{"id":293258,"date":"2026-06-02T16:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293258\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T16:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:49:13","slug":"fresh-beach-sand-is-coming-after-army-corps-stalemate-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293258\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresh beach sand is coming, after Army Corps stalemate ends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sand Key, Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach will get fresh sand again in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after ending a decade-long stalemate May 29.<\/p>\n

The federal agency has been financially assisting Pinellas County to renourish its beaches since 1966, historically covering two-thirds of the cost.<\/p>\n

The initiative is important: protecting coastal infrastructure from storms and rising seas, preserving wildlife habitats for sea turtles and birds, and supporting local tourism economies.<\/p>\n

But in 2015, the Army Corps started asking beachside private property owners to permanently allow public access in areas replenished with new sand.<\/p>\n

When the homeowners refused to sign easements, the agency stopped helping to pay after 2018. Unfortunately, the relationship stalled just before major hurricanes pounded the shorelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hit by Idalia, and then we were hit by Helene, and then Milton, and there was just nothing left,\u201d said Kelli Hammer Levy with Pinellas Public Works.<\/p>\n

The storms eroded the beaches so much, they lost a lot of endangered sea turtle nests last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not have a good beach, and a lot of the nesting sea turtles nested right at the high tide line, so they got inundated with salt water, and unfortunately didn\u2019t hatch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kelly Hammer Levy, with Pinellas County Public Works, has been personally working for over a decade to compromise with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on its strict requirements for beach renourishment.<\/p>\n

The county had to request emergency funds from the White House as a workaround to the Army Corps\u2019 blockade.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we had so much damage, we had to put down 2 million cubic yards of sand \u2026 it\u2019s enough to fill the Dali Museum, I think it was like 10 times. It\u2019s a huge, huge amount of sand,\u201d Hammer Levy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, we don\u2019t put even nearly that much, because we do maintenance. That\u2019s the importance of maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Beachfront property owners and Army Corps at impasse over beach renourishment<\/a><\/p>\n

It cost about $100 million to fix what was broken after so many years of no upkeep, but Hammer Levy said each renourishment cycle is usually in the range of $30 million to $50 million.<\/p>\n

The Army Corps changed its tune recently, now offering temporary easements, instead of permanent ones, among other points with which it has become more flexible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited that we found compromise, and I really, really hope that this helps move the needle for the residents who were not willing to sign an easement before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Construction easements from beachfront property owners are still needed for 100% of the properties in the beach nourishment projects, Pinellas County\u2019s website says.<\/p>\n

And as of May, only 70% of properties in Sand Key have signed and recorded compliant easements.<\/p>\n

The county plans to work toward getting everything squared away by the next beach renourishment, which is planned for 2030 with subsequent projects expected every five to six years.<\/p>\n

Hammer Levy said the Sand Key project is eligible for that federal funding through 2043, plus any extensions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see all these people out here having a great day,\u201d she said standing on the wide, sandy shore of North Redington Beach. \u201cBut what I see us standing on is an engineered beach berm that serves as a wave break for the properties and the county behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jessica Meszaros is a reporter for WUSF, the bay area\u2019s NPR affiliate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Representatives from Pinellas County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Congress officially signing a beach renourishment agreement on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Double Tree Beach Resort by Hilton in North Redington Beach.<\/p>\n

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