A USF professor’s photos show Idalia’s devastating effects on Pinellas beaches

Ping Wang, a professor in the USF School of Geosciences, said renourishing the beaches is expensive. But it's more than just aesthetics.

Hurricane Idalia may have made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region, but its impact has been felt along Pinellas County beaches.

Storm surge caused by the Category 3 storm resulted in significant damage to the beaches, and now officials are determining how to restore them amid a dispute over property rights.

Ping Wang is a professor in the University of South Florida School of Geosciences who specializes in coastal research.

He discussed the efforts Tuesday on the radio program "Florida Matters".

He said renourishing the beaches is expensive. But as he points out, it's more than just aesthetics.

He also provided before-and-after photos that show the widespread destruction to shorelines across Pinellas County.