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  • April

    Jacksonville District team members employ the Golden Rule

    Inside the South Florida Operations Office (SFOO) in Clewiston, Chester “Wayne” Sullivan has earned respect as a civil technician, but he is also greatly admired for his smooth and easy-going manner in communicating with others.
  • Now that the project is completed, shorelines and adjacent roadways are protected. The evacuation area and homes are protected from the bayous.

    Tarpon Springs project protects infrastructure, hurricane evacuation route

    Fifteen years after its initial start and nearly 10 years after the execution of the Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement (FCSA) with the city of Tarpon Springs, Jacksonville District completed construction on the Whitcomb and Kreamer Bayous Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project. The project, located in Tarpon Springs, is a Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) Section 103 Hurricane and Storm Damage Protection Project.
  • The Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area battles non-native animal species such as pythons and this black and white tegu, a voracious egg-eater that targets the nests of threatened and endangered animals such as sea turtles, crocodiles and birds.

    Working together to combat invasive species

    The Florida Invasive Species Partnership (FISP) is a collaborative group of federal, state and local agencies and non-government organizations, all with a stake in managing non-native species in Florida. As stated on the FISP website, “Because species can spread beyond fence lines, our goal is to connect private landowners and public land managers with invasive species expertise and assistance programs across boundaries...FISP increases communication, coordination and the sharing of resources to protect Florida's natural landscape.”
  • Workers flatten delivered sand on a Broward County beach so it fills an engineer-designed template, which includes the sand placement’s height and width along the beach.

    Two shore protection projects completed

    In November 2013, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District began an unprecedented project in Broward County to reconstruct 5.1 miles of eroded shoreline. The project, completed Feb. 28, was the first of its kind because it included 10,000 truck deliveries of sand from a mine in central Florida. The district uses the dredge delivery method to renourish federal beaches, but this project had to be completed prior to hurricane season and all dredges had been deployed to other projects.
  • Monitoring is the primary tool used by RECOVER to assess CERP performance by determining if ecosystem responses are desirable, if progress is being made toward interim goals and targets, and whether refinement of CERP implementation is needed.

    Draft Everglades System Status Report available for public review

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District — the two

  • March

    Corps plan for Flagler County project well received

    The Flagler County Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project team hosted a public meeting to present the draft integrated feasibility study and environmental assessment. Many meeting attendees, including city and county officials, complimented team members for a job well done on the study and in presenting the information.
  • Adam Tarplee, natural resources program manager (left) and Chris Abernathy (right) of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary partnered with Anna Stewart of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County to educate the public about water safety at the South Florida Fair.

    Corps shares water safety messages at south Florida events

    As the nation’s largest provider of water-based recreation with an important water safety mission, one of the most effective ways for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to promote its safety message is to take it to events where it will reach the maximum audience. In south Florida, this means hitting events like the annual South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach and the FLW fishing tournament.
  • Budget analyst Tina Cox checks the balances remaining in various program accounts within Operations Division. Cox’s personal commitment to duty includes a strong work ethic and making sure she treats taxpayer money like it was her own.

    Teamwork gets the job done in Operations Division

    Budget analyst Tina Cox’s personal commitment to duty includes a strong work ethic and making sure she treats taxpayer money like it is her own.
  • Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick (left), commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, presents the AbilityOne Award to Col. Alan Dodd, commander of Jacksonville District, at the 2013 Society of American Military Engineers Small Business Conference in Kansas City, Mo. The district was recognized for awarding $2.9 million in contracts to AbilityOne nonprofit agencies, the second highest dollar amount awarded to AbilityOne contractors by a Corps district.

    Jacksonville District receives the AbilityOne Award at small business conference

    Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, presented the AbilityOne Award to Jacksonville District Commander Col. Alan Dodd during the recent Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Small Business Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

  • February

    Ruben Ramirez, founder of Florida Python Hunters and winner of two prizes in the 2013 Python Challenge, shows off his latest catch to Donna Zoeller, who had just completed a site visit nearby.

    And how was YOUR day at work?

    While conducting a routine site visit at the S-356 pump station on Tamiami Trail, Zoeller met an 11-foot long Burmese python face-to-face. Fortunately for her, Ruben Ramirez, founder of Florida Python Hunters, had just captured the invasive reptile nearby. Since it takes two hands to handle such a large, muscular, powerful snake, taking a “selfie” was out of the question. So Ramirez enlisted Zoeller’s help. Zoeller, who was on site as part of her normal operations, maintenance, repair, replacement and rehabilitation duties, was happy that she had not run into the large reptile on her own.

  • Jacksonville District completes construction at Portugues Dam

    “Entonces, felicidades en sus logros,” (Congratulations on your accomplishments). That was the key message from Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), to those who attended a dedication ceremony Feb. 5 celebrating completion of Portugues Dam, a $386 million structure designed to reduce flooding impacts in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

  • Florida wetlands among those receiving international attention: Annual World Wetlands Day is February 2

    The United States of America is one of 168 contracting parties in the Ramsar Convention, and has 35 sites that are classified as Wetlands of International Importance. Four are located in Florida.
  • Members of the district dredge estimating team (left to right) are Rick Stallings, Jennifer Tyler, Tony Ledford, and Brian Blake. They are pictured here while on a site visit to observe the latest dredge dewatering technology being used on a project at Holmes Beach near Bradenton, Fla.

    Blake exemplifies loyalty, mentors team members

    We see them on cards that are handed out in our orientation packet from Human Resources. We see posters listing them on the walls in conference rooms or along the hallways. They are the seven U.S. Army values, which Soldiers and Civilians are asked to know and live by. But what do they really mean? And how do we apply them in our lives and in our work? This seven-part series will take a look at each of the values and showcase team members who embody them.

  • District welcomes middle school’s First Lego® League

    Jacksonville District continues to make strides in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, as employees hosted students from JEB Stuart Middle School’s First Lego® League (FLL) at the district’s headquarters office. The event provided a view of the STEM disciplines as they are used in Corps career fields.
  • Culvert 11 before removal in March 2012

    2014 promises to be busy year for dike rehabilitation

    2014 is shaping up to be a very busy year for rehabilitation at the dike. Jacksonville District continues to press on with construction projects, and will move closer toward completing a study that will provide options on the remaining measures needed to reduce the risk of dike failure.

  • January

    Real Estate Division’s varied program touches every project

    “Real Estate Division has a much more varied program than many people realize,” said Audrey Ormerod, chief of the Real Estate Division. “In fact, we touch every district project in some way.”

  • Military, Interagency and International Services Branch has far-reaching mission

    It has been a very busy, productive year for the Military-IIS Branch, an integral component of Jacksonville District’s mission.

  • The battle against invasive species rages on

    Invasive species management is much like fighting an ongoing war while battling multiple insurgencies. Once an area is cleared, constant, diligent defense against new and known invaders is needed to maintain the ground won. In Jacksonville District, the battle against invasive species rages on.

  • Engineering Division: Hard work results in significant achievements

    “It was a big year for execution,” said Laureen Borochaner, chief of Jacksonville District’s Engineering Division. “We already had plenty of work, and then took on a lot of additional, unplanned work besides. Much of that work was in-house design of complex major projects.”
  • Beth Myers, deputy for the Small Business Programs Office, helps Corps employees, small and large businesses, contractors and others understand and navigate complex rules and regulations and the government contracting process.

    Big year for small business programs office

    "Small business is everyone's business." That is Beth Myers’ motto, and the philosophy she truly believes, lives and works by. As the deputy for the Small Business Programs Office, she knows that it is important for every member of Jacksonville District to understand and support the small business mission. Though she works with contractors and small businesses, one of Myers’ main jobs is to educate the district team. “It takes an entire team to work this program, not just my office,” she said.