Posted on November 2, 2026
St. Lucie County awarded Cavache Inc. a $1,894,280.30 contract to offload approximately 68,000 cubic yards of sand within the sediment trap basin within the Fort Pierce Inlet. The project is located north of the federal navigation channel and south of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, within the Fort Pierce Inlet.
Construction will include a cutter suction dredging of the trap with all beach-compatible sands being placed on Fort Pierce Beach at Jetty Park. Active construction is currently scheduled to begin in early November, and a notice to mariners has been submitted with the U.S. Coast Guard. Construction is proposed seven days a week, up to 24 hours a day, to ensure the project is completed before Jan. 31. Once pumping of the beach-quality stand begins, sections of the beach will be temporarily closed during the renourishment process. However, access to the Fort Pierce Jetty will remain open via a crosswalk over the pipes from the sand trap to the beach.
The Fort Pierce Inlet is a federally maintained inlet that disrupts the natural flow of sand along St. Lucie County’s Atlantic shoreline. Since the early 2000s, St Lucie County’s Erosion District has been working with state and federal agencies to explore sand bypassing alternatives; specifically, an inlet sand trap that can intercept sands that make their way into the inlet system. The goal is to capture sands before they are deposited within the internal navigation channels and/or are jetted out to sea. Once retained, these “trapped” sands would become a cost-effective component in the effort to offset erosional losses south of the inlet (at Fort Pierce Beach) and can be easily placed on the adjacent beach when needed.
In 1997 the State of Florida coordinated with St. Lucie County to study Fort Pierce Inlet and its impact on adjacent beaches. Recommendations to address the federal Inlet’s impact on our down-drift beaches eventually resulted in the Fort Pierce Inlet Management Plan (IMP), adopted by the State of Florida in 1997. This plan analyzed the inlet and provided recommendations to mitigate the erosive impacts experienced directly downdrift (Fort Pierce Beach). A vital component of that plan included recommendations to “Evaluate possible alternatives to facilitate the bypassing of sand from the shoreline north of the inlet to the downdrift beaches.” As such, St. Lucie County has for the last two decades pursued the construction of this feature pursuant to the provisions of Section 161.161, Florida Statutes. Effort included years of development and analysis; including multiple reports, extensive modeling, numerous public meetings, and stakeholders’ input. Federal and state permits for the project. An updated IMP was completed in 2022 and adopted by the State of Florida. The plan includes routine maintenance of the inlet sand trap to help maintain a healthy shoreline and reduce the cost of future coastal management.
For additional information, contact James Beams, St. Lucie County’s senior project manager, at 772-462-6735 or James.A.Beams@stlucieco.gov.
