Summary
County staff and a visiting consultant said blind‑pass sand will be dredged and placed at Upham Beach in mid‑September–October; contractor Gator Dredging, estimated cost about $1.3 million, project intended as a one‑time reset while longer compliance and funding work continues.
Pinellas County staff provided the Beach Stewardship Committee an update on the county's emergency beach nourishment project for Upham Beach, saying the work will place about 66,000 cubic yards of sand along roughly a 2,000‑foot stretch and is estimated to cost about $1,300,000.
Brandon (county/staff) and Dr. John Bishop said the sand source for the Upham placement will be Blind Pass and that Gator Dredging is the contractor working in that area. Dr. Bishop said the estimated timeframe to start is mid‑September to early October.
The presentation and discussion focused on scope and logistics rather than long‑term policy. "This sand source is coming from Blind Pass, so it should be very similar to what's on the beach now," Dr. John Bishop said. He added that prior post‑storm sand placed from nearshore sources had been shellier and that the Blind Pass material should more closely match the existing beach.
County and contractor sequencing was described: Weeks Marine is the prime contractor and will operate in multiple areas, and Gator Dredging will work on Upham using dredged material from Blind Pass. Staff said the plan is to place sand on Upham, then use remaining Blind Pass sand for Sunset Beach and then move dredging efforts toward John's Pass and Sunshine Beach, with Egmont Shoal used later in the program.
Committee members asked whether the nourishment would increase public usable beach. Dr. Bishop responded, "The beach will extend out, it should extend out beyond the groins that are out there now...So it will make the beach wider and have more surface area." He and staff emphasized the project is intended as a one‑time reset to gain time while the county continues work to achieve compliance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) or other permitting policy and to pursue funding avenues.
Committee members also asked about planting after nourishment. Dr. Bishop said dunes will not be constructed at Upham as part of this placement and therefore dune planting is not planned there; planting will occur where dunes are being created elsewhere.
Why it matters: the nourishment affects near‑term beach width and public access at Upham, will require temporary construction fencing in work zones, and is explicitly not designed as a recurring nourishment until larger compliance and funding paths are resolved.
Ending: Staff said they will provide permitting and scheduling updates as they are finalized and will coordinate public notices for any restricted beach areas during dredging and placement.
