Beach Renourishment

Pinellas County officials are working with the White House to get emergency approval for beach renourishment projects that have been stymied by new rules from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Pinellas County and tourism officials are "officially" welcoming back visitors to the county's famed beaches. But the restoration of damaged beachside buildings is still ongoing.

Officials in Pinellas have been working on renourishing and recovering its shoreline after Hurricane Idalia's wrath last year, but it's expected to take another beating by Helene.

It may take weeks to assess the damage. Sunset Beach looks to have fared the worst.

County commissioners expressed concern about using bed taxes to help fund the stadium over the life of the project. But officials say there's enough money to pay for that and help renourish the county's eroded beaches.

The announcement comes after crews finished dredging the Grand Canal entrance channel and placed about 5,000 to 10,000 cubic yards of sand between First Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

Paola Barranco runs a startup that pulverizes recycled glass in to sand. She thinks it could be an attractive, environmentally friendly option in a state with a shortage of quality beach sand.

Starting June 3, access to the beach and parking will be limited during the project.

The additional money pledged by the state comes as an impasse continues with the Army Corps of Engineers over allocating federal funds to replenish eroded beaches.

Shorelock is biopolymer that enhances the interaction of sand particles with water to resist erosion, provide a more stable coastline.

The work is expected to take 60 days and will tie up traffic along Gulf Boulevard.

Local nonprofits and county officials are searching for volunteers this weekend to help replant beach vegetation lost during Hurricane Idalia.