When Peter DeWitt took over the shoreline plan for the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area in 2013, he inherited a design that boaters and anglers had criticized. "That very early plan just basically built a solid breakwater all the way along the shoreline that eliminated all boat access," the Bureau of Land Management program manager told Stet News in September. His fix was low-tech. "I got out there with a crayon on an aerial photograph and said, 'This is what I want.'"
That sketch is now close to finished. The BLM has a grand opening planned for December 3, nine weeks from today, and WPTV reported the same date for the official ribbon cutting. Most of the public talk has been about the new boardwalk. The more useful story for anyone who already spends weekends at the inlet is how much of the old routine the $16 million project was built to keep. Nose-in beaching stays. So does snorkeling under Cato's Bridge, and the kayak tours keep running from the grounds. The engineering underneath is new, and the habits above it are the reason the final plan looks the way it does.
The Plan Changed Because People Spoke Up
DeWitt pushed for a balance between preservation and access. More than 800 individuals, businesses, partners and recreational users commented, and the government changed its plans. Stet reported that the Marine Industries Association and the Florida Inland Navigation District, which later contributed funding, helped shape the overall direction.
Something did have to be done. The 120-acre site loses about 7 feet of land a year to erosion and has lost more than 5 acres over the decades. In 2025, WPTV quoted DeWitt saying some spots lose about 15 feet a year. What sits behind that shoreline matters too. "What we're really protecting here is everything you see all the way back to the roadway as part of this giant shell midden structure," DeWitt said of the Native American shell mound on the property. The BLM documents evidence of Native American habitation at the site from 3000 B.C. to 1763 A.D.
The project had to stop the land from washing away while keeping the water's edge open to the people who use it. Each piece below shows how it handles both.
The Boat Math
DeWitt described the old habit plainly: "What people used to do was pull up on the beach, nose in or bow in, and kind of get themselves wedged on the sand, then sit in the back of their boat to fish, play on the sand beside it. That's still available."
The numbers line up closely with the old pattern.
| Boat access at the Lighthouse ONA | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Earliest inherited plan | A solid breakwater that "eliminated all boat access" |
| Average daily use before the project | 17 boats, per a BLM study |
| Finished site capacity | 15 to 20 boats, depending on boat size and spacing |
| New dock | Permitted uses only, with no general public docking |
The dock is the one piece boaters may misread. DeWitt pictures it serving a historic ship that ties up for a week to add to tours, or a wedding party leaving by boat. "General public docking won't be available," he said.
For now, the BLM project page warns of limited boat anchorage during construction. Citizen Portal published an AI-generated summary of a September 9 Village of Tequesta Environmental Advisory Committee meeting. It reports DeWitt saying three beaches had reopened to boat landings after the turbidity barriers came out, though they remain active construction areas with trespass warnings. The same summary counts about 16 boats on the shoreline beaches, roughly two or three per beach. If you plan to beach this month, expect posted restrictions and follow them.
Under Cato's Bridge
The snorkeling plan shows the same approach. On the south side of Cato's Bridge, at the far northeast corner of the project area, the design formalizes a spot DeWitt calls "locally renowned for being just a great place to hang out, snorkel and see a lot of Caribbean-type fish and corals." He added, "So, we're going to lean into that."
Leaning in means a cutout bay behind the rocks and a snorkel trail that runs up and under the bridge toward Jupiter Island. New pilings keep boats out of the area, beach access expands, and a kiosk will post snorkeling information.
Some of what snorkelers will see underwater is still being installed. On September 9, crews placed the first experimental Reef Arches structure on the Loxahatchee River side. The BLM describes it as the start of an artificial reef system for ecological study and visitor enjoyment. The next day, research teams set out acoustic monitors to track green sea turtles and other marine species. The limestone breakwaters along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline do two jobs. The first was placed near Cato's Bridge in January, and the BLM says the chain will protect the property while creating new chances for snorkeling and wildlife viewing.
The Boardwalk Is a Repair Job You Can Walk On
The boardwalk is the most visible part of the project, and it exists because of an older fix. "At some point one of the branches of government had protected the shoreline by pouring concrete down it," DeWitt told Stet. "That concrete had lasted 40 years, effectively stopping erosion, but it had been carving off and crevassing and slipping down into the waterway. These pilings now hold it in place."
The walkway runs along the Loxahatchee River on about 200 pilings, with large limestone rock underneath as a new erosion barrier. September reports put its length at about 835 feet according to Stet and 830 feet according to WPTV. The BLM's original feature list said roughly 700 feet. It is 8 feet wide and widens to 16 feet at points where interpretive plaques will cover the inlet's history and ecosystem. Stet reports that 16-foot sections along the boardwalk are also planned for anglers as part of a new fishing program. The boardwalk and the path leading to it are ADA-accessible.
DeWitt described two ways to walk it. "People will be able to walk the 800 feet along the boardwalk, enjoy that, turn around and walk back. Or they can go up the stairs here, and there will be a trail connecting the top of the staircase back around to the lighthouse."
The east side facing the Indian River gets a different treatment. A sheet-metal wall stabilizes the waterline, and Stet reports that more than 6,000 mangroves will line the water in front of it. A concrete gravity wall sits farther back, with a native-plant path between the two walls. Many of those plants came from the site before construction. They were dug up with American Conservation Experience and held in nurseries on the property and at The Nature Conservancy's Blowing Rocks Preserve. "It kind of felt like Noah and the ark," DeWitt said. The MANG Foundation led mangrove plantings on March 25, July 4 and August 30.
Who Works Out of the New Huts
Chickee huts went up between April 20 and early June. Get Up and Go Kayaking, which has run glass-bottom kayak tours from the site for many years, now works out of the large hut, which it shares with the Palm Beach Outrigger Canoe Club. A second kayak company will run tours from a smaller hut on the west side of the property, near the U.S. 1 bridge. FDOT finished replacing that bridge in December 2025. The longtime operator stays on site, now with a permanent base, and the west end gets a second launch point.
Between Now and December 3
The trails are open while crews finish. The BLM lists natural-area hours as dawn to dusk daily. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed on ONA trails, and visitors are asked to stay off the sensitive shoreline above the median high-water mark. The project page also notes a temporary reroute of about 500 feet of trail and intermittent closures. The BLM's look-ahead for September through November says a six-person conservation crew will help mulch the new trail system and that installation of the floating dock for permit holders will begin.
Dates on the Lighthouse calendar this fall:
- October 12, 7 to 8 p.m. Twilight Yoga at the Light, $15, or $10 for members.
- October 14, 10:30 a.m. Storytime and Crafts for kids at the museum's Seminole Chickee, covering lighthouse history and local plants and animals.
- October 14, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Sunset Tour, $25, or $20 for members.
- October 17, 6:45 to 8 a.m. Sunrise Tour, $30 for adults and $25 for children.
- November 14, 6 to 9 p.m. Rendezvous at the Light at 500 Captain Armour's Way, $250 per ticket.
- First Saturday of each month. The BLM lists a guided tour of the south natural areas led by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society.
According to the Citizen Portal summary of the Tequesta meeting, opening day will start with an invitation-only ceremony and then a public event at 1 p.m. with lighthouse tours and tabling. Confirm the schedule closer to the date.
Two days later, on December 5, the 32nd Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade starts at 6 p.m. and is expected to reach the Lighthouse around 8 p.m. Organizers estimate bridge openings from the Parker Bridge around 6 p.m. through the Jupiter Federal Bridge around 7:45 p.m. They say exact times can't be predicted, and permits allow openings of up to an hour. It will be one of the first big nights on the water with the new boardwalk in place.
At LUXE IQ Group, we follow the places that shape everyday life in Jupiter, from the inlet to Abacoa. If you want to talk about what the Lighthouse shoreline means for living near the water in Jupiter, Get in Touch.
