Jupiter's Lighthouse Shoreline Was Rebuilt for an Average Day
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
"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." Bureau of Land Management manager Peter DeWitt said this to Stet News in September while walking the nearly finished shoreline at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
"Still available" is accurate, but there's a condition attached. The $16 million shoreline stabilization project has a public grand opening on December 3. The design keeps boat access at about the level of an ordinary day and drops the holiday-weekend crowds. Meanwhile, most of the new space goes to people who arrive on foot, by kayak or with a snorkel.
The key figure is 17. A BLM study found that an average of 17 boats a day used the lighthouse shoreline. On the busiest weekends, DeWitt told WPTV, "you could get 40 to 60 boats." He called it "almost a free-for-all."
The rebuilt shoreline matches that daily average closely. The Palm Beach Post reported in October that it can hold about 17 boats at a time, first come, first served. Asked about the holiday crowds, DeWitt was direct: "That use is no longer permitted." Stet News quoted him with a range of 15 to 20 boats, depending on boat size and how close boaters are willing to anchor to each other.
| Before the project | After the project | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical boats on an average day | 17, per BLM study | Capacity of about 15 to 20 |
| Peak holiday weekends | 40 to 60 boats | Not supported by the design |
| Docking | Beaching on open sand | Nose-in beaches, plus a dock for permitted uses only |
| Erosion | About 7 feet a year | Breakwaters, riprap and a living shoreline |
So a weekday boater should find the beach about as full as it usually was. Holiday weekends change completely. The new dock doesn't make up the difference. DeWitt described it as being for permitted uses such as a historic ship visiting for a week of tours, or a couple leaving their wedding by boat. "General public docking won't be available," he told Stet News. No permit process or fee schedule has been published.
An earlier plan would have closed the shoreline to boats entirely. DeWitt told Stet News that the early design "basically built a solid breakwater all the way along the shoreline that eliminated all boat access." It changed after more than 800 people, businesses and partners sent comments. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and the Florida Inland Navigation District also helped shape the final version. In 2024, Marine Industries Association board member Ray Graziotto told WLRN that reduced access was a "pretty fair compromise." He added that the group was not "totally thrilled" with it.
The land side gains more. The centerpiece is an 835-foot boardwalk along the Loxahatchee River, plus a new ADA-accessible trail that loops around the lighthouse and links the pier to the boardwalk. WPTV counted seven staircases along the boardwalk. They lead down to small beaches cut into the shoreline, and some of the 22,000 new plants are going into the retaining wall.
DeWitt described the walk to Stet News as a choice of routes. You can walk the boardwalk and come back the same way, or climb the stairs and follow a trail around to the lighthouse. Katrina Heller, executive director of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Museum, told the Palm Beach Post the loop is "a really great benefit for some locals who each morning just want to do a beautiful walk around the property or a climb of the lighthouse."
A morning walk here comes with a few rules:
Heller also pointed to two additions with the museum's calendar in mind. A new pavilion will host programs and private events, including the museum's monthly homeschool morning when the weather turns. A previously restricted part of the property is becoming lawn, which gives more room to the River Cherish Art Festival in March. Heller told the Palm Beach Post she hopes for 100 artists, up from 70 last year.
The boat capacity was set at an average day. Paddling and snorkeling access expanded. The Palm Beach Post reports that two kayak vendors will work from opposite sides of the park, one on the Loxahatchee River and one on the Indian River Lagoon. "Hopefully a little competition between the two keeps the price nice and low," DeWitt said. Stet News identified Get Up and Go Kayaking and the Palm Beach Outrigger Canoe Club as working out of a new tiki hut near the Indian River shoreline. Rental prices haven't been announced.
The biggest change underwater is a snorkel trail near Cato's Bridge, which already draws a crowd at the northeast edge of the property. Stet News says the route will extend under the bridge. BLM's project log records the first experimental Reef Arches structure going in on the Loxahatchee River side on September 9. The agency describes it as the start of an artificial reef system "for ecological study and visitor enjoyment." The snorkeling area has its own opening date, December 20, a little over two weeks after the rest of the site.
Anglers have a smaller item to watch. DeWitt told WPTV that the plan includes regular public fishing programs. No schedule has been posted yet.
The project was originally supposed to finish in August. According to the Palm Beach Post, a government shutdown delayed work early in the contract, and late material deliveries set it back further. Construction started in March 2025. As of early October, DeWitt said "the infrastructure itself is 95% complete. The restoration is still very much underway." More than 7,000 mangroves had been planted toward a goal of 10,000, with four more plantings to go.
BLM's own schedule for September through November covers the last breakwater and boardwalk work, volunteer planting days, trail mulching and the start of dock installation. The December dates have already moved once, so check them close to the day.
The opening falls during Jupiter's busiest holiday weeks. Put together, the calendar looks like this:
Holiday weekends that used to fill the sand with 40 to 60 boats will look different around the lighthouse this winter. Water access now comes mainly through the two kayak stands and the new reef trail by Cato's Bridge. Boaters who come on a regular day still have room for about 17 boats.
If you're weighing a home near the inlet and want to know how the new shoreline changes daily life on the water, from a walk on the boardwalk to beaching a boat on a weekday, Alexandra Gonzalez is happy to talk it through with you. Request a Private Consultation, in English or Spanish.
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