ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Angela Del Rosso is the owner of Nauti Girls Seafood Company in St. Augustine, which she says has only been open for five months.
She believes it may only be another month or two before she’s forced to close, and is blaming a nearby construction project.
“I’m out thousands of dollars a day,” Del Rosso said, “I can’t keep bearing myself into something that’s not working.”
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Del Rosso’s store sits on US-1 North, located just south of downtown St. Augustine near the Oyster Creek Bridge. Driving near her store, there are cones, barricades and construction signs lining both sides of the street. She tells Action News Jax she buys fish from local fishermen, who are having a tough time getting their supply to her store.
“Some of my guys in their boats can’t even get into my lot because if they slow down, there are people honking at them or they come around the corner and don’t see that I’m there,” said Del Rosso.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is working on a project to replace the culvert, or tunnel, running beneath the Oyster Creek Bridge. FDOT says the project started in the spring of 2022 and won’t be finished until late 2025.
FDOT didn’t want to do an interview with Action News Jax, but provided this statement:
“This project is necessary for the long term safety of the roadway. The corridor has remained opened during construction to minimize the impact to the community and we welcome any concerned citizens to reach out directly to FDOT and assist however we can.”
Del Rosso says she and other nearby business owners have been hurting in the last few months, and she is unsure whether her store will make it to the end of the construction project.
“It’s been a real difficult issue just trying to get customers in and out of my shop,” Del Rosso said, “if things don’t pick up, I’m going to have to shut down.”
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