Several Pinellas County officials visited the White House this week to move the needle on plans to renourish the county's hurricane-depleted beaches.
There's been some progress. County commission chair Kathleen Peters said the trip was "productive."
The county is trying to get an exemption from new federal rules that require all beachfront property owners sign easements that allow public access wherever new sand is transported.
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The trip followed a letter she sent to President Trump on Feb. 5 with the backing of the entire county commission.
“Our meetings at the White House, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon were incredibly productive,” Peters said. “The necessity of beach nourishment for Pinellas is clear to all. We need sand back on our beaches to protect our infrastructure and economy, and to preserve our way of life.”
Federal projects on Sand Key, Treasure Island and Long Key are on hold because of that new requirement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Peters was joined on the trip on Monday by fellow commissioner Chris Scherer, County Administrator Barry Burton and Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy. They attended a White House meeting in the morning, then met with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. They also met with Stacey Brown, acting principal deputy secretary for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
County spokesman Tony Fabrizio said several renourishment projects are getting closer to approval. They only need 11 easements for the Treasure Island project to begin.
“If we can get those 11 easements done, then the Army Corps will come in and do that project," Fabrizio said. "And it's a 65% federal cost share. So it's a huge benefit to the county if we can get the federal projects done, as opposed to having to do a county-led project.”
But he said federal projects on Sand Key and Long Key on St. Pete Beach are on hold because of a lack of easements. He said the county may eventually have to step in and use tourist bed taxes to pay for those projects.
Fabrizio said more than 160 beachfront homeowners have not signed easements allowing access there. So there will be some gaps where new sand won't be placed.
"It's not ideal to have gaps, because water is always going to find the place of least resistance, and it'll rush in if you have storm surge," he said. "But there simply are areas we are not going to be able to nourish on Sand Key right now, based on easements we have."
Fabrizio said they're hoping the project can begin before the start of this year's hurricane season.
"Time is very much of the essence," Fabrizio said of the Sand Key project. "We had to apply for an emergency permit. These projects have to be permitted no matter who pays for them, and we have a draft, emergency permit in hand from the Army Corps. And once that permit is signed, we have 12 months to complete the project.
"So they'd like to go to request for proposal in March and start soon thereafter, and we would be able to get some of the project done before before hurricane season."
