February 4, 2025
Beach Nourishment and Easements
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have caused significant damage to our beaches and the surrounding communities. The County is designing and seeking an emergency permit for a County lead project to nourish the full project template in case no other option prevails. This permit will likely have a very small window of construction, so to be ready for this project we are seeking easements from property owners that did not sign previously. The permitting process is moving quickly and once we are ready to go to bid, areas that are not constructible due to a lack of easements will be removed from the project. If you are not sure if an easement has been signed, you can check here: https://pinellas.gov/coastal-management-easements/. This easement is different from what was requested before so please read it carefully. This easement doesn’t include public access and use; it is just for the construction and maintenance of the beach nourishment and dune. If you are not interested in having a dune restored or constructed in conjunction with the nourishment, please contact us immediately and we can provide you with an alternate easement, the other terms are non-negotiable. This will likely be our final attempt to obtain an easement, future projects will focus on areas where we have a constructible project.
The granting of this easement is voluntary on your part; however, without your easement, nourishment of your property and possibly the surrounding area, may not move forward. If the County does not receive enough easements, it could put large areas of beach that were previously nourished in jeopardy. Knowing the critically important storm protection, environmental, and economic benefits of beach nourishment, please sign your easement and encourage your local government and other property owners in your community to support the project and to grant easements so the project can proceed. Please download the document for direction on filling out the easement.
All easements must be signed no later than 03/01/2025. Questions concerning this program should be forwarded to John Bishop, Coastal Management Coordinator, Pinellas County Public Works at SignForSand@pinellas.gov.
WEBINAR
Pinellas County is offering a Sand Key Beach Easement Webinar on February 13, 2025 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Interested property owners can sign up at https://pinellas.gov/beach-nourishment-and-easements/.