State, local leaders call on Army Corps of Engineers to speed up Pinellas beach recovery efforts
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. - State and local officials are praising beach recovery efforts in Pinellas County after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, while calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite beach renourishment projects.
At a news conference Friday morning, leaders said they've designed a project aimed at improving resilience along the coast, and submitted it to the Army Corps for review.
The effort comes after recent hurricanes brought record-breaking storm surge, along with heavy rain and wind, to Florida's Gulf coast.
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Florida Sen. Nick DiCeglie was vocal in criticizing the federal agency, saying that an Army Corps damage assessment after Hurricane Idalia in 2023 found an estimated $60 million in renourishment work was doable.
"That damage assessment never even got submitted to Congress for them to consider whether they wanted to provide the funding," DiCeglie said. "That's dereliction of duty by the Army Corps of Engineers."
St. Pete Beach was one of many areas hit hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Pinellas County Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy said another option to secure beach renourishment funding could come from an emergency fund at the federal level for storm damage projects.
"Unfortunately, that funding, even though it's sitting there, is blocked," she said. "Releasing that funding to the Army Corps of Engineers to do the project is one barrier that can be lifted."
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County Commission Chair Kathleen Peters said she's been in direct contact with the White House, as well, in hopes of finding a solution to get infrastructure projects going.
"This is infrastructure that is critical to protect our people, our properties and our economy," Peters said, adding that beach renourishment efforts have been a struggle for "many years."
Pinellas County Commission Chair Kathleen Peters spoke at a news conference Friday on beach recovery efforts.
Officials also expressed optimism when talking about the combined efforts of agencies at all levels to begin the long rebuilding process, especially in hard-hit beachside communities.
"It was an incredible collaboration," Peters said. "We have been so resilient and have come back and recovered so quickly compared to other cities in this state that have had the same kind of disaster happen to them."
For more information on disaster recovery in Pinellas County, click here.
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