Redington Shores residents opt out of beach renourishment

In the midst of a Town Commission meeting focused on recovery and cleanup after Hurricane Irma, Mayor Bert Adams had some unsettling news for residents.

The town will not be a part of a beach nourishment scheduled for later this year, or for the years leading up to the next beach nourishment, possibly five years away. Not enough residents signed property easement agreements required by Pinellas County's alliance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Corps requires beachside residents allow an easement from the erosion control line landward to their seawall. Without the easements, the Corps will not be able to provide replacement sand. This affects not only the property owners who have refused to sign, but also their neighbors when there is not enough continuous beachfront to allow the nourishment work to be done. In the case of Redington Shores, the entire town misses out.

Only four of 30 required agreements were received, Adams said.

"It's done. We're not getting any sand," he said.