Posted on September 4, 2025
ST. PETE BEACH — Pinellas County will begin the Upham Beach portion of its emergency beach renourishment project Sept. 15, with construction expected to last about one month, City Manager Fran Robustelli told city commissioners Aug. 26.
The project will place an estimated 66,000 cubic yards of Blind Pass sand along 1,900 feet of shoreline. Dune construction is not included in this phase.
The Upham Beach work is estimated at $1.3 million and is part of a broader emergency renourishment effort across the Sand Key region, Treasure Island and Upham Beach, with a total project cost of nearly $126 million.
County officials emphasized that “this scale of locally funded renourishment is unsustainable without federal partnership, and this will be the last project of its kind undertaken without U.S. Army Corps of Engineers support.”
The Army Corps halted beach renourishment projects in recent years after several beachfront property owners refused to grant easements.
According to the county’s Aug. 25 renourishment report, “as a result of a lack of signed construction easements from beachfront property owners, sand will not be placed or will be placed only seaward of the Erosion Control Line in some areas.”
Property owners may see low spots on the beach behind their homes, particularly on Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Redington Shores, where owners could not be located or declined to sign construction easements.
The county is still accepting easements and may add additional properties depending on the surveying stage. Property owners can sign their easement by contacting signforsand@pinellas.gov.
After years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve policy disagreements with the Army Corps, the Board of County Commissioners approved using county funds for the $125.7 million project, supported by Tourism Development Tax revenue and state grants.
Florida is providing $14.2 million in grant reimbursement. Previous projects benefited from a 65% federal cost share through the Army Corps, but without easements from all property owners, the county is no longer eligible for federal funding.
Robustelli said the city will continue working on its relationship with the federal government. Renourishment was completed along the Pass-a-Grille segment of the project.
The project will place more than 2.5 million cubic yards of sand on area beaches — enough sand to fill The Dalí Museum more than 40 times, according to the county’s Environmental Management Division.
The renourishment schedule includes:
• Indian Shores: August-September
• Redington Shores and North Redington Beach: September-October
• Upham Beach: September-October
• Sunset Beach: September-January
• Indian Rocks Beach: October-December
• Sunshine Beach: October-December
• Belleair Beach and Clearwater Beach: December-January
New Freebee fares take effect
City officials reported that 524 residents have registered for the Freebee ride service as of Aug. 27.
To continue receiving free rides, residents must preregister in person at the Community Center, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enrollment requires two proofs of residency. Residents should register before taking their first Freebee ride to avoid the $3 charge.
St. Pete Beach will charge non-residents a $3 fare per ride for its Freebee shuttle service, effective Sept. 1. Guests of residents will ride free as long as a resident requests the ride.
Both non-residents and residents can hail rides using the Freebee app, which will verify if a resident is requesting service. Drivers will not verify whether additional passengers are residents. The cashless system accepts credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Latest on St. Pete Beach Publix
City Manager Robustelli told commissioners that staff has been in frequent contact with Publix’s government relations manager, who said the company appreciates the city’s interest in reopening store No. 139 and is eager to serve the St. Pete Beach community again.
However, Publix is in the early stages of the project and cannot provide an approximate timeline. The company hopes to know more within the next month and will keep the city posted on progress.
The Publix at Dolphin Village Plaza suffered extensive damage in May from a large fire that started at an adjacent CVS and spread to the grocery store through an adjoining facade in the roof area. After initial containment, the fire reignited in the front facade space, causing further damage.
An investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office determined the fire was likely caused by an electrical issue, though specific details on how or where it started remain unknown. Publix relocated its employees to other nearby locations to ensure they have work.
