A St. Johns County photographer’s passion for Summer Haven’s environment has led him to document the erosion of its coastline and the stilt homes now part of a county buyout program.
St. Johns County is responding to the dramatic environmental shifts by purchasing and demolishing threatened properties from residents willing to sell. In 2023, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection allocated $5 million in grant funding for the project.
Michael O’Meally, 40, said he fell in love with Summer Haven’s coastal beauty while fishing near Rattlesnake Island.
After noticing the absence of a protective dune and sand plugging the Matanzas Inlet in 2019, O’Meally began closely monitoring changes along the shoreline.
When the county abandoned the Summer Haven dune in 2020, he bought a camera and started documenting the area to inform residents and raise awareness about the erosion.
“Luckily, my heart has broken enough times over that I can calmly and confidently cover it rather than sit there,” O’Meally said.
He shares photos and updates about the area and the stilt homes on Facebook.
Erosion has also impacted wildlife, O’Meally said. According to a 2023 report, sand deposits have destroyed much of the Eastern oyster population that once lined the Summer Haven River.
The study notes that oysters played a key role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
O’Meally said the absence of dunes has also confused sea turtles, with at least one instance of a turtle mistaking the river for the ocean.
While the county has begun acquiring beachfront properties, O’Meally critiqued the pace of the response.
“They’re not exactly explaining what that means, and the area has broken in so many places after the dredging project plugged it,” he said. “If they had done the property buyouts in 2023 instead of waiting, the area might be finding a sense of normalcy because it was still a natural-looking area where it flooded between the homes.”
To prevent similar problems in the future, O’Meally said coastal development should be limited to create a buffer zone between the ocean and residential construction.
