Highway 98 is a vital artery running through the heart of Franklin County. But portions of the road are only a few feet away from the sea, leaving it vulnerable to daily erosion and tidal surge from hurricanes. Parts of it have been washed out in past storms. Now, leaders are looking to a new solution: nature.
From Carrabelle to East Point, slabs of concrete and sharp gray rocks blanket the sides of Highway 98. But Franklin County Commissioner Ricky Jones says it wasn’t always like that.
“There were residences and docks, and I could remember a couple [of] places now where the road is right beside the water, there were people who had their house way off the road,” Jones says.
Over the years, the sea has gobbled up the coast, taking the houses and docks with it. Now, it threatens to take the road as well.
Robbie Gaffney is a recent graduate from Florida State University with degrees in Digital Media Production and Creative Writing. Before working at WFSU, they recorded FSU’s basketball and baseball games for Seminole Productions as well as interned for the PBS Station in Largo, Florida.
Robbie loves playing video games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Their other hobbies include sleeping and watching anime.
