County lacks easements to repair storm-damaged beaches

Several local officials recently implored beachfront property owners to sign construction easements before a Feb. 28 deadline; their last-minute push failed to garner the necessary support.

Pinellas County will now commence the Sand Key Beach Nourishment project despite lacking over 150 signed easements. At a Feb. 27 event, Commission Chair Brian Scott compared working around the inaccessible properties to carrying water in a “bucket with holes in it.” 

Interim public information manager Tony Fabrizio said officials met with project engineers Tuesday to discuss “what areas are going to have to be skipped.” The Sand Key project spans from Clearwater Beach to Redington Shores.

“We’re still very hopeful that we can do Treasure Island through the Army Corps (of Engineers),” Fabrizio told the Catalyst. “Those are the federal easements. They’re a little more restrictive in language, but if we can get those signed, we can do Treasure Island. And that will be a federally funded project.”

The county faces an uphill battle. Commissioner Kathleen Peters explained Feb. 27 that officials risked negating Army Corps funding by revising federal language for the Sand Key project.

Those county easements eschewed a public access requirement that has long caused property owners to withhold their signatures from federal documents. Peters said Sand Key residents could also choose whether they want a protective dune in front of their property, an option not provided by the Army Corps.

“Plain and simple, we need to get our beach renourishment projects done,” Peters said. “We need sand for storm protection, for property values, for tourism, and so our beaches don’t go back to the way they were in the 1980s – where they had seawalls and steps to get down to the water.”

Indian Rocks Beach in 1985, before renourishment efforts. Photo: Pinellas County Government.

Commissioners lacked 170 easements in Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Redington Shores before their third “Signing Day” event. Fabrizio said they received a “little bit of a bump” following their pleas for the public’s help.

While the Sand Key project’s official deadline has passed, Fabrizio said officials are still encouraging residents in those areas to submit signed documents. “If we get enough easements in a particular section there, we’ll try to get it included. If not, the easements will help the next time we do beach nourishment in that area.”

Fabrizio called the Sunshine Beach project in Treasure Island “a little more complicated.” The county still lacks 11 more restrictive federal easements.

When asked if residents were more willing to sign easements following an unprecedented hurricane season, Fabrizio said, “Not to the extent that you would think.”

He and his colleagues thought eliminating a public access requirement and making dunes optional in the county easements would garner more public support. “It’s a little disappointing that we’re going to have some areas in the Sand Key project that are not going to be filled in,” Fabrizio said.

“Water is always going to find the path of least resistance,” he added. “Water could come rushing through some of these areas where we don’t have easements, but it’s beyond our control.”

Pinellas County officials renourished Pass-a-Grille Beach before recent storms. It fared better than other coastal communities. Photo by Bill DeYoung.

Local officials echoed that sentiment, to no avail, at the Feb. 27 event. Sen. Nick DiCeglie said the coastline lost about seven feet of sand and urged residents to help protect their neighbors.

He noted that area beaches are Pinellas County’s primary economic driver, and Hurricane Helene passed roughly 100 miles offshore. Scott said the storm’s surge would have been “far worse” with the current erosion.

“If you just look at Sunset Beach, where there was very little nourishment, they had total devastation,” Peters said. “In Pass-a-Grille, where we had a fully nourished area, their damage was significantly less.”

Commissioners will spend tourist development tax dollars on the Sand Key project if the Army Corps denies the county’s emergency permit. “This is a very abnormal thing, and they were very surprised when we tried it,” said Kelli Hammer Levy, public works director.

Peters said she, the local congressional delegation and county officials would meet with White House representatives this week. “They are also helping and support our efforts.”

“We’re still encouraging people to sign easements,” Fabrizio said Tuesday. Even if they don’t work for this project, we’ll have them on record. It might be six years before we do nourishment there again. Then again, if we get hit by a hurricane, it may be sooner.”

For more easement information, including a sample document, visit the website here.