Posted on July 3, 2025
MADEIRA BEACH — Beachgoers will be glad to know the beach groin restoration project is complete and the structures will be keeping the sand in place for at least another 50 years.
Madeira Beach is unique among the communities along the Pinellas County beach strip in its use of these concrete structures to help build up the sand and maintain a wide beach. Most other towns depend on costly renourishment projects that pump sand onto the beach periodically for erosion control.
The beach groins date to the 1950s and were wearing out. Of the 37 groins, 22 were deteriorating and needed to be rebuilt. The city received a $1.75 million matching grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the restoration project in late 2021.
After a period of project design, which included detailed analysis of all groins and meetings with federal, state and county officials, the on-site work finally began in 2024.
“I would happily like to report that this project is complete,” said Public Works Director Megan Wepfer at the June 25 city commission workshop. She also said she hoped to come in under budget. The original bid cost was $3.84 million, and currently the city has spent less than that, but there is still a final invoice pending.
There were some challenges that caused the work to take longer than expected.
“It was tough,” said Wepfer about refurbishing the west end of the groins that extend into the Gulf. “It was all tidal-based.” She described a process of using plywood as a barrier when pouring concrete in the water.
Other factors that slowed down the project were weather conditions — included the hurricanes — the presence of turtle nests that necessitated some scheduling adjustments, the need to keep the beach available for walkers while work was ongoing and following strict guidelines from the state on the working hours.
“If you had it to do all over again, would you have done anything any differently with the design?” asked Vice Mayor Ray Kerr.
Wepfer replied that there were not many options because state officials are no longer issuing permits to create these beach groins.
“We didn’t remove the original beach groins; we fortified them,” Wepfer said. She admitted that the groins are “not beautiful,” but they are structurally sound, and they do a great job of retaining sand on the beach.
“I’m sure they’ll be here long after any of us are,” Kerr said.
Other project updates
While normalcy is returning to the beach, there is still hurricane recovery going on at the city’s landmark Snack Shack eatery on the beach at 15100 Gulf Blvd.
The city owns the structure but leases it to a concessionaire, United Park Services. City Manager Robin Gomez reported recently that building repairs are underway and are expected to be complete by the end of 2025.
It was hoped the internal refurbishment, which is the responsibility of United, would also be done at that time, but issues with the contract have brought uncertainty concerning the lease renewal. The matter is now in the hands of legal representatives of both parties for a resolution.
The long-delayed sand dredging project in John’s Pass is still awaiting necessary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Army Corps has completed its technical review, but it cannot issue a permit until the department finishes its analysis. That needs to happen before the end of this year.
“There are literally thousands of individuals that are waiting for (the dredging) to happen,” Gomez said in January.
The permitting process began in 2022. The actual dredging will take only 30 to 45 days.
