PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County beaches are places of joy, peace, and love.
But look closely, and you’ll see they’re also a place of erosion after storms like Hurricanes Idalia and Helene.
WATCH: Pinellas County hopes state will fund part of $126 million beach renourishment project
According to the county, beaches from the Island of Sandy Key south to Upham Beach are in bad need of renourishment.
In the past, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers paid most of the money to help the county renourish its beaches by widening them and rebuilding sand dunes.
However, that help has been on hold because of a controversial rule.
The federal government will no longer help fund the work unless 100% of beachfront owners grant the federal government perpetual public access to their properties.
Because many Pinellas County property owners refuse to grant the easement, the stalemate continues to this day.
So, Pinellas County is going it alone.
Pinellas County has approved a plan to use almost $126 million in tourism development tax funds, also known as bed tax funds, to renourish miles of county beaches.
However, the county is hoping another partner can offset some of the cost.
Tuesday, county commissioners voted unanimously to ask for the state’s financial help with the renourishment project.
They requested approximately $50 million in grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) through FDEP’s Florida Beach Management Funding Assistance Program.
They expect a response by the end of the year.
“We’ve asked for a lot, but there’s only $50 million set aside for the entire state,” said Brian Scott, the chair of the Pinellas County commission.
Because the request is so large and state funds are limited, Scott knows the county will not get everything it’s asking for, but he said any amount will help.
“We know that the state’s not going to come in for all of it or even 50% of it, but they always come in with something, and we’re very appreciative," he said. “It’s huge. It is absolutely huge.”
Pinellas County's tourism development tax dollars are not unlimited and are also needed for other tourism projects, like improving facilities at Fort DeSoto Park and renovating the Phillies Spring Training stadium in Clearwater.
“If you don’t need that money for the sand on the beach, then you can do other things with it," he said. “Every dollar we get from the state is extremely helpful.”
However, state grant money isn’t the only thing Scott wants.
He also wants beach-front property owners to grant the county access to their properties for the renourishment project.
“All we’re asking for is temporary construction easement, so we can get equipment back there to put sand,” he said.
So far, most beach-front owners have done so, but there are still about 130 holdouts.
The county is currently hosting a three-day signing event in Indian Shores to win more of them over, but so far, the effort has scored no new signatures. However, three are potentially in progress.
Scott is hoping more will sign, because a less-eroded beach protects both the barrier islands and mainland from future storm surge.
“We can’t afford to not do it,” Scott said.
County staff will return to Indian Shores Town Hall on Wednesday in an effort to collect additional signatures.
Whether Pinellas County gets construction easements from 100% of property owners or not, it will move forward with the project in the coming months.
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