SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricanes can take a toll on coastlines, we’ve seen it happen a number of times over the years. It happened back in 2016 during Hurricane Hermine in Sarasota County. Now, more than six years later, county officials are getting ready to begin a project to repair the erosion damage that the storm left behind on Turtle Beach.

According to county officials, the project is smaller in scope compared to both the original beach restoration and the subsequent nourishment projects. It aims to replace the sand Hermine washed away years ago. Officials say the beach should be about 25-35 feet wider than it is right now.

With limited space on the sand, results from the South Siesta Key Beach Repair project are something many beachgoers are looking forward to.

“It’s a little tight, but it looks like it could use a little more sand,” said Greg Pike who is visiting with his family from Chicago. His son’s favorite part of visiting the beach is playing in the sand.

“It will definitely improve the quality of the beach; it will make Turtle Beach a bigger draw,” said local guide, Lewis Gerrish.

Gerrish has been a local guide for 25 years. He currently works at Turtle Beach with Kayaking SRQ. He thinks the work will benefit business in the long run, but in the short term, he’s worried the traffic and noise associated with the project will cause disruptions.

“It is unfortunate that they have to do their nourishment now during season right in March and April when we are going to have the busiest traffic flow here,” he said.

Others have also raised concerns about sea turtle nesting season. County officials say the project will begin in March and should be completed by April, before nesting season begins on May 1.

However, we’re told the county’s FEMA grant only requires the project to be completed by June 30, 2023. The county also indicated that permitting has the potential to impact a project timeline.

The project’s design is 90% complete, according to Sarasota County. As it stands now, the current construction cost is approximately $5.7 million.