Pinellas County to begin emergency beach renourishment Sept. 15; St. Pete Beach portion to receive 66,000 cubic yards of sand

Pinellas County will begin an emergency beach renourishment project on Sept. 15 that will place approximately 66,000 cubic yards of sand along about 1,900 feet of St. Pete Beach shoreline, the city manager told the commission. Construction is expected to last about one month and will not include dune construction.

City staff reported the sand source is Blind Pass and the contractor is Gator Dredging. The city manager said the Upper Beach portion of the county’s renourishment is estimated at $1,300,000; the city manager also reported a figure described as “almost $126,000,000” as the total project cost across multiple jurisdictions. Staff said the project is funded primarily by the tourist development tax (about 89%), with the remaining 11% from state grants.

Pinellas County emphasized in reports to the city that the scale and local funding share of these renourishments are unsustainable without federal partnership and that this will likely be the final project of this scale undertaken without direct U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involvement. The city manager said staff will continue work to pursue federal partnership for future nourishment projects.

The city manager also reminded residents that dune construction is not included in this effort and that local sandbag stations are available at Egan Park. No public comment was provided during the meeting on the renourishment item.

What to expect: the county’s contractor is scheduled to place sand along the stated shoreline beginning Sept. 15; residents and property owners should expect construction activity for roughly one month and should follow any posted notices and access restrictions from county crews.