Pinellas County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have signed an agreement that resolves a yearslong standoff over property easements and restores federal funding for most of the county’s beach renourishment.
County commissioners, local leaders, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and several U.S. Army officials gathered May 29 in North Redington Beach to announce the signing of what officials called “an historic amendment” to their joint beach nourishment Project Coordination Agreement.
“The United States Army Corps of Engineers is proud to stand with you today,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly told the crowd at the DoubleTree Beach Resort on a steamy Friday morning. “We’re ready to turn this agreement into action. We’re ready to build.”
Under the deal, the Army Corps is again expected to cover roughly 65% of the county’s beach renourishment costs, and officials said it will be easier to tap those federal funds in the future.
Just as significant, the public-access easements the Corps requires “no longer need to be permanent” and will be in effect only while crews are working.
The dispute dates to before 2020, when the Corps — the federal agency that oversees engineering and maintenance work on the nation’s coastal shorelines and waterways — began asking waterfront property owners to sign easements granting perpetual public access across strips of their beachfront. Hundreds of homeowners refused, calling it government overreach, and the once-productive partnership to replenish the area’s sand fell apart.
With the beaches eroding fast, especially after a string of severe hurricanes, the county pressed ahead on its own. Last June, commissioners unanimously approved a $125 million renourishment project, funded by Penny for Pinellas sales tax dollars, that bypassed the Corps.
The project added 2.5 million cubic yards of sand and was finished in February. It was widely viewed as a success, with wide beaches and hundreds of newly built dunes stretching from Sand Key to Treasure Island.
Still, county officials said they could not keep footing the bill alone.
“We can celebrate these extraordinary beaches, which are the crown jewels of our county,” County Commissioner Brian Scott said. “The county spent more than $100 million to fix the beaches. But we cannot continue to do this on our own. ... Federal cost sharing is essential to preserving these beaches.”
For the barrier island communities that depend on the sand, the agreement landed as welcome news.
“This agreement is a major victory for IRB and all of Pinellas County,” Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Lan Vaughan told the Tampa Bay Beacons on June 1. “Our beaches are more than a tourist destination. They are our first line of defense against storms, a critical and defining part of our community’s identity.”
Vaughan, a former commissioner elected mayor in March, attended the May 29 announcement with City Manager Ryan Henderson. Restoring federal support while respecting property rights, he said, “helps protect residents, homes, businesses, tourism, infrastructure and way of life for generations to come.”
“We are grateful to Pinellas County, the Army Corps of Engineers and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna for finding a common-sense solution that benefits both property owners and the public,” he said.