Encinitas project wins national 'Best Restored Beach' award, rep credited with $30M in funding

Todd Mora, the city’s coastal zone program administrator, presented the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s 2025 Best Restored Beach award to city leaders and U.S. Rep. Mike Levin.

The award recognizes the Encinitas–Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project, a multi-jurisdictional Army Corps effort spanning two segments of roughly 1.5 miles each. Mora said the project was designed to reduce coastal storm damage to property and infrastructure, prevent bluff failures by creating a beach berm wide and tall enough to dissipate wave energy, and improve recreational opportunities and lifeguard safety.

Mora told the council the project is the first federally approved programmatic coastal storm damage reduction project in San Diego County and has been authorized for the full 50-year life of the project through 2074. He credited Rep. Levin with securing approximately $30,000,000 in congressional community-project funding that helped get the project’s first phase constructed on schedule.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin thanked city staff and council members and said, “since we got this $30,000,000, I got on the Appropriations Committee and on the Energy and Water Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” and pledged continued support for the project’s ongoing appropriations.

Mayor and council members welcomed the recognition and noted the project’s long history—staff and council said it took decades of technical work and local support to reach construction and national recognition. The presentation concluded with the council receiving the award and brief remarks of appreciation.

The city manager later announced an additional federal community-project award from Rep. Levin—a separate $1,000,000 appropriation for a North Coast Highway drainage improvement project—which staff said will fund local stormwater improvements.