FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — Fort Pierce city commissioners voted Tuesday night to end a local state of emergency tied to ongoing beach erosion on South Hutchinson Island, even as monitoring and sand replacement efforts continue near Jetty Park.
“We’re in a war against mother nature right now. And we may have won a few battles, but mother nature is quickly reclaiming the work that we have performed,” said City Commissioner Michael Broderick.
Fort Pierce commissioners decline to extend state of emergency amidst beach erosion fight. CBS12’s Paige Meyer reports.{ }{ }
The seven-day emergency declaration expired Feb. 12. Commissioners determined it was not necessary to renew the order at this time, citing increased labor costs triggered under the declaration.
City staff said the emergency designation resulted in higher pay rates for some operators, with compensation reaching up to two-and-a-half times their normal rate in certain cases.
Despite recent strong winds and elevated tides, officials said about 95% of the sand placed over the past week remains in place. Crews completed a sand fill Friday after portions of the dune system experienced additional erosion.
Fort Pierce commissioners decline to extend state of emergency amidst beach erosion fight. CBS12’s Paige Meyer reports.{ }{ }
Day-to-day monitoring of the shoreline is now primarily being handled through collaboration between the city and St. Lucie County. County teams are providing daily updates and photographic documentation of conditions, while city public works crews remain on standby to respond if additional sand replacement becomes necessary.
“The collaboration with the county has worked out better than I had hoped. The allocation of equipment, the manpower and resources has been 100% cooperative,” said Broderick.
A larger beach nourishment project is expected to begin in March. That effort will involve pumping sand from offshore to reinforce vulnerable sections of the shoreline, including areas south of Jetty Park.
At Tuesday night’s St. Lucie County Commission meeting, leaders shared an update on the timeline for the federal beach projects. County Commissioner James Clasby says that the South County Coastal Storm Risk Management project is expected to wrap up by March 9.
That’s important because the contractor will then move to Fort Pierce, where the federal shore protection project is set to mobilize March 9 as well, with sand pumping scheduled to start March 11. Meanwhile, the emergency truck haul at Jetty Park is expected to finish up by the end of this week.
“It’s getting worse by the hour… Every tide cycle… We’re losing embankment and there’s not much left to lose,” said Broderick.
City leaders said erosion remains a serious concern, noting that shoreline conditions can shift quickly depending on tides and wind patterns.
“Temporary measures put in place are now significantly deteriorating and dune erosion is commencing again,” said Broderick.
City Commissioners also discussed long-term funding challenges. According to city officials, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not prioritized a permanent solution for South Hutchinson Island because the area does not meet the federal cost-benefit ratio required for project funding.
“I will be stunned if we are able to keep back the floodwaters until the permanent– somewhat longer-term beach nourishment program takes place. I have very, very grave concerns as to our ability to stop that from happening and if it happens, again, just my assessment of the situation is that potentially we’re going to lose several hundred feet of embankment which is just basically opening up the floodwaters,” said Broderick.
If conditions worsen, the mayor has the authority to declare a new local state of emergency or call a special meeting with limited notice to address the situation.
Officials said the shoreline will continue to be monitored closely in the coming weeks as the city works to prevent further erosion before the March nourishment project begins.