Posted on September 1, 2025
After more than a year of work and months of delays, the beach renourishment project on Fort Myers Beach has been completed with approximately 1 million cubic acres of sand planted. Town officials announced this week that the sand dredging and pumping for the project is now over. The $23 million contract for the work with Ahtna Marine and Construction approved in May of last year, called for the work to be completed in six months. Due to equipment issues, water leaks in the dredging pipe and weather delays, the project ended up going about seven months past its expected completion date.
Town of Fort Myers Beach Environmental Projects Manager Chadd Chustz said the sand dredging portion of the project is now complete. “The booster pumps, equipment and sub-line from the dredge to shoreline will be removed via the Old Junkanoo lot. All equipment will be off the beach by September 3, per Ahtna,” Chustz said. “Equipment will be moved out of the Newton and Old Junkanoo properties via truck by September 10.”
The next step will be dune plantings to begin sometime in the next few weeks.
“Completing the Beach Renourishment Project marks a major milestone in our recovery and resilience as a community,” Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay said, “This project not only restores our shoreline for residents and visitors to enjoy, but it also strengthens our natural defenses against storms and coastal erosion. I want to thank our partners at the state, county, and federal levels, as well as our residents, for their patience and support throughout this process. Together, we’re building a stronger, safer, and more beautiful Fort Myers Beach”
While the town hasn’t yet released a final total on the cost of the project as it awaits an audit of the work, most of the cost will be covered by county, state and federal funds. Under the terms of the agreement, the contractor faces penalties for running behind schedule. Chustz said the amount of the penalties is still being worked out.
“The town’s spending on the renourishment Project will come in under budget due to the Town taking advantage of the State’s Hurricane Recovery Reimbursement Grant Program,” Chustz said. “Accounting of the project will be provided once an audit of the projects spending is complete.”
The town also has to assess additional environmental monitoring and construction management costs, he said.
The project was supposed to be completed before February, when shorebird nesting season began. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved extensions for the town and Ahtna Marine and Contrstruction to conduct beach renourishment work around the Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area into May. The town approved the contractor continuing its work mid-island, outside the critical wildlife area into August, deep into the sea turtle nesting season. Turtle Time relocated more than 40 sea turtle nests due to the sand dredging pipe placed around areas where sea turtle hatchlings could potentially get stuck. Turtle Time also has recorded 314 false crawls of nesting sea turtles this year, a record. The organization cited the pipes as the reason for the record number of false crawls, which means turtles landed on the beach but turned away after encountering the pipe or otherwise went back into the water for other reasons.
The next face of the town’s beach restoration project is to plant dunes. The town approved a $509,859 contract with EarthBalance Corporation in June for more than 100,000 plantings across the beach. The contract was signed this month and calls for 52,582 plantings of grass panicum amarum, 46,429 plantings of dune sunflower, 12,854 plantings of railroad vine ipomoea pescaprae and more than 24,000 plantings of sea oats.
The plantings will go on the town’s beach property at its beach access points and right-of-ways along with county-owned beach and on private property wherever private property owners have signed off on easements with the town to allow dune plantings.
The dune plantings are meant to make the beach more resilient from future storms by helping to hold the sand together. Much of the work to gain the approval of private property owners for the easements, was done before Hurricane Ian. There is still time to sign up with the town for the easements for dune plantings on their beach properties.
Those who sign off on the easements, will be allowed free plantings on their property. “It is one of the most property owner friendly beach management plans in the State of Florida,” Chustz said. “If property owners that are not signed up would like to get plantings, please sign an easement with the Town.” The form is on the Town’s website at www.fmbgov.com/beach. A direct link to the easement form can be found at http://www.fmbgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/20037/TEMPORARY-EASEMENT.
Chustz said the dune plantings should begin in a few weeks.
McKannay credited Chustz for his “leadership and dedication in bringing the Beach Renourishment and Hurricane Recovery Project to completion.” McKannay said the beach renourishment work that Chustsz has helped to oversee “has made a lasting impact on the safety and resilience of Fort Myers Beach, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”
Chustz gave credit to the town’s coastal engineer Michael Poff, who has been the engineering consultant the town has relied for its beach renourishment work and the prior sand hauling and berm projects.
“We could not have done it without the Town Council’s and community’s support, and a great coastal engineer,” Chustz said.
“Personally, I couldn’t be happier that we were able to complete the project, and give added protection to the upland properties and infrastructure before any more major storms hit Fort Myers Beach,” Chustz said.
The sand dredging portion of the beach renourishmnent project on Fort Myers Beach is officially complete. The next phase will be dune plantings.
