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Volusia County says sand-placement will finish driving areas before spring break; offers long-term beach management plan
Summary
Volusia County Coastal Division Director Jessica Fentress told the New Smyrna Beach commission the current sand-placement project will finish sand placement in driving areas before spring break (goal April 27) and outlined long-term options including nearshore placement, offshore sand sourcing and an inlet shoals project backed by state grants.
Volusia County Coastal Division Director Jessica Fentress gave the New Smyrna Beach City Commission a detailed update on active sand-placement work and longer-term beach-management options, including a target to complete sand placement in driving areas before spring break.
Fentress described current work offloading high-quality sand from dredged navigation areas and placing material along the shore via pipe operations. She said crews have placed approximately "18 cubic yards per linear foot" in some locations and that the county aims to finish sand placement in driving areas by "April 27." She warned that planting and cleanup work will continue after placement, and that pipe removal and revegetation will follow the sand work.
Fentress also reviewed a parcel-by-parcel feasibility study and ranked management options. "Top contenders are structure relocation, beach nourishment, and near shore sand placement," she said, and noted that state grant funding favors sand options: "there's only two options that are funded by the state through a grant partner agency. And those are the sand options." She described an inlet shoals-to-shore grant project and an offshore sand-source survey (potentially tens of millions of cubic yards) that is moving through federal permitting.
The county provided economic context to the commission: Fentress said beach tourism generates an estimated $4.3 billion annually for the county and drives tens of millions of day trips, figures she said commissioners should reference when discussing local investments. Commissioners pressed on timing, impacts to adjacent neighborhoods during construction, and how property owners could add sand-capture vegetation or field permits; Fentress encouraged use of the county's Volusia Beaches app for real-time ramp and capacity information.
The county offered to provide a draft resolution of support for the countywide beach management plan tailored to New Smyrna Beach, and said a more detailed economic presentation will follow at a regional elected-officials roundtable.
