Daytona Jet ski rental employee Coby Harrison says debris from Hurricane Matthew continues to pollute the Intracoastal Waterway and shoreline.

  • Intracoastal Waterway still has debris from Hurricane Matthew
  • Debris poses a hazard to boaters and jet skiers
  • Volusia County got part of a grant to help clean up debris

He wonders if debris washing up in the Daytona Beach Shore area will ever end.

“We have debris that washes up every day. There’s actually a piece of debris right over there," Harrison said. "It’s a big section of dock, about 10x10. We pulled it out on shore because it was out there floating.”

Earlier this year, the state gave five counties a piece of a $10 million grant to remove debris from waterways. Volusia County did not receive a dime of that grant.

But last week, Gov. Rick Scott approved an additional $5 million for hurricane-related debris removal. This time, some of that money will go to Volusia County.

That debris clean-up initiative is meant to remove items, like the dock section Harris and co-workers removed from the Intracoastal Waterway to protect boaters and jet skiers.

Dozens of destroyed boat docks with missing wooden planks can also be seen along the shore line. Those missing planks end up as debris in the waterway.

“I mean, it’s ridiculous because its been almost six months and they haven’t done anything about the storm,” said Harris.

County officials say they will meet with a storm debris removal contractor to identify which areas need the most attention. Work is expected to begin soon after that.

Brevard County also qualifies for that $5 million grant. The grant does not include derelict boat removal.

If you think you have waterway debris which needs to be removed, the county is asking homeowners to contact JNolin@volusia.org.