It appears that Hurricane Debby may have caused some damage to Pinellas County's beaches.
County officials say the worst damage was to Sunset Beach, with some sand scarping found at Belleair Beach and Indian Rocks Beach. Scarps are nearly vertical cliffs of sand caused by heavy surf.
"Overall, the dunes held up fairly well and achieved the goal of providing storm protection," said county spokesman Tony Fabrizio. "We are also assessing impacts to nesting sea turtles and shorebirds. This underscores the need for a full nourishment project. These projects are designed to provide storm damage reduction benefits, critical environmental habitat, and recreational opportunities. We are very vulnerable right now."
The beach renourishment project underway at Pass-a-Grille Beach has been paused to assess the damage. Fabrizio said county staffers are meeting with officials from the Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday.
He said it may take several weeks to fully assess the damage done by Debby.
