Surfline pitches $200,000 coastal camera system to help lifeguards, monitor sand and inform business planning

At the Encinitas budget workshop, Ross Garrett, who identified himself as a long-time Encinitas resident and CEO of Surfline, presented a vendor proposal asking the city to appropriate roughly $200,000 for a coastal intelligence system.

Garrett said the technology would provide near real‑time video, automated sand‑width and usage metrics, and alerts to support marine-safety staffing. A colleague described how one camera could serve multiple internal city functions — counting beach users for economic and business-commission purposes, informing lifeguard coverage in unguarded areas, and tracking sand retention after nourishment projects.

Garrett said Surfline would install and manage the cameras and that the system was federally compliant and not used for facial recognition. He said the company could offer both public-facing and private configurations and noted the company works with other coastal cities in California.

Council members asked staff about procurement requirements; the city manager and staff reminded the council any contract over the city's competitive-bid threshold (generally $100,000) would require an RFP. Council discussion ranged from enthusiasm about data for beach management to caution about surveillance concerns and costs; some members suggested a lower-cost, single-year option or phased approach. The council did not approve funding at the workshop but asked staff to return with procurement details, operational use cases, and options for scaled contracts ahead of the May budget introduction.