INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Beaches up and down Pinellas County have been dealing with erosion issues for a long time. Since Hurricane Idalia passed by the area, it’s only worsened the problem: making some beaches slivers of what they once were and turning beach accesses into steep cliffs.
"The beaches are beautiful,” said Paul Jannarone.
Jannarone has lived in Indian Rocks Beach since 1993. However, he and other residents see that the beaches are hurting.
"Over time, with the storms, you get the erosion, and culminates in situations like we have today,” said Jannarone.
Beach erosion is already a problem on many Pinellas County beaches, made worse by this week’s storm.
The City of Indian Rocks Beach has closed 14 of the 28 beach accesses due to sand loss and erosion. The beach erosion also leaves the area more vulnerable to future storms with less buffer between the Gulf of Mexico and homes, hotels, and businesses.
Gregg Mims, the City Manager for Indian Rocks Beach, said they probably lost a third of the beach, if not more.
"We need sand on this beach,” said Mims. “There's absolutely no excuse for the situation that we find ourselves in."
Despite pleas from coastal mayors, there’s been a stalemate halting beach renourishment. In previous years, the US Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt those beaches with new sand, but right now, those projects are on an indefinite hold concerning property rights.
“All we want is a chance to be at the table and for them to realize that we are a unique county. We’re a peninsula on a peninsula. It’s very unusual,” said Cookie Kennedy, the Mayor of Indian Rocks Beach. “We do agree that if you’re on private property, you should have easements, but again, over 98 percent of this county where beach renourishment is taking place is not on private property.”
ABC Action News spoke with the district commander of the Army Corps division that oversees all of Florida Thursday evening.
As we head into the long Labor Day weekend, the concern from some is that, over time, tourists could take their business someplace else.
"Our family's been here for 40 years having a business right here, and a large part of it's been because of the beach, and as we lose the beach, it'll be where our people who don't even live right on the beach, the workforce will be affected because we won't need as many people to work if we don't have the customers coming to the restaurants for the beaches,” said Matthew Loder, CEO of the Original Crabby Bill's in Indian Rocks Beach.
Regarding the reopening of the beach accesses in Indian Rocks Beach that are closed, city officials said on Friday that it would be months before some of those are open.
