Seawall Repair in Carrabelle, FL

Carrabelle is a Franklin County city at the mouth of the Carrabelle River, east of Apalachicola. The river opens onto St. George Sound, one of the estuarine waters the Northwest Florida Water Management District counts in the Apalachicola River and Bay system. Tides here are bigger than in the western Panhandle: NOAA's Carrabelle River station averages about 2.3 feet between higher high and lower low water. On the riverfront, current, tide, and boat traffic all press on the same walls.

How Does Carrabelle Connect to Our Tallahassee Team?

Carrabelle is part of our Big Bend region. The Tallahassee seawall repair team is the regional lead and coordinates scheduling and permits for Franklin County's eastern coast.

Along the coast, seawall repair in St. Marks covers the river town to the east on Apalachee Bay, where tides run even larger. To the west, the Apalachicola seawall repair team works Franklin County's other river city, and Port St. Joe seawall repair covers St. Joseph Bay in Gulf County.

What Storm Surge Has Hit Carrabelle?

• Hurricane Michael (2018): the National Hurricane Center surveyed a water level of 7.3 ft above ground at Carrabelle.
• Hurricane Helene (2024): the Apalachicola tide gauge, the nearest NOS gauge, measured 4.33 ft above mean higher high water.
• Hurricane Idalia (2023): the same gauge measured 2.84 ft above mean higher high water.

When surge recedes, saturated fill drains back through the wall. Sand goes with it, leaving voids behind walls that may still look straight.

What Wears Down Carrabelle Riverfront Walls?

• Tidal flushing. About 2.3 feet of daily range moves water through every worn joint.
• River current and boat wake scour the toe and work on joint seals.
• Wave reflection. FDEP notes that vertical walls reflect wave energy and tend to increase erosion at their base.
• Hidden voids left by surge.

The early signs are soft ground or sinkholes behind the cap, cloudy water at the base on a falling tide, and cracked or dropping caps.

How Do We Repair Carrabelle Seawalls?

On a straight wall, we fix it from behind. Our crews inject NCFI marine polyurethane through small ports to fill voids, bind loose sand, and seal joints from the soil side. See how polyurethane injection rebuilds lost soil support. There's no excavation, which helps on tight working-waterfront lots. Cracked caps are re-formed, and leaning sections can often be anchored before they fail.

Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations is an NCFI-certified polyurethane installer, holds Florida license CBC1267322, and has served Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina since 1996.

Which Permits Apply to Carrabelle Seawall Work?

Inside city limits, the City of Carrabelle Building Department handles permits, with applications through the city's online building permit portal. The city also publishes a Waterfront Vision Plan for its riverfront. Outside city limits, Franklin County is the local office.

At the state level, Florida Statute 403.813(1)(e) exempts restoring a seawall at its old location, upland, or within 18 inches waterward from a separate FDEP permit. FDEP's shoreline guidance adds that projects in an aquatic preserve still need written authorization to use state-owned submerged lands. FDEP lists Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve just east of the Apalachicola estuary, and Apalachicola Bay Aquatic Preserve to the west, so we check preserve boundaries for each address. FDEP's Northwest District covers Franklin County.

Book a free Carrabelle seawall inspection and we'll check both the wall and the permit path.