By Pam Nicholls, GSAC Board Member
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Collier County Commissioners approved funding to regrade the numerous sand piles along Park Shore Beach at their meeting on December 10. Waves and surge from Helene and Milton inundated beachfront properties with over-washed sand. Owners were encouraged to push the sand back onto the beach and have been waiting since late October for the county to redistribute it.  

Regrading has been completed at Barefoot, Vanderbilt and South Marco Island beaches but an extra $277,500 was needed to get the City’s beaches in order. Tourist tax dollars will be used to fund the entire half million-dollar project. The contractor, Earth Tech, believes it will take two to three weeks to restore Naples’ beaches back to pre-storm conditions.

The County Board of Commissioners also awarded the contract for the $3.5m beach re-nourishment project for Park Shore Beach at their December 10 meeting. The project covers the area from just north of Naples Cay to Lausanne South. Horizon Way beach access will be the distribution point for the 167,600-ton sand haul which is due to commence in early January. According to project manager, Larry Humphries, once the Park Shore beach is re-nourished and the dunes re-shaped, they will be planted.  

Approximately one million plants are expected to be installed on the beaches of Collier County, City of Naples, and Marco Island over the next three to four months. The County’s contractor, Earth Balance Corporation, started planting at Barefoot Beach on November 21. 

A proposal for further engineering services for post-storm surveys, analysis, and reporting of beach and inlet impacts from Hurricane Milton was also passed by the BCC.  

Humphries explained that only a survey will tell where all the sand Milton “re-distributed” went to. “In the beginning of every year, we have the entire coast surveyed. When that survey is analyzed, we put together projects like the one we have for Park Shore. But like all good projects, we have a new survey completed as part of the project to see what has changed before construction is started, hurricane or not. This is true for this project and adjustments will be taken as necessary and we all know it will be necessary.”