Posted on May 8, 2026
The Army Corps of Engineers terminated its Collier County Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study, ending a yearslong effort to evaluate hurricane and storm surge protection options along the county’s Gulf coastline.
The study, reinitiated after Hurricane Ian in 2022, focused on vulnerable areas including Vanderbilt Beach, Park Shore, Naples and Marco Island. Officials examined potential solutions, such as beach nourishment, mangrove restoration, flood walls, storm surge barriers and revised building standards, aimed at reducing damage from erosion, wave action and flooding.
Federal officials said the project was halted because existing funding was insufficient to complete the extensive technical analysis and coastal modeling required.
The Corps emphasized that Collier County remains vulnerable to significant coastal storms, storm surge and environmental impacts despite the study’s termination.
