PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Treasure island is taking action on Sunset Beach following Hurricane Idalia.
Pinellas County initiated an emergency beach dune restoration projection after the hurricane washed away the sand dunes.
“We had this dune system, it was a 40-year established system that was wiped out by the storm surge,” said commissioner Beth Wetzel, who represents District 4. “This here used to go up high in simple terms, you wouldn’t be able just to walk across this this.”
Sunset Beach’s dune restoration project is different than beach re-nourishment project that’s currently on hold.
For the project to begin, officials are asking beachfront owners to sign a three-year temporary construction easement. Pinellas County is asking individual property owners to not do their own projects, so the county can install designed and permitted improvements.
“It can to begin toward the end of this week to have truck start coming in,” she said. “They will have staging areas, dump truck loads of sand that will come.”
Once that happens, Wetzel said crews will start from the south end and go a mile north.
“I’m optimistic that it’s going to happen,” said Wetzel. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback.”
The next step will be to add vegetation. The city does not know how long the project will last. The county said it will continue to other impacted areas after Sunset Beach is completed.
