CLEARWATER, Fla. – Visitors and residents heading to the coast this holiday season will find plenty of room to spread out their towels. Pinellas County officials confirmed Monday that the vast majority of the county’s shoreline is fully open for business following a major beach nourishment project.
With the busy holiday travel week underway, eight of the nine beaches targeted for restoration are now construction-free. Crews have finished tilling and grading the sand—a process used to fluff and smooth the surface—at Sand Key Beach in Clearwater, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Sunshine Beach, and Upham Beach.
While the project is largely wrapping up, one final stretch remains active. Construction crews will continue placing sand at Sunset Beach in Treasure Island through next week. Visitors to that specific area may still see heavy equipment and activity on the shore.
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Brian Lowack, President and CEO of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, noted the timing is critical for the region’s tourism industry, with the newly widened beaches ready to host holiday events and winter crowds.
The next phase of the restoration won’t disrupt the holiday break; dune planting is scheduled to begin early next year. Once established, the new vegetation will help anchor the dunes and protect the shoreline from erosion.
The restoration came with a hefty price tag of $125.7 million. Unlike previous nourishment efforts, which often saw the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers covering 65 percent of the cost, this project did not receive federal funding. The county was ineligible for federal dollars because it could not secure necessary easements from all property owners.
Instead, the project was funded primarily through the Tourist Development Tax—the “bed tax” paid by visitors staying in hotels and short-term rentals—along with more than $13 million in state grants.
County officials are planning a media availability in mid-January to mark the project’s full completion. In the meantime, drone footage of the progress and a full schedule of local holiday events are available through the Visit St. Pete Clearwater office.
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