Franklin County and the Apalachicola Artificial Reef Association completed the first deployment at the Buddy Ward permit site in June 2021. Walter Marine placed 35 concrete pyramid modules in five seven-unit patch reefs about eight miles south of Bob Sikes Cut.
The structures weighed an estimated 105 tons in total and were deployed in roughly 40 feet of water. The project marked the area's first new artificial reef construction since bridge spans were placed in 2004 and established a foundation for later expansion.
