45 John’s Pass business owners beg city to fix sand issue, cite safety concerns

Captain Dylan Hubbard says the construction of the John's Pass Bridge in 2006 exacerbated the problem.

MADEIRA BEACH — More than 40 Madeira Beach businesses are worried they'll lose their waterfront property if the city doesn't step up to help with a significant sand blocking and drainage issue.

Business owners along John's Pass say that over the years, the water running through John's Pass has continued to deposit sand clear up to the seawall. They say it's creating a dangerous beach area and eliminating their waterfront property.

"Where I'm standing right now, it should be about maybe 10-12 feet deep," said Captain Dylan Hubbard, Owner of Hubbard's Marina.

But instead, the water around one of Hubbard's Marina's boats is ankle-deep, and their Friendly Fisherman boat is once again stuck in the sand.

"This boat gets stuck here typically between one to two times a year, and it takes us about four to five days to push the sand back," Hubbard said. "Just to be able to run trips, so tomorrow morning we're gonna have to get down here extra early, we're gonna be standing in the water like I am now, trying to push this sand out."

It's just one of a growing list of problems that 45 business owners up and down John's Pass are begging the city to fix.