Treasure Coast - Thursday January 19, 2023: Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties will receive more than five-million dollars to fund beach recovery efforts following hurricane Nicole last year.
In all, 16 Florida coastal counties will receive grants from the $100 million in funding approved by the legislature and signed into law by Governor DeSantis on December 16th of last year. That legislation allocated funding to address coastal erosion on the west and east coasts of Florida following both Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
Indian River County will receive $4,080,388, Martin County will get $1,395,926, and St. Lucie County has been granted $250,000.
Governor DeSantis announced the community grants at a news conference Wednesday in Daytona Beach Shores , which was heavily damaged by the storms last year. "This funding will support beach restoration needs, allowing us to rebuild and further enhance resilience," said the Governor.
The impacts of Hurricane Nicole on coastal communities exacerbated the impacts that Hurricane Ian had. In September, Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa in Lee County, then traveled across the state.
When Ian exited the Florida peninsula in Volusia County as a tropical storm, it quickly strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane just offshore of Volusia and Flagler counties, causing heavy beach and dune erosion. When Hurricane Nicole impacted Florida’s East Coast, it caused significant additional beach damage from high waves, storm surge, and coastal flooding.
A wide, nourished beach system absorbs wave energy, protects upland areas from flooding, and mitigates erosion. A healthy beach provides a buffer between storm waves and landward areas, preventing destructive waves from reaching the dunes and upland developments.
The grants to coastal counties is in addition to the $20 million awarded in November to help several local governments immediately place sand as quickly as possible in order to avoid additional damage to public and private infrastructure.