On September 23, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission added eight harvest days to the private recreational Gulf red snapper season. That turned October 9 through October 22 into one unbroken stretch of open days. On the first of those days, around 9:30 p.m. Eastern, Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph sustained winds, according to the Florida Department of Transportation's October 14 recovery update.
Mexico Beach was well east of landfall. Even so, the storm took away the stretch of open snapper days that boat owners here had just been given. The cause was sand.
Sand, Not Wind, Is What Closed the Canal
WJHG reported on October 15 that Isaias's winds and storm surge pushed so much sand into the city canal that it had to close temporarily. City crews are dredging it to make it safe again for charter and commercial fishing boats. The city says the dark water near the canal comes from tannins in the heavy stormwater runoff draining to the Gulf, with the dredging itself adding some murk.
A separate water-quality issue sits close by. In another WJHG report, Bay County health officials advised against swimming and other water recreation at the 8th Street testing site after October 14 samples showed Enterococcus above state recreational-water criteria. The advisory had no end date and depends on follow-up tests.
As of October 15, the city had not announced a reopening date for the canal. The city's weekly reports, posted on the Admin's Weekly Update page, are the place to watch for one.
A Harbor Built Where Sand Keeps Moving East
The canal shoaled after Isaias because of where it sits. The Mexico Beach inlet cuts through a beach where sand moves steadily along the shore from west to east. Each jetty, storm and dredge cycle is an attempt to work with that flow.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's August 2026 Strategic Beach Management Plan estimates that about 86,700 cubic yards of sand reach the inlet channel or the up-current edge of the west jetty. The state's target is to bypass an average of 32,400 cubic yards a year past the inlet to the beach on the east side. The bypass target equals a bit more than a third of the sand the state estimates arrives at the west side.
This has happened before. The same DEP plan says that after Hurricane Dennis in 2005, "the entrance to Mexico Beach Inlet was completely shoaled and essentially closed." In April 2024, DEP adopted a formal Mexico Beach Inlet Management Plan. It requires beach and inlet surveys, dredge records for all bypassing work, and sand placement on the beach east of the east jetty.
For the long term, the plan directs the state and city to "complete the construction of the authorized east jetty."
The Equipment That Keeps It Open Is a Backhoe and a Pipe
Until that jetty is built, the canal stays open through maintenance done by hand. Bay County described the city's setup in a July 25, 2024 bid addendum for its beach restoration project:
The City of Mexico Beach (COMB) has an active dredging program that maintains the Mexico Beach Canal entrance and approach channel on an "as-needed" basis. The dredged material is pumped via a pipeline approximately 650 feet along the shoreline immediately east of the canal and discharged into the surf zone.
The same document lists the land-based equipment as a backhoe and a work truck. The city does this work in quiet weeks too. Its September 5, 2025 weekly report noted ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the 8th Street Canal and "normal dredging operations" at the canal mouth.
"As-needed" works well on an ordinary week. After a storm surge, the same small crew and pipeline have to clear in days the sand the beach would normally deliver over months. That gap between the storm and the reopening is the delay boat owners feel.
The Jetty Has Been Next in Line Since 2016
The jetty fix has been in planning for about a decade. Here is how it has moved, according to state and city records:
- 2016. A city feasibility study concluded the east jetty would work better if it were lengthened 200 feet seaward.
- Permit in hand. Bay County has obtained a permit to modify and build an eastern jetty and extend the western jetty.
- 2022 and 2023. The city ran an inlet study to build a sediment budget, and DEP adopted the inlet management plan in April 2024.
- January 2025. The city's project update said the jetty was waiting for nearby beach renourishment to finish before going out to bid. That renourishment, the town's first, started February 7, 2025. It was planned as three miles of 14-foot dunes from El Governor Resort to the canal, according to WMBB.
- March 2025. The city advertised for bids to demolish the existing jetties and rebuild both the east and west jetties, with 180 days allowed to substantial completion after notice to proceed.
- June 2026. The June 12 weekly report said the FY 2027 budget would show $4.3 million for the jetty and $10 million for the pier as FEMA-reimbursable spending. The report also said "Jetty: No update."
- October 9, 2026. The weekly report issued as Isaias approached listed "No update" for both the jetty and the pier.
That budget line explains a number that may have caught your eye. City Administrator Mell Smigielski wrote in June that auditors now require FEMA-reimbursable projects to appear in the city budget. That raises the total budget from about $9 million to about $25 million, "not because of a tax increase," but as "the proper accounting of all of our expenses." The jetty money is on paper. The construction schedule has not been announced.
The city is also looking past the canal mouth. WJHG reported that Mexico Beach is evaluating long-term stormwater solutions, including possible use of roughly 80 acres recently donated by the St. Joe Company.
The Boat Ramp Becomes a Work Zone Next
The project with a firm schedule is at the city boat ramp off U.S. 98, which now has three concrete launch bays. The City Council awarded the repair and expansion contract to H.G. Harders on June 9, 2026. DEP's March 24, 2026 permit covers an added 19-by-63.6-foot ramp, a riprap apron, a dock and gangway, and about 545 linear feet of new sheet-pile wall.
The city's bid documents call for a new steel seawall, concrete ramp and promenade, floating dock, gangway, pilings and ADA handrails. They allow 270 days to substantial completion after notice to proceed, and the work is phased so at least one ramp lane stays open.
Here is how the ramp timeline stood in the city's two most recent weekly reports:
| Weekly report | Boat ramp status |
|---|---|
| September 25, 2026 | Metal sheet piles ordered for late October or early November delivery. Harders will notify the city 3 to 5 days before major work begins. |
| October 9, 2026 | Still waiting on sheet-pile delivery in late October or early November. |
If the steel arrives on that schedule, construction will begin during the November snapper weekends. Expect fewer open lanes at the ramp than usual. The city's notice will come only a few days before major work starts.
Other waterfront projects from the October 9 report: the Mexico Beach logo sign is up on the back of the new amphitheater, and the Sunset Park dune walkover is complete but stays closed until its as-built survey is done.
What's Open Once the Boats Get Back Out
The continuous October snapper stretch runs through October 22. Starting October 23, FWC's remaining 2026 schedule returns to weekends and holidays.
| Species | Status for late October and November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Gulf red snapper, private recreational | Open Oct. 23–25, Oct. 30–Nov. 1, Nov. 7–8, 14–15, 21–22, and Nov. 26–29 |
| Gulf gag grouper | Closed since Oct. 1 for the rest of 2026 |
| Gulf greater amberjack | Closed; season ended Oct. 13 |
| Gray triggerfish | Open in Gulf state and federal waters through Dec. 31 |
| Snook, Panhandle region | Open through November; closes Dec. 1 |
After Thanksgiving, snapper continues on December weekends, Christmas weekend, and January 1 through 4, 2027. FWC's private season covers private boats in Florida's Gulf state and federal waters. Charter boats without a federal permit are limited to state waters. Mexico Beach Fishing Company, run by Captain Wade Guilford, is federally permitted, which lets it fish farther out than 9 miles. Charisma Charters lists its boat at 104 Miramar Drive. Ask any captain how this year's dates apply to their boat before you book, and check FWC's snapper page before a trip, since seasons can change.
For live bait, tackle or ethanol-free gas before a snapper weekend, Mexico Beach Marina carries all three and offers Yamaha service. The city's canal boat slips sit next to Canal Park on the Gulf side of Canal Parkway. Whether boats in those slips can reach the Gulf after a storm depends on how quickly the city's dredge clears the canal mouth.
If you're weighing a canal-front lot, a home with a boat slip, or a waterfront property anywhere from Mexico Beach to Port St. Joe, our team at First & Main Real Estate Group can talk through how water access works on that particular stretch of shoreline before you commit. Start your property search with us and we'll help you ask the right questions about the water.
