Posted on May 5, 2025
- Brevard County beaches received over $120 million worth of sand replenishment due to erosion from Hurricane Ian, Tropical Storm Nicole, and rising sea levels.
- Beach renourishment projects are paused by May 1st for sea turtle nesting season, but the North Reach project has an extended deadline of May 15th with environmental protections in place.
- Residents and visitors can help nesting sea turtles by following the “lights-out” ordinance and minimizing light pollution on the beach during nesting season.
Dredges, dozers and trucks had their way with the beach, now it’s the turtles’ turn.
The latest installment of beach renourishment is wrapping up and the giant pipes pouring sand onto the strand will soon be gone.
What’s happening?
Because many sea turtles begin to nest by now, May 1 is the typical target date to stop all beach renourishment projects, which is governed by permit conditions, Mike McGarry, the county’s beach renourishment coordinator, explained via email. But for the $40.6 million Sand Bypass/North Reach project in north Brevard, state and federal environmental agencies are allowing work on the beach until May 15, as long as proper environmental protections are in place to protect sea turtles. The extra time is needed because of several weather delays, project officials said.
Where are the various beach renourishment projects?
According to the county’s Natural Resources Management Office, the federal renourishment projects are as follows:
- North Reach — 9.8 miles between Port Canaveral Jetty and the northern border of Patrick Space Force Base. That $40.6 million project is being done in combination with the Canaveral Harbor Sand Bypass. It dredges sand sand from the shoreline north of the port to put along beaches south of the inlet: 3.3 miles along Cape Canaveral and north Cocoa Beach, and 3.7 miles along south Cocoa Beach. It is funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Great Lakes Dredged & Dock, LLC., of Houston, Texas, is doing the work.
- Mid Reach — 7.6 miles from southern border of Patrick Space Force Base to Flug Avenue, Indialantic. Estimated cost: $38 million for sand and vegetation.
- South Reach — 3.8 miles from Flug Avenue, Indialantic to Spessard Holland Park North. Set for nourishment between Nov 2025 and April 2026 at an estimated cost of $18 million.
- South Beaches — 14 miles of non-federal county renourishment areas between Spessard Holland South and Sebastian Inlet State Park. Total cost to repair Hurricane Ian/Nicole damage along 14 miles and revegetate dune (Jan 2023-Feb 2025) is about $24 million. Sand replacement was completed in March 2024.
The Corps awarded a contract in 2023 to The Dutra Group of San Rafael, California, to renourish beaches in the Mid and South Reach segments of the Brevard Co., Florida, federal shore protection projects.
Trucks hauled in the Mid Reach sand beginning in December 2024, for a project completed March 12. The county is planting sea oats and similar plants throughout the Mid Reach on the newly constructed dune slopes, to help stabilize the dunes.
Because of mechanical problems with the contractor’s dredge, putting sand on the South Reach, between Spessard Holland Park and Flug Avenue was delayed and likely will start in November to be completed before April 30, 2026.
Where can I learn more about beach renourishment schedules?
Mid Reach and South Reach progress maps can be seen on the Olsen-Associates website at https://olsen-associates.com/brevardbeach/, or visit the county’s beaches site at https://brevardfl.gov/NaturalResources/Beaches.
What can I do to help nesting sea turtles?
Turn off your beach lights. They can disrupt nesting turtles and cause hatchlings to wander toward the lights, instead of the ocean.
Beachside homes and businesses must turn out or shade their lights during sea turtle nesting season. Brevard County has a “lights-out” ordinance effective May 1 to Oct. 31 that requires all lights visible from the beach to be either covered, blocked, moved, or turned off from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. This includes flashlights, cellphones, and red lights. Although sea turtles are less affected by red light, they do still see it.
Will beach renourishment become more frequent?
Likely. Because of climate change and sea level rise.
How does renourishment affect sea turtle nesting?
It depends. Turtles have difficulty nesting on severely eroded beaches.
But a recent study by Ecological Associates of Jensen Beach and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found less loggerhead sea turtle nesting success after beach nourishment on Hutchinson Island. They also found the percentage of nests that washed out on the wide, flat nourished beach was 3.5 times greater than on the narrower, naturally sloped beach that preceded nourishment. The researchers recommended nourished beaches be built with as much slope as possible from the waterline to the dune.
