Posted on February 11, 2026
By Paige Meyer | Jack Wu | Grace Bellinghausen
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — Homeowners along South Beach in Fort Pierce say they are increasingly concerned that ongoing beach erosion could soon begin to damage, or even destroy, their homes.
Commissioner Matthew Broderick told CBS12 that the City of Fort Pierce is now in a state of emergency as St. Lucie County moves forward with an effort to stabilize a rapidly weakening section of shoreline near Jetty Park.
One beachfront homeowner said that a 40-foot dock attached to his house washed away due to the erosion, and now his family is packing and preparing to evacuate.
Over the weekend, county crews installed concrete barriers near two private properties along Jetty Park Beach on Hutchinson Island, after officials determined portions of the dune system were vulnerable to washing out.
“I was a little skeptical of it at first, because it does put concrete structure on the beach, but I do believe that it’s a legitimate long-term solution to avoid doing the same thing over and over,” said James Clasby, St. Lucie County Commissioner and Erosion District Chairman.
County and city leaders say the barriers are intended to protect nearby homes and prevent surf and storm surge from impacting public infrastructure along State Road A1A, including sidewalks, utilities and the roadway.
“We got consensus from the board unanimously to direct our County Administrator to take actions, and to take stopgap measures in order to shore up the weaker parts of the dune prior to the federal project starting early March,” said Clasby.
The structures were placed near two private properties located next to vacant lots owned by the county’s erosion district. Those lots are used as staging areas for beach renourishment projects, making the protection of that section of coastline critical to future recovery efforts.
One of those property owners blames the delay on the largrer renourishmennt project.
“It’s a function of a delay. This was supposed to starton January 1st. It’s now delayed till March or later. So it’s just an unfortunate situation,” says Steve Tarr, who owns property impacted by the beach erosion.
Drone video from the area shows waves pushing close to the remaining dune line, which residents say once served as a buffer between the ocean and their homes. Neighbors say the shoreline has continued to retreat, leaving homeowners increasingly worried that the next round of high tides or rough surf could reach their properties.
“This isn’t about me or my neighbor, the dune will breach. It’s an economic loss to the city, to businesses, to potentially a disaster infrastructure-wise, if water gets hit anywhere near A1A,” said Tarr.
County leaders say emergency sand deliveries are scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon, with mobilization already underway. Crews are expected to truck in approximately 10,000 cubic yards of sand as part of a short-term stabilization effort designed to shore up weakened portions of the dune before a larger federal project begins. That is about 14,000 tons of sand.
The emergency sand operation is expected to cost taxpayers about $429,880.
Officials say the stopgap work is necessary to safeguard private property and public infrastructure after recent delays to a much larger federal beach renourishment project.
That federal project is expected to bring in roughly 400,000 cubic yards (540,000 tons) of sand and is scheduled to begin in early March. County leaders say the project was delayed after mechanical failures on dredging equipment at another federally funded beach project in southern St. Lucie County, which must be completed before crews can move north toward Fort Pierce.
Officials also say federal environmental guidelines, including sea turtle nesting requirements, dictate the order in which beach projects can be completed along the county’s coastline.
The sand being delivered as part of this week’s emergency effort is considered beach-compatible, but officials say it is not the same type of sand used in federal dredging projects and is not expected to last as long.
In April, approximately 95,000 cubic yards of sand were placed along the beach, but county officials say that the sand washed away within six to seven months.
“Now the federal project is much more substantial, and it’s a different type of sand than what we get with these emergency truck calls,” said Clasby.
“So, we really are looking forward to the federal project starting.”
County leaders say the emergency measures were approved after inspections showed sections of the dune were clearly vulnerable to washing out and could eventually allow water to reach A1A and other infrastructure if left unaddressed.
“Well, on everybody’s tax bill, bear in mind, I’m one of the more frugal people on the county commission. I do not like spending money when it’s unnecessary. I’ve witnessed for myself. There were parts of the dune that were clearly vulnerable to washing out, and if the ocean starts washing out onto State Road, nobody’s going to like that. So, we needed to take these emergency measures in order to safeguard infrastructure at this point in time, and that’s why we’re doing it,” said Clasby.
In an effort to reduce costs, county officials say U.S. Rep. Brian Mast helped coordinate the donation of 10 dump truck loads of sand from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A local sand supplier also donated 10 additional truckloads to help stabilize the dune ahead of the larger sand haul.
“It’s been a wonderful collaborative effort from the federal government, the county government, and the city government,” said Clasby.
Clasby says Congressman Mast actually got the Army Corps of Engineers to donate 10 dump truck loads of sand for free to the county, too.
The emergency sand operation is expected to continue for two to three weeks, with an estimated delivery limit of about 5,000 cubic yards of sand per week.
While the current work focuses on immediate stabilization, county leaders say a longer-term solution is also being pursued.
Officials say a proposed groin project, designed to slow the movement of sand along the shoreline, is currently working its way through Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for approval. The project would not eliminate the need for future beach renourishment, but is expected to reduce how frequently large-scale sand projects are required.
County leaders say a temporary beach closure is not out of the question, depending on how conditions change over the coming days.
For homeowners along South Beach, the concern remains how quickly erosion is progressing and how close the ocean is moving toward their homes as crews race to stabilize the shoreline.
“They need to get this fixed as soon as they can. I don’t know what they’re waiting for. It’s been like this for a while. This is the worst I’ve ever seen the way it is today,” said Ted Wasko, a beachgoer at Jetty Park.
