Pinellas County's critically eroded beaches are now ground zero for a longstanding impasse between the nation's coastal communities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Kelli Hammer Levy, public works director, said renourishment costs reached about $65 million after Hurricane Idalia brought an over four-foot storm surge to the area in August 2023. Pinellas qualified for federal emergency assistance, which the Army Corps subsequently blocked due to local property owners refusing to sign perpetual easement documents.
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