Posted on September 3, 2025
From Miami to Senegal, beach replenishment has been a tried and tested means of rebuilding beaches for decades. As part of our special report on the issue we look at five projects that could help inform the wider restoration of Seven Mile Beach if government does decided to go ahead with that project.
1.Miami Beach: Five decades of renourishment
Perhaps the most familiar example close to home is Miami Beach, which spent US$86 million in the late 1970s to rebuild the 10-mile stretch of beach. Frequent top-ups have been required ever since and sand supplies from offshore dredging have now run out. Now the US Army Corps of Engineers brings in sand from further afield at greater cost. The project has cost an average of $5.3 million per year over the past 50 years.
2. Fort Lauderdale: Poor management led to reef damage
A cautionary tale for Cayman comes from Broward County where beach nourishment damaged nearby coral reefs off the Fort Lauderdale coast. As well as the environmental cost, the loss of reefs led to reduced shoreline protection, a worsening erosion situation and the need for more-frequent replenishments.
3. Senegal: Engineering and nature-based solutions
One of the most successful and technically advanced examples in recent times comes from Salys in Senegal, where erosion had stripped away beachfront impacting the livelihoods of fishermen and tourism business. The World Bank spent US$74 million to restore a 7-kilometre stretch of beach using a mix of techniques.
The project included dredging sand from offshore and pumping it onto the beach via a floating pipeline, using groynes and breakwaters to stabilise the coastline, and replanting mangroves and creating artificial reefs to support the restoration.
While not all those methods would be open to Cayman, the mix of engineering and nature-based solutions is potentially a compelling blueprint for policymakers.
4. Netherlands: ‘Sand engines’ feed the beaches
A single mega deposit of 21 million cubic metres of sand, dredged from the North Sea, was placed just off the coast of the Netherlands in 2011. The approach differs from traditional beach nourishment in that it uses significantly more sand, placed in the near shore waters, and relies on natural coastal processes to bring it ashore over a longer period of time.
5. New Jersey Shore: Real estate taxes help fund ongoing project
One of the most expensive, large scale and politically contentious restoration projects is on the New Jersey coastline, where more than US$3 billion has been spent to prevent the shoreline from slipping away. Without that investment, according to news reports, the barrier islands which drive billions of dollars in tourism investment, would likely be gone.
While there are few similarities between Cayman’s relatively small Caribbean beaches and the sprawling Jersey coast, the project is an example of a government-led, unified beach-replenishment strategy, with a dedicated funding stream.
The state created a Shore Protection Fund, fed by a portion of real estate taxes, to ensure a steady source of annual funding for replenishment. Similar concepts have been put forward for Cayman including the potential for a beach bond or a small rise in the tourism accommodations tax for beachfront hotels to help create a ring-fenced fund for replenishment.
