Flagler County was notified on Jan. 18 that it will receive $17 million in funding allocated as part of the 2022 Special Session Funding through the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
The funding is part of the $100 million Governor Ron DeSantis pledged his support of beach nourishment projects within 16 coastal counties impacted by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole.
The money is a “drop in the bucket,” compared to the county’s needs, according to a county official: it is a fraction of what would be needed, considering the county’s devastated shoreline. But it will still enable the county to repair several miles of dunes with temporary renourishment, giving those repaired dunes perhaps two to four years against continuing erosion. Flagler is increasingly facing the reality that dune reconstruction will never be a one-time thing, but a continuous and very costly endeavor, year after year.
Of the 16 counties awarded funding, Flagler County received the third highest allocation behind Volusia and Lee counties.
“We are so incredibly grateful to be receiving these state funds to help us with the monumental task of rebuilding our beaches and protective dunes following the devasting damages to all 18 miles of our coastline,” said County Administrator Heidi Petito. “We are tremendously thankful for the support of our Legislative Delegation – Senator Travis Hutson and Representative Paul Renner – as well as District 28 Representative Tom Leek.”
This current total allocation of $100 million is in addition to the $20 million awarded in November to help several local governments to quickly place sand in areas of high concern to avoid subsequent damage to public and private infrastructure. Flagler County received $5 million in aide then from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
“Our beaches are the lifeblood of our communities. They are our identity,” said Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Leek, who represents Volusia County. “I was proud to work with Governor DeSantis and Speaker Renner to secure funding to renourish our beaches today and protect our beaches for tomorrow.”
Hurricane Nicole compounded the damaging impacts of Hurricane Ian to the barrier island leaving the beach and dune system fragile.
“Beaches are vital not only to the environment and the state’s economy, but are most importantly our first line of defense against storms,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton in a news release. He visited Flagler County in November to assess dune impacts. “I am thankful for the support and leadership of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to accelerate restoration and further protect these impacted communities from future storm events.”
Listening Session
Residents of Flagler County are invited to attend a “listening session” hosted by the State Road A1A Resiliency Strike Team from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 24, at Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church in Flagler Beach.
Materials to be produced and discussed can be accessed here: www.cflroads.com/project/
The strike team – Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Flagler County, Volusia County, the City of Flagler Beach, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection – has reviewed and evaluated options to fortify “critical areas of vulnerability” along State Road A1A in both Flagler and Volusia counties. The critical areas include South 28th Street to South 9th Street, and from South Central Avenue to about one-half mile north of Highbridge Road (including the portion to Roberta Road in Ormond by the Sea).
The strike team is in the early stages of the process – concept planning – which will be followed by programming specific projects, a project development and environment study (if necessary), design, right of way (if needed), and finally construction. Ongoing maintenance with continue throughout, as well as coordination with permitting and regulatory agencies up until construction.”
Handouts will be provided that map the critical areas of vulnerability. Officials will be prepared to answer a variety of anticipated questions.
Parts of State Road A1A were destroyed in 2016 by Hurricane Matthew. Big storms, including strong nor’easters and king tides, have caused significant damage that has required costly repair to keep the corridor open for safe travel.
Hurricanes Ian and Nicole furthered dune erosion and roadway undermining. Repairs from these two storms alone have cost $11.7 million to date, and the costs are climbing.
The plan envisions different solutions for different areas of State Road A1A as the needs and existing conditions warrant. A combination of options could be used in some areas. Nothing has been determined, yet, regarding the solution or for any specific project area.
Volusia County had its listening session on Jan. 19. It drew some 110 people.
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JohnX says
And yet the employees at the tourism bureau want to use the 5% hotel tax for a new building. Every single dollar available should be dedicated to restoring dunes and beach and then funds set aside to replenish the sane every couple of years as necessary. Every single dollar. If they have to change the law to change how the funds are spent from the tax, then do so.
The Villa Beach Walker says
Tourism dollars go towards bringing tourists to the State of Florida where they spend money and help build the state economy. While we are changing laws why not take all the money generated by the Florida State lotteries and put that towards beach renourishment? And let’s add a beach renourishment tax at amusement parks. And bump up the gas tax by $0.02 to help pay for beach renourishment! Oh yeah. That’s not what those monies are collected for.
GeriK says
Completely agree. The tourism bureau, and the hotel community, has nothing to offer without the beach. To spend hotel taxes on a new building is bureaucracy at its worst.
Dave says
And if we go by Flagler County and their past record on dune restoration , it will be what late 2023 or 2024 before this work if any starts on the dunes along this counties shoreline and will money be wasted YET AGAIN on worthless sand. Sand as we know it, from the past attempts to stop even a Nor-easter will yet again wash away and set up the dunes for flooding during a hurricane. We end up with the flooding of properties and homes not just on the beach but flooding down the streets to AIA and over the highway like we saw in Matthew and Nicole in the north end of Flagler Cty. Lets just dump sand on it and make it all better. NOT ! that’s been done more than once.
JohnX says
We could just build a massive seawall but that would be the end to any dry sand beach. As in high tide would be to the wall twice a day. Its an option. The turtles would just have to go elsewhere. Presumably a certain percentage of tourism would also, since it wouldn’t be a beach anymore. I really don’t see that there is an option to regular replenishment. Well, there is-moving A1A a mile back as well as beachfront development, but that would be even more expensive, by an exponential number.
Shark says
They might as well take the 17 million dollars and burn it because the way they make repairs is a F’N joke !!!!
Dedicated American says
I come from Long Island where there were problems with horrendous beach erosion in Westhampton Beach. Homes and beaches washed into the Atlantic Ocean. New York State and the Army Core Of Engineers made the decision to run jetties perpendicular to the beach. That solved the problem. No more erosion. Perhaps Flagler County and Flagler Beach should speak with The Army Core Of Engineers regarding the erosion instead of AGAIN just replacing sand and AGAIN having the ocean take it away with the road and who knows (hopefully not) a number of homes. It is a amazing how our government can hand out billions of dollars the first time and again the second time for our counties Flagler and Volusia to make the same mistake again.
Willy Boy says
There are some partial jetties at Marineland that seem to work to a degree. Sand washes out. Sand washes in.
JOE D says
Ocean City, Md and Fenwick Island, De put those those perpendicular jetties out from the beach into the water, back in the 1980’s ( along with the new construction requirements of 8-10ft above ground elevation, which Florida missed the boat on). They were set out every so
Many hundred feet. Of course they LOOKED like the remains of piers with the decking removed popping just above the wave line, but as Dedicated American said, they work there as in New York. Now of course the beach doesn’t look quite pristine natural with them in place, but it does help capture moving sands, and with the continuing beach storm erosion, the beach surely doesn’t look “pristine natural” at the moment with its cliff like beach drop offs with the dunes damaged
And for those complaining about the cost, just wait to see what your tax bill increases to when the MULTI-MILLIONS of Flagler Beach generated tourist dollars supporting the remainder of Flagler County’s Budget, disappear!
And as an aside, my beach facing tiny 1150 sq ft 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath town house is contributing DOUBLE in property taxes than those not near the beach (currently $6500/ year).
The one thing that we can PRAY for is that these reported “once in 1000 years “ and “once in 500 years” storms are truly NOT going to be the NORM for annual storms