Beach Nourishment + Maintenance

January 28, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis, Hurricane Ian Press Event (by Florida Fish and Wildlife CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Gov. DeSantis touts post-Hurricane Ian beach renourishment funding – Florida Politics

Volusia County is set to receive $37.7M out of the $100M set aside for beach renourishment.

Volusia County and other areas that suffered beach erosion from Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole are set to receive $100 million for beach renourishment projects as part of legislation passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in December.

DeSantis highlighted the specific grant amounts to each community during an event Wednesday in Daytona Beach.

Although Hurricane Ian hit the state as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28 and packed the biggest punch in Southwest Florida, where storm surge caused more than 100 deaths, it brought damaging beach erosion on the east coast as well, especially in Volusia County where dozens of homes and other structures were affected.

“The coastal erosion caused by these storms not only damaged upland structures and infrastructure but left them vulnerable to subsequent storms if not addressed,” DeSantis said. “I am pleased to announce another step to expedite recovery of our communities impacted by these historic storm events. This funding will support beach restoration needs, allowing us to rebuild and further enhance resilience…”

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More on Beach Nourishment + Maintenance . . .

Miami Beach Lifeguard Towers Collage (by Anthony Quintano CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

‘Sand is like gold.’ The pricey race to restore Florida beaches before the next hurricane – KOAM News Now

For decades, Florida has been restoring its beaches by dredging or trucking in more sand. But the practice is becoming more challenging — and expensive, thanks to the rising cost of beach-quality sand. Offshore sand deposits, especially on Florida’s southeast coast, are dwindling after decades of repeated beach restoration projects. As local governments squabble over the right to use the remaining sand, its price is rising…

Daytona Beach, 20022 (by Jim Allen CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Fliickr)

Florida beaches were already running low on sand. Then Ian and Nicole hit – the Washington Post

“I think we’re starting to discover that, despite our best efforts and wanting to throw as much money at this as possible, it has become very difficult to keep these beaches as wide as we would like to keep them,” Robert S. Young, a geology professor at Western Carolina University and director of the Program for Developed Shorelines… “We simply don’t have the capacity to hold all of these beaches in place.”

Unspoiled Beach of North Topsail Island, 2018 (by Michael Au CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

North Topsail is getting millions for beach nourishment. How long will the sand last? – Star News Online

Last month North Carolina doled out nearly $20 million in grants to help coastal communities better fortify and rebuild beach infrastructure battered by recent hurricanes, tropical storms, and nor’easters.

But in a world where climate change is bringing higher seas and more frequent and ferocious storms to our shores, is investing taxpayer dollars in the sand that’s all but guaranteed to have a limited lifespan on the beach a smart investment?

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