Task force invites engineer to brief members on wave attenuation wall options

The Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force voted June 11 to invite coastal engineer Elizabeth Fontaine of JR Evans to brief the committee about wave attenuation or mitigation wall options facing the Gulf, a move members said could inform future recommendations to Town Council.

Chair of the task force said the idea resurfaced after a Beach Talk Radio broadcast featuring the coastal engineer and after a prior presentation from a Florida Gulf Coast University professor about nearshore vegetation and living shorelines. The chair said the proposal is not intended to “block the water” but to reduce wave energy, likening the concept to offshore reefs that break wave power before it reaches the shore.

Task force members discussed technical tradeoffs and costs. One member estimated preliminary linear-foot costs mentioned on the broadcast as “a thousand to $5,000 a linear foot,” and a rough back‑of‑the‑envelope cost estimate of about $35 million was mentioned during discussion for a long continuous alignment. Chad, the town staff member, cautioned that engineered design is required, that placement inside or seaward of the town’s erosion control line (ECL) raises permitting and private property issues, and that some existing town ordinances currently prohibit walls facing the Gulf without variance or regulatory approvals. He said approvals from state resource agencies such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other permitting bodies would be required.

A motion to invite Fontaine was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Chair and staff said Chad will reach out to schedule the briefing and keep the task force advised.

The committee did not adopt a policy position at the meeting; members emphasized the need for an engineered approach and said they want the technical briefing to better understand costs, permitting constraints, and where gray and green combinations might provide benefit.