After Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton pushed beach dunes into homes and businesses along Gulf Boulevard last year, you could think that property owners there would be lining up to back a planned sand renourishment.
But instead, more than 130 property owners in an arc from Sand Key to Upham Beach are balking at signing over temporary easements.
One of those, Mike Pelton, lives at a Gulf Shores condo in Indian Shores. During a public meeting Wednesday night in Treasure Island, he said past storms have repeatedly blown sand dunes into his condo.
"Extend the beach, widen it out like we've always done. We don't need a bunch of plants. We don't need all that crap," he said during the meeting at Treasure Island City Hall, across Gulf Boulevard from the beach. "Then you ruin everybody's views on the beach if you live on the bottom floor, which we do; my family has 3 units on the bottom floor."
There are 53 holdouts remaining in Indian Rocks Beach, 53 in Indian Shores, 31 in Redington Shores, 9 in Treasure Island, and 3 in St. Pete Beach.
All property owners have signed up along Clearwater Beach and Belleair Beach.
ALSO READ: Emergency sand renourishment planned for Pinellas beaches slammed by hurricanes
But Pinellas County Commission Chair Brian Scott said withholding a property easement would leave gaps where stormwater could come crashing through.
"It is critical, absolutely critical that we get 100% of that because if we put sand behind your home but we don't put sand behind your neighbor's home, the water's going to go where there's no sand," he said.
Property owners will now be allowed to opt in for renourishing their portion of the beach, without allowing new sand dunes to be built.
After the meeting, Pelton said he would allow renourishment, but wouldn't sign one for new dunes.
Sand will be placed below the high-water line along every parcel. That's considered public property under what are now waves.
Easements are still being accepted, and additional properties may still be added to the project, up to the date where dredgers are next to their property. Anyone looking to sign their easement can contact the county through signforsand@pinellas.gov.
The $125 million project will be paid for by tourist bed taxes, paid for by visitors to local hotels and motels. That money had originally been slated to help build a stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kelli Hammer Levy, the county's public works director, said this has to be done now, because the federal Army Corps of Engineers won't pay for the work unless 100% of the beachfront property owners sign a perpetual easement.
ALSO READ: Storm-tossed Lido Beach to be widened with a little federal help
She noted the easements for the county project would be only for the life of the dredging and sand rebuilding, expiring in 2029.
"Due to the enormous cost, this is just not something that the county can continue to sustain into the future. So it's really important that going forward, we have federal support," she said.
Levy said state grants will pay for about 11% of the project. The Florida Department of Emergency Management has awarded the Sand Key segment almost $10.4 million, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has awarded about $3.8 million for combined Treasure Island and Upham Beach projects.
She said 21 miles of the beach have been rated as critically eroded by the state.
The offshore dredging is set to begin in September in north Indian Rocks Beach, and end next January in Sunset Beach. Levy said it would extend the beach by 75 to 100 feet.
Upcoming Public Meetings
Pinellas County will host two more public meetings to share information on this project at the following locations:
- July 16: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Virtual- register via Zoom to attend. - Aug. 6, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Belleair Beach, 444 Causeway Blvd.
Signing Days representatives from Pinellas County and beach cities will be available to help residents submit easements during three "signing days." A notary will also be available to notarize the easements free of charge, at:
- July 21, 22 & 23: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Indian Shores Town Hall 19305 Gulf Blvd.
Steve Newborn/WUSF Public MediaGraphic of how this project differs from the one that would be paid for by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
