Question 1

What is the current focus area of this project?

Answer

The 2.6 miles that is the federalized Army Corps of Engineers Project – the north side of South 6th Street to the south side of South 28th Street. The other parts of Flagler Beach are being done in another project following the completion of this one.

Question 2

Do I relinquish any of my rights if I sign the easement?

Answer

Property owners do not relinquish any rights to use and enjoy their parcels, to have walkovers or decks subject to normal permitting requirements, to prohibit the public from traversing your dune to access the beach, or to sell it to another. You are only granting permission for the work to be done on your dune, including allowing the agencies to replenish and maintain the dune with sand and native vegetation.

Question 3

Do I have to sign the easement document?

Answer

Execution of the easement is completely voluntary, but Flagler County and the City of Flagler Beach are asking the property owners of these parcels to do so to preserve your property and for the protection of State Road A1A, the businesses, and the City’s residents. Restoring the beach in this fashion will preserve the unique and iconic lifestyle of Flagler Beach and will help prevent further destruction of property caused by weather conditions.

Question 4

What happens if I don’t sign the easement?

Answer

No work will be performed on parcels without signed easements from the proper owner. Please keep in mind that failure to provide access for this protective work will adversely impact the effectiveness of this project. The intent is to restore the dunes in a continuous line, from end to end, for maximum protection and beauty. The added sand and stabilizing vegetation will cover the stone revetment protecting State Road A-1-A installed by the Florida Department of Transportation. This dune restoration will strengthen that line of defense. The revetment and restored dunes together will lessen the impact of storm events and better protect the roadway and surrounding properties in Flagler Beach.

Question 5

Whom can I contact for more information?

Answer

You can call 386-313-4040 for answers and guidance. By email, send any questions or concerns to shores@flaglercounty.org. The website for the project is www.shoreuptheshore.org. Please note that there is a property owners meeting on February 25 starting at 4:30 PM for the early bird session and 5:30 PM for the regular time. This meeting will be at Santa Maria del Mar, 915 North Central Avenue, Flagler Beach 32136 – Father O’Flaherty Hall. Professional staff, including from the agency partners, will be in attendance for as long as necessary to answer any of your questions. In addition, representatives of Coast Title, a Flagler County title company hired by the County, will be present to notarize documents and handle recording of the easements and other matters at no charge to you. Bring your package that you received to the meeting.

Question 6

What does the project include?

Answer

The project includes reconstruction of the eroded dune to extend approximately 10 feet seaward of its present location, and then gently slope down to the surf, extending into the ocean to lengthen the beach. The project also includes planting native vegetation that has historically grown in Flagler Beach in order to stabilize the dune and provide more habitat for plants and animals that use the shore.

Question 7

What vegetation will be planted?

Answer

Sea oats, beach grasses, morning glory, and dune sunflowers. No vegetation that grows in height that would obscure the view of the ocean from eye level of the road will be part of the planting plan.

Question 8

What is the benefit?

Answer

The completed project will help reduce future risk and vulnerability for homes, businesses and public infrastructure, while creating substantially new habitat for sea turtles and shorebirds and expanded recreational areas for the public. Most importantly, the project will create value in your dune and protect it

Question 9

Where will the project start?

Answer

The contractor will determine where the project starts and how it progresses. Flagler County will provide information and updates as the start nears, and throughout the project. The website is a good place to get updates or you can use the other contact information provided.

Question 10

What is the cost of this project?

Answer

There is no cost to property owners for the dune restoration. The cost estimate for the project at this time is $17.5 million. Flagler County has been fortunate to obtain funding through state and federal funding sources.

Question 11

Who are the partners in this project?

Answer

Flagler Beach, Flagler County, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Department of Environmental Protection.

Question 12

Will parts of the beach be skipped?

Answer

All portions within the federally authorized project will be constructed – pending the receipt of all easements.

Question 13

What is the certified replacement guarantee associated with this project?

Answer

At no cost to you and without waiting for FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers will repair and replace any damaged dunes if the storm is a declared disaster event. That is the guarantee. Also, for erosion not due to a declared disaster, the City of Flagler Beach will annually maintain the dunes, and approximately every 10 to 11 years the Army Corps working with the City and County will renourish the dunes.

Question 14

How long will the project take?

Answer

From start to finish, the renourishment of the beach should take a minimum of six months. The Army Corps of Engineers currently anticipates advertising for the project contractor in May 2020.

Question 15

How is the project constructed?

Answer

The contractor will excavate sand from offshore, mix it with salt water to make a slurry, and pump it to the beach via a pipeline. The floating or submerged pipeline will be clearly marked in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. The pipeline laid on the beach has a discharge point that releases the material. Crews will operate bulldozers to direct the slurry in a way that allows the sand to settle out and the water to flow back to the ocean. Bulldozers will then push the material to shape the beach as designed. The active construction areas, encompassing about 1,000 to 1,500 feet segments, will be temporarily closed to the public. This area will be clearly marked-off with ropes and/or construction fencing.

Question 16

What will happen to my walkover?

Answer

The contractor is not permitted to destroy or damage your walkover. Your steps will still lead to the sand, and you will be able to use your walkover after the renourishment. Workers will use shovels rather than heavy equipment near walkovers. The dune will taper to accommodate the walkover. It is possible that some of your bottom steps will be buried but they will reappear as erosion occurs.

Question 17

When can planting of sea oats and other native vegetation begin?

Answer

Planting may take place after beach and dune segments are completed. Planting typically begins as beach fill activities are finishing.

Question 18

How does this project affect sea turtles?

Answer

Sea turtle nesting season in Flagler County is between May 1 through October 31. Daily early-morning monitoring by state-permitted turtle observers will start April 1. When necessary, nests will be relocated to a safe location. This will continue throughout construction. Also during the nesting season, the contractor must adhere to construction restrictions to prevent adversely affecting sea turtles. Additionally, another environmental group will start monitoring other local wildlife, including shorebirds, once construction operations start.

Question 19

What will the hours of construction be?

Answer

Unless work is delayed because of possible environmental impacts, mechanical problems or bad weather, construction operations are planned to occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This intensity is to assure the work is completed as quickly as possible.

Question 20

What is the length of a stretch of work, and how long will it take?

Answer

During active construction, according to our coastal engineering company, the work should proceed 200 to 700 feet along the shore each day. No one expects the equipment to stay in a single area longer than five days.

Question 21

Will there be construction noise?

Answer

As the project moves down the beach, there will be noise impacts but they will be temporary. In a particular construction area, noise impacts will be no more than a day or two. The most noticeable noise will be the federally required back up beepers for dozers. The discharge of sand onto the beach, pumped in from the ocean, makes very little to no noticeable noise according to our coastal engineering company. We ask residents to be patient during this relatively short-term inconvenience in order to gain the critical protection of the shoreline. Unlike a road project, for example, our I-95 resurfacing in Flagler County, the dune restoration will not be skipping from here to there. It will proceed in an orderly fashion to keep the project moving along the beach.

Question 22

Is there access to the beach and ocean during construction?

Answer

The beach will remain open to residents and visitors outside the work areas. The contractor expects to temporarily close at least 1,000 to 1,500 feet of the beach at a time during the project – about 10 days to 2 weeks at a time

Question 23

What is a dredge pipe and how will it affect beach usage?

Answer

The dredge pipe is used to bring sand from the permitted source site, which is about 10 nautical miles offshore in federal waters. The dredge pipe will remain on the beach until filling operations are complete. Public access over the dredging pipes will occur roughly every 200 feet with wooden ramps. The dredged sand is free of organics which means no odor as when there is an ocean upwelling.

Question 24

How will the contractor access the beach?

Answer

The contractor will have two access points. The first is at State Road 100, and the second location for staging and access is just south of Gamble Rogers State Park across from the water tower.

Question 25

How can you tell if a beach restoration project is successful?

Answer

Each beach project is engineered to different specifications based on the geography, hydrology and historical erosion rates of the project area. Beach restoration projects tend to need maintenance. They are built in areas that are already eroding. Erosion, however, will be addressed through an annual maintenance program and the periodic renourishment every 10 to 11 years as discussed previously. Creating substantial dunes and a wider beach essentially protects the upland infrastructure from storm surge and wave impacts. The beach and dune are designed to act as a natural buffer that absorbs the energy of the storms, so the upland infrastructure does not have to.

Question 26

Will the beach stay the same size after construction?

Answer

Noticeable shoreline recession will occur immediately following construction. This is by design. Additional sand is placed above the water line to let the waves and currents take it to fill the lower portion of the beach below the water line. This process is called “equilibration.” Immediately following construction, wave activity will begin to reshape the placed sediment to a more natural shape. Full adjustment of the beach slope typically requires many months or multiple significant wave events. Once the project has reached the equilibrium condition, the beach is expected to recede at a slower rate.

OUTSTANDING EASEMENTS

THANK YOU!

*Click here for more data on holdout properties

EASEMENTS

ABOUT

ARMY CORPS PROJECT