A $6.7 million project to restore almost 3 miles of island sand dunes destroyed by hurricanes Ian and Nicole is now more than halfway completed, according to county officials.
Crews staged on Sea Court in John’s Island are working around the Beachcomber Lane area, including Sea Forest and Village Shores neighborhoods. So far the project is running as expected and scheduled to conclude in March. The “halfway” mark by volume was passed a couple of weeks ago.
“Following the permitted design, the volume of sand placed along the 2.9-mile stretch is not evenly distributed. For example, one part might be designed to receive 10 feet of dune and another 15 feet of dune, based on environmental conditions,” said County Coastal Resource Manager Quintin Bergman.
“Additionally, the contractor decided to build the center of the project first, the southern portion second and finish the northern section last. Therefore, we are using sand volume (cubic yards) as the metric to estimate that the project is roughly halfway completed.”
Though 32963 residents are accustomed to seeing dump trucks on A1A during an active sand replenishment project, this time around, the dump trucks are up to several miles on the beach itself, as the decision was made to only use one staging spot in John’s Island for most or all of the project.
“Beach construction is a curious topic for beachgoers and the project has received many onlookers. It is advised that the public continue keeping a safe distance from any heavy equipment. The contractor does not operate any equipment on Saturdays or Sundays,” Bergman said.
A handful of locals has called county staff with questions, but Bergman said there have been no complaints, mostly compliments from people grateful for the influx of sand on the storm-chewed beaches.
The county and contractor have taken precautions to minimize sound as much as possible, including limited hours of operation and a two-week break around the holidays, he said. “The contractor has received compliments for running an efficient crew.”
When the project is completed, about 135,000 cubic yards of beach compatible sand will have been trucked in and about 150,000 native, salt-resistant plants will have been placed in the new dunes, including sea oats, dune sunflower, railroad vine, and bitter panicgrass.
The work can’t take place between May 1 and Nov. 1, which is the nesting and hatchling season for sea turtles.
The $6.7 million cost for the project will be paid for with the help of a $2.37 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and a $2 million grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). The county also has applied for $1.6 million in funding from Florida’s Hurricane Restoration Reimbursement Grant Program (HRRGP). Should the $1.6 million be awarded, county taxpayers would pay $676,000 out of the general fund.
Next up for sand replenishment will be a 3-mile stretch of beach from the Tracking Station to Riomar Beach Access in the City of Vero Beach. This project is scheduled to be carried out from November 2025 to April 2026, Bergman said.
While the engineering and permitting are underway, $3.2 million in funding from the state and FEMA has already been secured for this project.
