Historic Castillo de San Marcos closed to survey storm damage

The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine was closed Friday as staff looked for damage from Hurricane Milton.

The 351-year-old Spanish fort on the Matanzas River will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday after the damage assessment showed no serious issues.

Hurricane Milton caused flooding in the park office parking lot along San Marco Avenue, as well as the Castillo’s north lawn. Waves impacted the fort itself, so they had to inspect that and Castillo utilities, said park superintendent Gordon Wilson.

“We get a little erosion on the south side of the fort where water comes over that section of wall,” Wilson said. “We have utilities on the east side of the fort, so we need to make sure utilities don’t get impacted by the water inundation, and we go and make sure everything is working — toilet and electricity.”

The Castillo was shut down Monday in anticipation of the hurricane’s arrival, which caused flooding in St. Augustine’s historic district Thursday as the Matanzas River overflowed the downtown seawall.

The closure and hurricane’s arrival also came during a public comment period regarding a proposed National Park Service project to repair and raise the Castillo’s historic seawalls .

Park service officials said that the condition of the seawall sections ranges from fair to poor. By raising their height and repairing them, the project would protect the historic and cultural resources of the park. The work also would aid in flood prevention and resiliency for St. Augustine and its nearby historic downtown.

The National Park Service held a meeting on the project Sept. 28. Public comments can be made through Oct. 17 at its National Park Service website .

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