Council approves extra dune plantings, change order and engineering services tied to Estero Island shoreline project
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Summary
Council approved a change order to add roughly 25,500 dune plants and a Coastal Engineering supplemental task authorization for construction-phase work and monitoring tied to the island shoreline project. Town staff said contractor retainage will cover some consultant costs and that federal/state grant funds are funding plantings.
Fort Myers Beach — The Town Council on Monday approved additional work tied to the Estero Island shoreline protection and beach renourishment efforts, including a change order adding roughly 25,500 plants to the dune planting contract and a supplemental task authorization for coastal engineering construction‑phase services.
Chad Schutz, the town's environmental project manager, told the council the additional planting work supplements an earlier contract that initially covered about 135,000 plants. The change order adds approximately 25,500 plants to the contract with Earth Balance Corporation, increasing the contract total to $95,720, and covers requests from property owners at several locations, including Diamond Head, Best Western, Estero Beach and Tennis Club, Bermuda Dunes, Leonardo Arms and Islands Inn.
Schutz said the additional plantings will help stabilize sand, provide sea‑turtle habitat and assist in rebuilding dune elevation as vegetation traps windblown sand. "The roots, the health of the roots is really what we're putting that money towards and it shows," he said during the meeting.
Council also approved Supplemental Task Authorization (STA) No. 14 with Coastal Engineering Consultants for construction‑phase services including resurveys and post‑construction shorebird monitoring required by permits. The STA was authorized for $161,720. Schutz and town staff said the contractor should pick up the cost from retainage; the town indicated the work meets the definition of actual damages under the construction contract and will be covered by the contractor's final pay application or retainage.
The change order and engineering STA passed unanimously. Council members praised the visible progress on the renourishment program: several councilors contrasted current conditions with the island's post‑storm damage and commended staff and contractors for the scale of plantings and project management.
Town staff said a future change order could be needed for additional beach access plantings and canopy trees; they also encouraged property owners who want extra dune plantings or staking to contact environmental staff at chadd@fmbgov.com or (239) 462‑8127.
The council's approvals were part of a broader packet of shore‑protection and resilience projects. Councilors and staff emphasized the plantings' multi‑year nature: vegetation takes multiple seasons to establish and, where plantings sit closer to the water table, growth may appear quicker than on rebuilt berm sections.