At the Fort Pierce City Marina, Ed and Denise Armente, are getting prepared.
Ed said he was hoping he wasn’t forgetting anything as he spent this week securing his boat… the “Not Forgotten.”
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“There’s 15 lines on the boat and they’re all tight. We’re on a floating dock. Where ever the dock goes, that’s where the boat goes," said Armente.
The marina was demolished in the storms of 2004. Now, all eyes are on Hurricane Matthew. The city of Fort Pierce has a lot invested as new floating docks are just part of a $31 million renovation completed last year.
“We’ve actually shut down the marina now except for fueling and for ice," said Dean Kubitshek with the city marina.
Kubitshek is recommending that boat owners either tie down, or get out of town.
Matthew could also be the first test for 12 new barrier islands and a peninsula that were built to minimize the storm surge and protect the marina and the city waterfront.
“Our first test we only hope it’s a minor test," said Kubitshek.
In Martin County, engineers checking on the recently rebuilt Bathtub Beach.
"This is the best condition we could possibly be in as far as the ability of beach to protect the upland, parking lot, road, and all the rest," said Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick says any storm can cause problems, but later in the month, it would have been worse here.
“In 10 days from now, we will have some of the highest tides of the year, some people refer to them as king tides,” said Fitzpatrick.
