Posted on November 14, 2022
Following a tour of the devastated coastline along Volusia and Flagler counties, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that he is putting $20 million toward emergency beach repairs and seeking other resources to help with coastal recovery.
DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Environment Protection to use the $20 million to help local governments address dune and beach erosion from Tropical Storms Ian and Nicole, according to a news release. The funds are set aside for emergency sand placement.
“We will help our coastal communities fully recover from the impacts of Hurricane Nicole,” DeSantis said in the release. “This $20 million will address immediate, emergency needs across several storm-impacted beaches while we work to identify additional funding to replace infrastructure and help the area rebuild.”
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He also directed FDEP officials to find more resources to help damaged areas and “called on the Legislature to help secure funding to fully repair impacted beaches and better protect these communities from future storm events,” according to the governor’s office.
FDEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, who has also visited the area to survey the damage, called beaches “the lifeblood of this state.”
“And they are vital not only to the environment and the state’s economy, but are most importantly our first line of defense against storms,” Hamilton said in the release. “We look forward to working with the counties impacted by Hurricane Ian and Nicole to restore our beaches.”
The Florida Department of Transportation is working to repair State Road A1A in Volusia and Flagler counties and repaired and reopened S.R. A1A in St. Johns County within 24 hours of Tropical Storm Nicole’s landfall, according to the governor’s office.
Tropical Storms Ian and Nicole caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Volusia County alone and displaced residents from their homes, according to the county’s property appraiser’s office. Government officials are working to complete property assessments of some structures to see if they are safe for residents to return.
