PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — While in Pinellas County on Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a boost to support beach renourishment.
It’s a peaceful part of our paradise that makes the Tampa Bay Area so special.
“Calm, relaxed, laidback,” said Marva Gilley.
Every morning, Marva and Chuck Gilley go for a walk on the beach. They’ve lived in Redington Shores for four years.
But despite its beauty, they’ve also seen the impact Mother Nature can have too.
“We’ve seen a lot of erosion in the last couple of storms,” said Marva.
We saw it after storms like Hurricane Ian and Idalia: erosion to our beaches and dunes in our coastal communities.
While in Redington Shores on Wednesday morning, Governor DeSantis said as they go through the budget for next fiscal year, he’s approved in the budget an additional $50 million to support beach renourishment.
“We realize that our coastlines are the first line of defense against the big storms, and we got to ensure that we’re supporting the long-term strength to withstand impacts of these storms,” the Governor said.
At the same time, the Governor signed bills to continue funding My Safe Florida Home, providing $200 million for the program, while also creating the My Safe Florida Condo pilot program.
“We’ve lost volumes of sand off this beach,” said Bill Queen, the Mayor of North Redington Beach. “If we get a high tide, we have no beach.”
It’s a problem ABC Action News has spoken with Mayor Queen about too.
“Unless they get 100 percent, the Army Corps is saying they’re not going to do it,” said Queen.
Queen said for the beach renourishment project with the Army Corps of Engineers, work is still being done behind the scenes to try to make changes to their easement rules.
Queen also weighed in on the Governor’s announcement.
“50 million dollars for the state of Florida is a drop in the bucket, but it’s better than nothing,” said Queen. “The best thing that he did is he assigned somebody as a resiliency officer, so that person will actually concentrate on these beaches.”
It’s not lost on anyone that hurricane season is right around the corner, as local communities try to shore up one of Florida’s greatest treasures.
“You can see how packed this beach is out here with all these people out here, and they’re here for one reason, and it’s this sand,” said Queen.
