Mashes Sands Pier Update Sparks Renewed Interest in 2022 Missing Funds

Wakulla County’s long‑stalled Mashes Sands Pier project is finally moving again, but the renewed momentum has revived an unresolved question that’s lingered since 2022: What ever happened to the $195,241.20 lost to a phishing scheme tied to this very project?

According to a January 30, 2026 report from WTXL, the county is now in the final stages of FEMA approval for full pier reconstruction. After years of delays, including a no‑work order from April 2022 through May 2025, FEMA re‑obligated funds in May 2025. Procurement documents went to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) in October 2025, and staff expect to release requests for quotes and bids in February or March 2026. Once a contractor receives notice to proceed, construction is estimated at roughly 270 days.

That progress has prompted residents to revisit the earlier financial loss connected to the same project.

The 2022 Phishing Loss: What Happened

Public records and contemporaneous reporting from The Wakulla Sun (Aug. 4, 2022) outline the incident:

• Wakulla County contracted with Shoreline Foundation Inc. for pier reconstruction.

• Two invoices were processed:

  • $195,241.20 - paid April 1, 2022 via EFT to a fraudulent Chase account.

  • $311,220.75 - paid April 18, 2022 to the same fraudulent account.

• Fraudsters used a Business Email Compromise attack on Shoreline, spoofing staff emails (including domains with subtle misspellings like shoreliinefoundation.com) to redirect payments.

• Shoreline notified the county after the second payment, revealing the fraud.

• Chase Bank successfully recalled the $311,220.75, but the first payment — $195,241.20 — was unrecoverable.

FDLE and the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force confirmed that Shoreline, not the county, was the phishing victim.

The criminal investigation (WCSO22OFF000860) involved:

• DOJ coordination (a subsequent FOIA we made to the FBI returned no results)

• Houston‑area law enforcement

• ATM and Walmart surveillance

• Facial recognition leads

• Hotel records

No arrests, charges, or recovery announcements have been made public since 2022.

A Tense 2022 Meeting

One detail from the sheriff’s administrative report continues to draw attention.

During an April 22, 2022 meeting with detectives, County Administrator David Edwards:

• Questioned whether a criminal investigation was necessary

• Suggested the county had already fulfilled its payment obligations

• Expressed concern about the county being listed as a “victim,” citing potential liability to Shoreline

• Voiced strong suspicions toward Shoreline despite no evidence at the time

Detectives disagreed, emphasizing their duty to taxpayers. County attorneys supported continuing the investigation. The probe moved forward.

The report also recommended:

• IT security audits

• Firewall improvements

• Formal verification procedures for electronic payment changes

Why the Question Keeps Coming Back

As FEMA approval nears and the pier rebuild finally approaches reality, residents are again asking the same question seen in recent Facebook discussions:

What ever came of the $195,000?

Records requests to the FBI returned no responsive documents, consistent with active or unresolved federal investigations. An FDLE request remains pending; any updates will be published as soon as they are received.

The pier is moving forward. But the financial loss tied to it has never been publicly resolved. For a county with recurring audit findings about weak internal controls, the lack of closure remains a matter of public interest.

Wakulla Reports will continue tracking both the pier project and the outstanding questions surrounding the 2022 phishing loss.