Pinellas County will begin a series of public meetings this week to gather community input on a $125 million emergency beach renourishment project aimed at restoring sand lost during last year’s hurricanes.
The large-scale effort will be funded through a combination of state grants and revenue from the county’s hotel bed tax.
“These are infrastructure projects,” said Kelli Levy, director of Pinellas County Public Works. “While people enjoy the beaches recreationally, what we’re really doing is rebuilding a vital piece of protective infrastructure.”
The plan involves dredging sand from offshore and pumping it onto select beach areas, where heavy machinery will reshape and elevate the shoreline.
“For instance, in Belleair Beach, the renourished shoreline will extend 270 feet into the Gulf and reach an elevation of about five feet,” Levy explained. “Where dunes are added, they’ll rise an additional three feet.”
In the past, these projects were partially funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, a recent federal requirement mandating easements from all beachfront property owners has halted that support.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get 100% participation, and without that, the Corps won’t fund the work,” Levy said.
As a result, the county is covering the cost locally using tourist development tax dollars.
Levy acknowledged that concerns over granting easements are valid but warned of the long-term consequences.
“In areas where we can’t get those easements, we’ll have to stop the project at the erosion control line—the boundary between public and private beach,” she said. “So, while the public beach will be wider and higher, private property may be left with a narrower, lower shoreline.”
The first public meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, with additional meetings to follow as the county finalizes plans and addresses community concerns.
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