Artificial reef project begins off Collier County coast

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- One thousand tons of concrete now sit on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. On Friday, crews dropped the first of miles of new reef there.

A barge full of concrete splashed into the Gulf piece by piece.

“As you can see the structure is going in and this is just the process that will endure for years and years and years for the next generations,” said Peter Flood.

It’s the first of 36 artificial reefs that will be placed off the coast of Collier County.

“When you look at these piles of concrete and you realize when they hit the ground today in two hours there will be fish on the beginning of those reefs,” said State Representative Kathleen Passidomo.

The reefs are being placed in the area to enhance the fish habitat, providing a better location for people to dive and fish.

Those in the hospitality industry are excited about what it will bring.

“The opportunity to bring tournaments to the area which provides dollars for the hotels, restaurants and allows the economy to grow further,” said Steven Gyorkos with the Marriott Residence Inn.

The project is expected to bring more than $30 million of additional tourism dollars to Southwest Florida in the next two years.

“As long as we keep the project going, which we will we plan on doing, keep improving it the economic impact will keep increasing” said Flood.

More than $1 million of settlement money from the BP Oil Spill is helping to pay for the project.