Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated 2/1/07

Timing

What is the process for restoring beaches along the 30A corridor?

Walton County began a comprehensive beach management feasibility study in 2000 to evaluate the state of our beaches after the hurricanes of 1995 and 1998. At the completion of the study in 2003, only western Walton County was determined to be a viable candidate for large scale beach restoration. After the design, permitting and construction the project celebrated its completion in January 2007.

After the passage of Hurricane Ivan, the County immediately began to measure beach changes via surveying to scientifically document to the damages that were caused. The County also began the process of sand identification since the East Pass sand source that was being used for western Walton County could not be used for eastern Walton County. As the survey information was being analyzed, Hurricane Dennis impacted Walton County and completely changed the existing beach conditions. Therefore, Walton County had to start over with the technical analysis of the state of the beaches in 2005-06. This analysis must be done to demonstrate to the permitting agencies that beach restoration is warranted. That analysis was completed by fall of 2006 and was presented in a Public Workshop. The areas planned for beach restoration are available at http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/pdf/Phase2.pdf

The sand source investigation did not initially lead to positive results in 2005 as most areas that were analyzed were darker then the native beach. The sand consisted of dark yellow, red and brown tones that are identical to the dunes and peat deposits, but not the beach. Therefore, further analysis was conducted in 2006 to identify any and all beach sand along the entire Walton County shoreline and two locations were identified. The final analysis of the sand source investigation was completed in December 2006 and presented in the third public informational workshop.

Based on the completion of the sand source investigation and the completion of the technical analysis of the Walton County shoreline, a recommendation to restore over 13 miles of beaches was presented to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners on January 9, 2007. At that meeting, the BCC directed staff to finalize the engineering and design of the recommended beach restoration areas, and move through the permitting process.

When will the project begin?

Permit applications were submitted to state and federal agencies in the summer of 2007. The permits must be reviewed by three federal and two state agencies. For the western Walton County project, the permitting process took about two years. There are no estimates for a construction timeline until the permitting agencies complete their review. Additionally, funding must be in place and construction easements must be secured in order to construct the project. For more information regarding the current status, check the monthly updates at http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/Future_Initiatives.asp

Logistics
What is a construction easement and why do we need them?

Certain sections of the beach are privately owned seaward to the Gulf of Mexico, defined by the Mean High Water or ECL. In those areas, we will be placing sand on privately-owned property and thus need permission of upland owners.

What is an ECL?

It is the erosion control line. An erosion control line is established in beach nourishment projects to identify the upland limits of state ownership as required by Florida State Statute. Since the state of Florida holds all lands below Mean High Water in public trust for all to use, the location of the ECL is based on the location of the mean (or average) high water elevation. In western Walton County, the Mean High Water elevation is +1.06ft.

Will the beach remain private after nourishment?
All land owned landward of the ECL that is privately owned before the project will remain privately-owned. Any new sand that is placed offshore (seaward of the ECL) will belong to the State of Florida as that offshore area is currently state-owned. The state and county have no plans to encourage new vending along this stretch of beach; the project is strictly for property protection. Additionally, an ordinance was passed by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners that restricts vending on the newly constructed beach in front of existing private property. The ordinance restricts vending on public beaches unless there is written permission from the county and any private property owner whose property is landward and adjacent to the proposed vending location.

Isn’t there a lawsuit about the Erosion Control Line and how can that affect the 30-A project?
Yes. A group of three properties in western Walton County and Destin filed a lawsuit against Walton County, Destin and the state of Florida challenging the establishment of the Erosion Control Line and the state�s permitting program. This is one issue that held up the western Walton County project due to delays caused by an Administrative Hearing. Initially, Walton County won the Administrative Hearing and were granted our permit. Subsequently, the 1st District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the property owners. The case was heard by the State Supreme Court on April 19, 2007 and work can continue until they make a ruling. If the Supreme Court finds in favor of the property owners, the state will have to change sections of their permitting program because the state constitution that governs the permitting will be unconstitutional. If this happens, we will have to determine what changes are necessary to our permitting package and make them. The Supreme Court does not have a time requirement to issue their ruling and has not issued their ruling as of this date. Walton County submitted our application under the current programs rules and will make changes if and when we are required to.

What are critically eroded areas?

Critically eroded beaches are a designation that is determined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The FDEP conducts an assessment of all 800+ miles of shoreline to determine which stretches of beach need management action via beach restoration, dune reconstruction, or other management strategies. An updated report is produced every April.

Which beaches along the 30-A corridor are critically eroded?

Prior to Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the only stretches of beach that were critically eroded were western Walton County, 2,000 feet of beach in Inlet Beach, and 1.5 miles of beach near Stallworth Lake at the westernmost end of 30-A. In the 2005 FDEP assessment conducted after Hurricane Ivan, the critically eroded areas were expanded by five miles to include new areas along 30-A. After Hurricane Dennis in 2005, the critically eroded areas along the 30-A corridor were increased to 9.3 miles of beaches.

Why does it matter if beaches are deemed critically eroded?

For an area to be eligible for state funding, it must be deemed critically eroded. This is important when constructing beach restoration projects as they can cost as much as $4 million dollars per mile and Walton County will need as much cost sharing as possible to pay for the project.

How does the state determine how much funding to provide?

Once an area is deemed �critically eroded� by the state, a project is eligible for up to 50% cost sharing. To receive the full 50%, there must be restroom facilities and 100 parking spaces per mile of beach. While Walton County has a substantial number of accesses, our cost sharing is impacted by parking spaces. The TDC is working diligently to identify locations where parking can be expanded and created to increase the eligibility for more funding.

Budget

Who is paying for the Phase II Beach Restoration for the 30-A Corridor?

To date, all work that has been conducted in regards to the Phase II Beach Restoration for the 30-A corridor has been paid using Walton County bed tax collections for beach nourishment and state grants. Bed tax is paid solely by the visitors to Beaches of South Walton. No monies have been derived from Walton County Ad Valorem taxes.

In the future these funding sources will not be adequate to cover the anticipated cost of $40-60 million for Phase II. Once the amount of sand that is needed for the project areas is determined, a cost estimate will be developed and the shortfall will be identified. This is underway and a better estimate will be known after the FDEP agrees to which areas are eligible to be permitted. Public workshops will be held to present funding options.

Implications

Why doesn’t the County make beach restoration of 30-A beaches a priority?
It has, and it does. Before a project can be permitted, a technical analysis of the beach must be undertaken to demonstrate the need for beach restoration and sand must be located that is beach compatible. The technical analysis began in 2004 after Ivan and had to be completely redone in 2005 after Dennis. The sand source investigation was analogous to finding a needle in a hay stack as there is only two pockets of sand offshore that has beach compatible material. As soon as these activities were completed, the BCC voted to move forward with the recommended project areas. This process took approximately two years instead of three.

What about areas like Panama City, Gulf Shores and Pensacola that were finished more quickly?
All of these projects were constructed based on damages from earlier storms and already had permits, and sand source areas identified. They were not new restoration areas like the beaches along the 30-A corridor. Panama City finished their initial restoration in 1999. Pensacola completed their initial restoration in 2003, and the Gulf Shores project was part of a project completed in 2001 and 2003 and was already planned for restoration in 2005. Once a permit is in place, the location of sand has been identified and the existing permit can be used (with minor modifications) to restart as quickly as construction plans can be developed.

What is the difference between beach nourishment/renourishment/ restoration?
When a beach is initially restored through dredging and pumping sand onto the beach, it is called a beach restoration project. As the years progress the beach will be nourished (nourishment) with vegetation, sea oats, sand fencing, and most likely more sand.

Why not wait until after the next storm and let FEMA pay for the recovery?
In a disaster, FEMA will pay for up to 75 percent of recovery efforts for the restoration of an engineered beach. After the completion of the restoration project, it will be an engineered beach. On non-engineered beaches only emergency protection is eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Emergency protection is less than 10 percent of sand placed in a beach restoration project. Emergency protection consisted of beach scraping along the 30-A corridor after Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis as those areas were not engineered beaches.

Logistics

Who is working on the project for Walton County?
Tracy Louthain, Director of Public Relations and Visitor Services, is the public relations liaison. Brad Pickel, Principal and President of Seahaven Consulting, is the project manager for the county. Taylor Engineering, Walton County�s coastal engineering consultants are the project engineers.

How is the beach restored?
The method involves dredging sand from two underwater borrow sites. One is located offshore of western Walton County and the second site is located offshore of Blue Mountain Beach. Sand is removed from those borrow areas and pumped onto the beach. Once sand is placed on the beach, it is moved with bulldozers and pushed into the desired shape. The sand is used to elevate the existing beach, construct a dune and widen the beach.

Where can we find specific information on how the project is proceeding?
By visiting http://www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com/Future_Initiatives.asp. This website was specifically created as an informational tool regarding beach updates. At protectwaltoncountybeaches.com you will be able to access a visual guide and maps detailing the project areas. Updates will be provided as the project moves through project milestones.

Implications

What can visitors expect during restoration?
Visitors can expect minimal disruptions, mainly just some noise in and around the construction area. The 500 feet of construction area will be roped off daily for public safety reasons. This roped off area will be the only portion of the beach that cannot be used. Visitors, however, can lounge on the newly restored beach at a nearby public beach area.

What will the beach look like after it is nourished?
The beach will be about 75-100 feet wider. For the first month or so, the sand will look a shade darker than the native sand because it has been underwater. Once it is exposed to the sun, rain and wind, the new sand will lighten and match the color of the native sugar-white sand.

Have other beaches implemented similar projects with success?
Yes. Beach nourishment is a common environmental management practice used to restore beaches throughout the country. In 2007, Walton County and the City of Destin completed a beach restoration project that restored the westernmost five miles of beaches in Walton County. In May 2008, this project received an award as one of the Best Restored Beaches from the American Shore and Beach Preservation association. Other successful projects that have been completed throughout the state include Panama City, Miami, Brevard County, Pinellas County, Pensacola and Navarre Beach.

Why are we nourishing the beach when it will just wash away?
The purpose of the project is storm protection. We realize that storms will have an impact of the restored beach; however, the project will serve as the first line of defense against storm surge and waves that would lead to more damages.

Why are we paying for a beach that the public can’t access?
Along the 30-A corridor there are 51 beach accesses. Eight of which are regional accesses with various amounts of parking and amenities. Additionally there are 36 neighborhood accesses with dune walkovers. The remaining accesses typically have sandy paths to the beach.