JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — Beachgoers at Jensen Beach Park are waiting for the rebuild of the park's restrooms and concession building, which was destroyed in a fire on New Year's Eve in December 2024.
Our Cassandra Garcia drove to Jensen Beach Park to check on the progress and found it's currently an empty plot of land.
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Beachgoer Gonda Ghebert, who reached out to our Let's Hear It inbox, wrote that beachgoers are left with only one very small restroom facility to serve the entire beach and feels it has become increasingly unreasonable during weekends, holidays, and peak tourist season.
Those who frequent the beach say they also miss the cafe.
"The reason I went there was because they had a nice, clean facility, showers and it was just nice coming off the deck being able to get a snack or a drink if you like," Julie Goings said.
"That's the only thing that's really missing is concessions and food availability," Sam Elliott said.
Garcia took these concerns to the county to find out where the project stands. Kevin Abbate, the Parks and Recreation director, says the permitting process takes time.
"It's gotta go through the Department of Environmental Protection. We're sitting on a protected dune [...] so that permit is in process now," Abbate said.
He says the design for the new 9,000 square foot "Sea Turtle Beach Cafe" is 80% complete.
"It's about 15 feet in elevation, so there's a good seat for everyone, 100 seats and 33 at the bar," Abbate said.
The county says final funding is expected to be approved in September. They hope to start construction in early 2027 with a completion goal of late 2027, just in time for the winter season. The county also told Garcia they do not have any plans for additional temporary restrooms or facilities.
However, Abbate says the cafe will be worth the wait.
"We want to do it right [...] if we design it properly [...] when we get through construction, we'll have fewer issues, it'll be a much smoother process," Abbate said.
Those who use the beach say they're anxiously awaiting its construction.
"I'm hoping it moves real fast," Elliott said.
"I do want the bathrooms up and running and it would be nice to have another little convenient spot," Goings said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
