(This story was updated with new information.)
FLAGLER BEACH — Officials have figured the mission of a boat that suddenly appeared planted off shore south of the Flagler Beach Pier.
The vessel had elevated itself off the surf Thursday evening a few hundred yards south of the city’s shuttered pier. But Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin said Friday it had nothing to do with the pier.
Martin said he would check on it. By Friday afternoon he had the answer: the boat is part of an “undersea cable effort.” Martin said the vessel was drilling one bore (approximately 100 feet deep) for samples of the sea bed composition in the area of the proposed cable landing site.
A boat seen elevated above the surf off Flagler Beach on Thursday, May 22, 2025. The boat was south of the city’s battered and closed pier but isn’t part of the project to build a new pier, officials said.
The vessel is a dive boat named the Polly L, according to marinetraffic.com. It is 22 meters long and 12 meters wide or 72 feet by 39 feet.
The boat left St. Augustine and headed south earlier Thursday.
Now open in Flagler Beach: The Compass Hotel by Margaritaville
‘It’s 5 O’clock somewhere’: Flagler Beach restaurant opens at Compass Hotel by Margaritaville
Flagler Beach Pier work expected to begin in 2 weeks
As for the pier, Martin said crews are expected to start mobilizing in two weeks to begin taking down the battered Flagler Beach Pier. Once it’s removed, they will start building the new pier.
The project should take about 18 months, so the new pier is projected to be open by December 2026.
While there has been news about changes at FEMA under the Trump administration, there is no indication that the $18 million in funding for the Flagler Beach Pier project is at risk.
FEMA will fund 75% of the project while the Department of Emergency Management will fund 12.5% and the Department of Environmental Protection will fund another 12.5% .
“The city hasn’t had any word that that funding is in jeopardy or has been reduced or anything at all,” Martin said.
City Commissioner Scott Spradley also said he did not anticipate any issues with federal funding for the pier project.
Spradley said in a phone interview Thursday that the money was already designated for the pier and it was highly unlikely that would change.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Beach queries mysterious boat rising off surf near pier
DJ Kamal Mustafa
I’m DJ Kamal Mustafa, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of EMEA Tribune, a digital news platform that focuses on critical stories from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan. With a deep passion for investigative journalism, I’ve built a reputation for delivering exclusive, thought-provoking reports that highlight the region’s most pressing issues.
I’ve been a journalist for over 10 years, and I’m currently associated with EMEA Tribune, ARY News, Daily Times, Samaa TV, Minute Mirror, and many other media outlets. Throughout my career, I’ve remained committed to uncovering the truth and providing valuable insights that inform and engage the public.
