Engineer outlines 3-foot "wave mitigation" walls as option to reduce flood zone in Times Square

Elizabeth Fountain, a professional civil engineer with JR Evans Engineering, described a type of low, coastal “wave mitigation” wall she said can reduce wave heights during extreme surge events and help properties shift from FEMA’s VE zone to an A-type flood zone.

Fountain told the town’s management planning section that the feature is “not 6 or 8 foot high. They’re more like 3 to 3 and a half foot above the grade,” and that the structures have been used on both Florida coasts. She said the walls are designed to withstand 100-year event forces, are sometimes buried with a concrete cap or sheet piles, and can be integrated with pedestrian amenities so “you don't even know it's an armoring wall.”

The council and staff discussed examples Fountain brought from Clearwater Beach, the Hyatt and Wyndham Grand properties, and Bonita Beach condominiums. Fountain said one recent Bonita Beach cap-extension project is about 303 feet and cost about $240,000, and she gave a broad construction price range of $5,500 to $7,500 per linear foot depending on access and site conditions. She also said the short construction runs she has seen can be brief — one Wyndham installation was built in about 30 days — but that regulatory steps such as a conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) with FEMA and likely a Florida DEP Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) permit take months and that the full process to construct and secure a final LOMR typically approaches a year.

Councilmembers asked about uses the mitigation could enable. Fountain said, if FEMA accepts the map change, the lowered wave heights can decrease required base flood elevations and allow some uses at grade that otherwise would need elevation, citing potential for restrooms and pedestrian activation in Times Square. She cautioned that map changes require FEMA technical review; she recommended pursuing a CLOMR first so FEMA can review the proposed design.

Council discussion focused on scope and funding. Councilmember John said he believes an island-wide approach would be valuable and asked staff to explore broader options; others noted possible funding sources including TDC (Tourist Development Council) funds, state and federal resiliency grants and private–public partnerships. Fountain said Grand Resorts had previously supplied modeling and that her firm was near final CLOMR review for the Outrigger project.

The management planning section directed staff to place the wave-mitigation concept on the next town council meeting agenda for broader consideration, to coordinate a public presentation, and to ask Fountain to return with additional examples, construction plans, and a list of potential grants and funding sources. Fountain agreed to try to return within the suggested time frame for a public presentation.

The presentation included technical caveats Fountain repeated several times: final flood-zone map changes must be approved by FEMA; DEP/CCCL permitting may be required depending on wall location; and modeling must show the project will not increase flood risk to adjacent properties.

Fountain also said the walls can have secondary benefits — slowing wave energy that can reduce scour on the landward side and encourage some sediment deposition — but that outcomes depend on site-by-site coastal modeling.

Councilmembers and staff encouraged public and private beachfront property owners to review nearby examples such as Clearwater Beach and Bonita Beach and to engage as the town refines next steps.