Posted on September 15, 2025
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The onetime $125.5 million beach renourishment project mostly funded with Pinellas County bed tax dollars kicked off this week with 80% of the temporary easements needed, according to Public Works Director Kelli Levy.
“We really want to fill every property that we can,” she said. “We want to create the most resilient beach that we can.”
The project encompasses 9 miles of beach from Sand Key in Clearwater south to Upham in St. Pete Beach. All of the sections will be worked on at the same time to complete the project as fast as possible.
Levy said 2.5 million cubic yards of sand will be pumped onto the beach. For residents worried about wash-over after Hurricane Helene buried Gulf Boulevard in sand last year, Levy said the new dunes will be smaller than the emergency dunes created in 2023.
“I think once everybody saw that it wasn’t going to be a 10-foot dune and that it was going to be something lower, something that’s more similar to what they had in the past, they were very supportive,” she said. “So most people, if they signed the easement, they signed it with a dune.”
In the Sand Key project area, Levy said they still need easements from 90 parcels. Even though the project has started, Levy said residents can still sign temporary easements until they see heavy equipment getting near their homes.
“We do need it within five days of the contractor being in front of your property. If we don’t get it before then, it’s too late,” she said. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to skip you and you’re going to end up with that really low spot behind your property.”
Normally, the Army Corps of Engineers would pay for more than 60% of the project, but the agency has been locked in a standoff with Pinellas County since 2015 over perpetual easements from homeowners. Pinellas Commissioner Kathleen Peters said the Corps got a new administrator and she’s hopeful they can break the standoff.
“He has talked to our staff twice now, and he’s even going to come visit Pinellas County,” she said. “We’re going to talk about the interpretation of the policy.”
The beach renourishment project costs $125.5 million, with $11 million coming from state grants and $114.5 million coming from the Tourist Development Tax collected from overnight visitors.
“This is another example of how the visitors coming to Pinellas County really impact the quality and enhance the quality of life for our residents through a project like this funded with bed tax,” said Brian Lowack, CEO and president of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “We’re making our beaches bigger, wider, brighter and better than ever.”
The 6-month project is expected to be complete in March. Homeowners interested in signing a temporary easement can contact the county through signforsand@pinellas.gov.
The tentative construction schedule and map for the entire project area can be found at the 2025 Pinellas County Beach Nourishment Project website. Residents can also text PCBEACHES to 888777 to opt in for alerts with key project updates.
