Coquina Beach is getting its shoreline back. Crews are working around the clock to pump more than 60,000 cubic yards of sand onto the beach, replacing what Hurricane Idalia pulled out to sea. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of the week, though some access points on the beach may be temporarily closed while the work is underway.
The nearly $2 million price tag is worth noting for Manatee County taxpayers: FEMA covers 75%, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection covers 12.5%, and tourism taxes make up the rest. No property tax dollars are going toward this project. According to Charlie Hunsicker with Manatee County, the sand is doing more than making the beach look good. It acts as a buffer, absorbing the energy of incoming storms. Without it, that energy goes after the trails, roads, and homes sitting behind the dunes.
And there’s more on the horizon. A separate $32 million restoration project from Holmes Beach to Longboat Pass begins in November, meaning the work on local beaches is far from finished.
Have you been out to Coquina Beach recently? What did you notice about the shoreline after Idalia?
