Sandcastles & ICE®
East Coast Marine Supports Seawall Restoration 
Image Provided by East Coast Marine

Edited by: Debbie Reaney 

At least 7,000 homes and close to 1,650 buildings in Volusia County suffered severe flooding and structural damage during the 2022 hurricane season. According to local officials, 40 local small businesses in the area were destroyed completely. Located along the east coast of Central Florida, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided $103 million directly to Volusia residents for home repairs, rental assistance and other needs, along with nearly $9 million to help local governments and nonprofit organizations responding to Ian and Nicole. 

East Coast Marine Construction & Design (ECM), a local leader in Florida marine and dock construction, is one of the construction crews working toward rebuilding the seawalls in Daytona Beach Shores near Sunglow Pier. It is a critical part of businesses getting back to where they were before Hurricane Ian hit followed by the massive storm surge during Hurricane Nicole only 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) later, bringing heavy damage to the beach. Many of the businesses and residents along this stretch lost their pools, hot tubs, automobiles and in some cases substantial portions of their homes to the sea. The concrete chunks that once littered the shore have been cleared, and beachgoers have returned to the sand. However, even a year after the storm there are still miles of seawall damage to be fixed. 

Most recently, East Coast Marine was selected to restore the seawalls to three area hotels. Two of these hotels have been on Daytona beach since the 1960's, making them some of Daytona's oldest hotels still in operation. To help save these treasures, ECM was required to clear all equipment off the beach daily, so it was crucial to have something they could drive on the road and store in a parking lot. A Terex truck crane was chosen for maneuverability on the beach and its ability for quick and easy resets. Once the area was prepared, an excavator was used for its ability to move a lot of material quickly along with being used for demolition, site work and digging debris from the lineup. Afterwards, an ICE® 216D Vibratory Hammer and ICE® 95 Sheeting Clamp paired with an ICE® 150G Power Unit was brought in to drive the 22' (ft)long JD Fields AZ-14 770 steel sheets to create the new seawall. ECM professionals were thrilled with its ability and stated that "the ICE® 216D with its perfect combination size and capability for a project like this. The relatively light-weight hammer combined with the power and driving force needed, made the decision to use it easy. It was also important that a whip-line hammer was used to ensure that the hammer would hang plumb, and the sheets would drive straight and efficiently." Cutting down on the amount of time and jetting required for the job and helping bring these projects in on time and on budget. 

While driving sheets is a relatively straightforward operation, it is far from easy. The sandy condition on the beach generally offers good driving conditions, however the East Coast crew did encounter a layer of cementitious sand that slowed them down to a 50+ blow count. According to the project manager at East Coast, the biggest challenge was that they were working on the beach: against both time and mother nature. Additionally, permitting authorities are understandably very protective about the beach and its wildlife, so East Coast Marine worked diligently to ensure that habitat was not destroyed and that protected species like sea turtles were not harmed. These safety measures also included ensuring that all contaminants (Hydraulic oil, gas, grease, etc.) were kept off the beach. Another challenge on this project was the tide. The team's window to drive sheets and import material was limited, as some days there were only 4 workable hours due to tidal patterns and on days when the wind was particularly rough onshore the crew at East Coast was not able to make any progress at all. These seasoned professionals know that once you demolish an old oceanfront seawall the property is vulnerable to any storms that may develop, so hurricane and storm planning was also particularly important to the team, as they did not want to cause any undue damage to the properties they were trying to protect. 

East Coast Marine Construction & Design was extremely pleased with the equipment, as well as their ICE Florida Branch Sales & Service team. Project Manager, Michael Fletcher, felt that ICE® "were lifesavers on these projects. Not only was Billy there for most deliveries, but he also had a good technical eye and a great imagination, which helped us overcome a lot of the difficulties we faced early on. Any time we needed assistance, whether it was an issue with the equipment itself or just advice on how to use the equipment more efficiently, Billy and the ICE® team had our back. They would move heaven and earth or even a 90,000LB piece of equipment across the USA if we needed it". 

International Construction Equipment, Inc. would like to express our sincerest gratitude to East Coast Marine Construction & Design for their kind words and support. Building relationships with our clients is what truly sets us apart from many other companies. Well done, Billy, and team! Thank you for your commitment to providing amazing customer service! And Bravo East Coast Marine, the residents, tourists, and beach goers of Volusia County can feel safer knowing that the seawalls placed by dedicated professionals like you will continue to provide the deep and secure foundations needed to restore and protect the areas they have come to love, safely and conscientiously. 

Learn more about the ICE® 216D or contact your local Sales & Service Team and find out how they can help you with your next project.  

Media Contact-     
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA     
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations   

Vice President IT and IT Comm  
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc     
Office - 704-821-8200     
Email - marketing@iceusa.com