DESTIN, Fla. — A collaborative mission in Okaloosa County will assist a beach that suffered from erosion brought on by Hurricane Sally in 2020.
A virtually $10 million beach restoration mission will start in west Destin on (*23*) 23.
“In 2020, when we lost all of this beach back when Sally hit,” mentioned Teresa Hebert, Destin metropolis councilwoman and mayor professional tempore. “It has taken about this long for FEMA to help us get everything together and the county to work with us. So it’s really just going to be for generations, it’ll be our kids that get to enjoy it.”
Over 150,000 cubic yards of sand can be dredged.
The mission stretches from the jetty to the east facet of South Bay by the Gulf Condos.
“People will start seeing equipment going out there by the end of March,” mentioned Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County PIO. “Then they’ll start the actual dredging. And then they’ll start the actual pumping and renourishing of the beach in April.”
The mission is 90% funded by FEMA, with 10% coming via beach restoration reserves.
“One of the qualifications for FEMA is to protect property,” Tomecek mentioned. “So that’s the major function of this project is to protect those structures, those condos, those homes from future storms and future erosion. But it’s also going to benefit the beachgoers that are going on to enjoy the sand and emerald green waters.”
Officials with the City of Destin says they’re grateful to collaborate with the fee on these efforts and to work with FEMA.
“It is nice to see it come to fruition, especially right now, right as spring break is hitting, right before we have our summer build up of folks that come in,” Hebert mentioned. “We do have the luck of having such a beautiful area. We are the little piece of paradise everybody wishes they could have.”
The mission is predicted to wrap up in its entirety by the tip of April.
The beach in west Destin will stay open and accessible to the general public in the course of the mission, with momentary closures the place the sand is actively being positioned.
