Pinellas County commissioners unanimously approved a $54.5 million agreement Tuesday to help fund beach and dune construction along Sand Key, advancing another major coastal protection project after years of uncertainty surrounding federal beach nourishment funding.
The agreement includes $27.3 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and an equal county match funded through Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue.
The money will support beach and dune construction along the Sand Key portion of the Pinellas County Shore Protection Project.
The vote comes less than three months after Pinellas County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reached an agreement that could restore federal participation in beach nourishment projects at Sand Key, Treasure Island and Long Key.
“This agreement establishes a clear and sustainable path forward for continued federal participation in the Pinellas County Shore Protection Project,” Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said when the agreement was announced in May.
The breakthrough followed years of disagreement over easements and public access requirements for beachfront properties receiving federally funded sand.
Previously, the Army Corps required perpetual easements from properties within nourishment areas. Under the new framework, those easements can instead correspond with the remaining period of federal authorization, while providing additional ways for the county to satisfy public access requirements.
The dispute had significant financial consequences for Pinellas County. Accordingly, federal funding historically covered about 65% of beach nourishment costs. After state contributions, Pinellas was typically left responsible for roughly 17.5%.
Without that federal contribution, commissioners approved a $125.7 million emergency nourishment project in 2025 using county and state money. That work placed sand along portions of Sand Key, Treasure Island and Upham Beach and was completed earlier this year.
The May agreement reopened the door to federal dollars, but it did not eliminate one of the county’s longstanding hurdles: easements. Construction easements are still required from 100% of beachfront properties within areas slated for nourishment. As of May, approximately 70% of properties within the Sand Key project area had signed and recorded compliant easements.
That leaves roughly three in 10 properties outstanding, and portions of the shoreline could be affected if the county cannot secure the remaining agreements.
Tuesday's approval gives the Sand Key project another substantial source of state and local funding while that process continues.
Florida has appropriated $43.3 million for Sand Key, according to county documents. However, state law requires FDEP to withhold 25% of its fiscal year 2026-27 appropriation until the fourth quarter.
FDEP anticipates amending the agreement around April 2027 to add another $16 million in state funding.
The Sand Key sixth nourishment project is also included in Pinellas County’s proposed fiscal year 2027-32 Capital Improvement Plan, with funding expected from TDT revenue, an FDEP grant and a Florida Division of Emergency Management grant. The agreement approved runs through Dec. 31, 2029.
Beach nourishment essentially replaces sand lost to erosion, widening beaches while creating a buffer between Gulf waters and homes, businesses and other infrastructure.
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