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Unlocking Ormond Beach's waterfront: the story of Ormond's city docks

Is the floating dock at Cassen Park one of Ormond's 'best-kept secrets?' Ormond MainStreet seeks to change that, stating it is committed to raising awareness of its existence.

  • By Guest
  • | 3:00 p.m. October 27, 2023
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Opinion
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The Intracoastal Waterway flows almost the entire length of the East Coast and presents Ormond Beach with an amazing opportunity to attract more visitors as boaters pass through downtown. The city maintains a small boat launch facility in Cassen Park, one of the four picturesque parks that anchor the Granada Bridge on the east and west sides. Thinking of the Intracoastal Waterway and the launch, an idea formed that adding a dock would be a golden opportunity to provide traveling boaters with the chance to stop and enjoy Ormond’s reinvigorated historic downtown with their vessels.

In 2015, Ormond Beach Main Street recognized the immense potential of welcoming traveling boaters to explore and experience the charm of their downtown. They pitched the idea of the dock to the City Commission, which unanimously approved its construction in 2016. The plan was to construct a modern floating dock on the southwest corner of the Granada Bridge, right at Cassen Park. Funding for the project was secured through community redevelopment funds, collected from downtown properties' taxes, and a generous grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District.

The process of planning and engineering began in 2018, with the involvement of city engineering staff, professional dock design companies, and experienced local boaters familiar with long-distance water travel. The main goal was to ensure a safe and user-friendly design that would make the dock a highlight of the downtown area. After careful consideration, the finalized design features a large concrete floating dock with concrete pilings extending well above any potential storm-high tides. Furthermore, to accommodate vessels up to approximately 60 feet, the existing shallow small boat channel that stretches from the boat launch ramp to the Intracoastal Waterway required dredging to a depth of 6 feet at low tide. The plan also called for the construction of a 500-foot breakwater to add an extra layer of protection to safeguard docked vessels and the existing fishing pier by the bridge from potential future hurricane damage.

 

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