Posted on January 20, 2025
NAVARRE, Fla. (WKRG) — Crews have been working around the clock on Navarre Beach, making headway in the beach restoration project.
Crews have been pumping in sand from about five miles offshore and distributing it onto the beach. The work has been done in phases from Gulf Islands National Seashore to about 900 ft east of the Navarre Beach fishing pier.
“You can hear the swish going through the big pipe,” Betty Busch a beachgoer said.
When Hurricane Sally made landfall in 2020, Navarre Beach lost about 250,000 cubic yards of sand. However, the Board of County Commissioners voted to restore Navarre Beach to its original 2006 profile.
“Meaning we’d fix the dune, meaning we’d go and fix everything out to what was originally permitted in 2006,” Public Works and Environmental Director for Santa Rosa County Michael Schmidt said. “And that meant putting an additional 250- 300,000 cubic yards of sand out on the beach.”
Schmidt said the project is adding about 150 feet to the beach.
“Sea turtles, shorebirds, you know tourists, it’s good for everybody and property protection,” Schmidt said.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of February, just in time for spring break.
“We’re very fortunate that they could do it during the off time because it’s difficult and very cumbersome if you’re going to close the beach during tourist season,” Schmidt said.
The roughly $11.5 million project is funded largely through FEMA and state grants, with the county contributing about $3.8 million.