“We’re seeing accelerated erosion of natural shorelines in the Indian River Lagoon, which leads to habitat loss as well as water quality deterioration among other things,” says Natalie Stephens, an ORCA research associate. “We utilize our citizen scientists to really look at what is happening over time and how a project is improving the shoreline.”

The project, anticipated to begin July 2026, is partially funded through a $95,000 state cost-share grant, with in-kind matches provided by the District, Reef Arches and MANG , a foundation raising awareness about the critical role that mangroves play in supporting healthy coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Posted September 8, 2026