Pinellas' storm-battered shoreline could get help soon. County officials are working to get emergency approval for a plan to nourish eroded beaches — without having to go through the Army Corps of Engineers.
Pinellas County Commission Chair Kathleen Peters says she's working with White House officials to do what she called an emergency "workaround." It would bypass the Army Corps' rules that all beachside property owners have to allow public access on private property that has been replenished with new sand.
"That was one of the biggest problems, is they wanted us to give public access on private property into perpetuity, which is a big overreach on property rights. So I agree with the residents that don't want to sign those easements. I likely would feel the same way," Peters said during a news conference on Indian Rocks Beach.
She scheduled a Friday afternoon phone call to see if the process can be moved up, before winter storms do more damage.
"I've been so happy with the response from the administration," Peters said her talks with President Biden on the issue when he visited the beaches recently. "And if we have to wait a couple months, I'm incredibly optimistic that Sen. Scott and whoever takes Sen. Rubio's place and congresswoman (Anna Paulina) Luna are going to continue the good work, and I believe we're going to be successful."
County officials say many beaches have receded by 6 feet since Hurricane Idalia swept past last year. And about 1 million cubic yards of sand were washed away by the two hurricanes this year.
"Because our winter storms typically cause more erosion than our summer storms, we can't wait," Peters said. "I don't want to have to wait until springtime or summertime. I want to get this done immediately. We have another cold front coming down, and that cold front can cause major rip tides and erode our beaches even further, and that's what we don't want. We want to get on this right away."
