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NRAC discusses coastal protection, dune restoration and enforcement challenges along Volusia beaches
Summary
Committee members reviewed beach and dune policy, county-managed sand placement, and enforcement limits; staff reported a state-funded dune restoration project and described practical enforcement barriers for dune replanting requirements.
Volusia County NRAC members spent substantial time on Aug. 5 discussing coastal protection, enforcement of the beach-and-dune ordinance and county-managed dune restoration projects.
Ginger Adair, a staff presenter, described the county’s ongoing dune restoration work and the recent waiver of some dune-replanting requirements after the 2022 storms. "The council waived that requirement after the 2022 storms," Adair said, and added that the county had received state funding to restore dunes. Adair told the committee the county was managing a dune restoration project south of Sunglow Pier to Ponce Inlet and that, for that project, "it's 18 cubic yards of sand, per linear foot." She also said the county obtained about $77,000,000 from the state for that work.
Committee members raised enforcement and policy questions. Jack (committee member) and Sara Lee (committee member) pressed staff about whether existing rules are being enforced and whether the county could use incentives rather than new regulations to promote protective measures. "Are there issues that are on the books that haven't been fully enforced?" Jack asked; staff replied enforcement is difficult in several areas and often relies on complaint-driven processes.
Members discussed practical limits to enforcing dune replanting after storms. Adair said the code requires a dune to remain for the life of the armoring structure, but enforcement is difficult when storms remove sand. "If those dunes get washed away from a storm or whatever, there's a lot of difficulty ... forcing people to put back sand in front of their seawalls after they've been impacted," she said.
Several members urged exploring incentive-based approaches to encourage dune restoration and other voluntary protective measures. Jessica Gough suggested the committee could consider larger incentives where regulation is no longer an available tool. Staff noted coordination across jurisdictions and state agencies (including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Transportation) complicates local policy changes.
Ending: NRAC did not take further action at the meeting but flagged enforcement and incentives as subjects for potential future discussion if council or state law changes permit further committee activity.
