PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Barrier Island mayors are pushing for more to be done along our beaches.
Several mayors are sending President Donald Trump a letter, asking for help getting re-nourishment projects.
"I think it's all important…here in Pinellas County and Indian Rocks Beach, the beach is beautiful. It's what we are known for," said Timothy Chase who owns Old Florida Cigar and Bait Company.
Chase hopes the beach is restored to what it used to be before Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
"The water came right up to this plaza but didn't get into the building and they say it's on account of the sand dunes that were there…they are no longer there. They were there long enough to prevent us from being flooded," said Chase.
But work has been delayed.
"We kind of feel…and this is not just me, this is all the barrier island communities, we feel like FEMA and the Army Corps are all working against us," said Dave Gattis, Mayor of Belleair Beach.
Perpetual property easement regulations have gotten in the way of re-nourishing projects. Beachfront homeowners must sign off on easements and the Army Corps of Engineers said without 100% compliance, they will not move any sand onto Pinellas County beaches.
"I'm asking the president to intervene and see what he can do with the army corps to get us beach nourishment," said Gattis.
Gattis and other mayors are asking President Trump, to reduce the length of those easements from never ending to just two years.
They could then be renewed for each new nourishment project.
"What I'm hoping is that will encourage those who have refused to sign, to go ahead and sign the easement so we can get our beach nourishment," said Gattis.
The letter also requests the removal of language that forces public access to private property.
"I think if the army corps is given a mandate to do something, I think within a year we could start seeing sand," said Gattis.
It's something Chase hopes will happen soon.
"I hope they put it back like they do every time."
Charles Black of Tampa coded three times over a multi-week hospital stay following a heart attack in July. Now, he carries the tiny device that helped save his life in a key chain as a reminder that every day is a gift
