Posted on January 29, 2024
Brevard County is getting ready to start a multi-million-dollar project aimed at protecting the coastline.
A $47.6 million sand-pumping and placement project to restore beach and dune areas extending 11.5 miles from Pineda Causeway to South Spessard Holland Park is scheduled to start next week.
The Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies rehabilitation project is designed to restore significant beach and dune erosion caused by Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole in 2022.
The project is expected to take about 16 months to complete and is fully funded by federal emergency appropriations for damages incurred during those storms.
Brevard County Natural Resources Department has been working closely with state and federal partners on the Brevard County Shore Protection Project, an effort to repair beaches and dunes damaged by erosion.
A news release stated that “the project will begin by pumping sand from shoals miles offshore to the beach at South Spessard Holland Park. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractor, Dutra Dredging, have already mobilized a dredge vessel to Port Canaveral. Some of the sand will then be loaded into trucks at South Spessard Holland Park and driven to South Patrick Residents Association (SPRA) Park to replace losses in the mid-county area.”
The project will take a break in the summer to allow for sea turtle nesting season.
South Spessard Holland Park will remain open for the duration of the project, officials said.
SPRA Park and some beach access paths will be temporarily closed as the project progresses.
The project is estimated to be completed around April 2025.
