Part of Pass-a-Grille Beach closed, nourishment project paused after Hurricane Debby

PASS-A-GRILLE, Fla. - A nourishment project on Pass-a-Grille Beach is on pause after Hurricane Debby, leaving the south end of the beach closed.

The summer season is almost over so business owners in the area hope the project will resume soon.

The project -- which includes taking the sand out of Pass-a-Grille and pumping it throughout the south beach area -- will restore and stabilize the popular beach, which is important as beaches stand as a buffer against storm surge.

It's unclear just how much sand was lost during Debby, but the owner of Hurricane Seafood Restaurant says he can't wait for the project to pick back up again and be completed soon.

"Exciting because the sand they're putting back on the beach is sugar sand," said Rick Falkenstein, the owner of Hurricane Seafood Restaurant. "It's not course, and it's going to be like the old days back when I was just a little guy."

When the project started, only part of the beach was closed south of Paradise Grille. An employee at Paradise Sweets believes customers thought the entire beach was closed so they did see a slight decrease in customers and tourists.

READ: Sarasota County opens resource center for residents impacted by Debby

"One of the first reasons is the economy of the county so it's been a struggle for everybody," said Thibault Emmery. "Stores around the neighborhood have been complaining about the construction and work going on. It has been almost six months now, so I think that scared people to come to the beach here."

Business owners remind locals and tourists that the north end of the beach is open so they can still come out and enjoy a day on the sand.

"I mean the season is almost toward the end so hopefully we can save it for the last two or three weeks, especially if the city communicates it's open, like fully open," said Emmery.

"As they're doing this project, only parts of the beach are going to be closed, so you can still come to St. Pete Beach of Pass-a-Grille and enjoy," said Falkenstein.

According to Pinellas County, the project may resume sometime this weekend, and the final phase of the entire project is set to begin in September.

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