Marco Island beach project adds protection for hurricane season

The City of Marco Island is making sure it’s ready for hurricane season by adding sand to its beaches.

“It’s just protective,” Marcia Faircloth said. “It’s just preventative, and you need that.”

Construction crews are dredging nearly 175,000 cubic yards of sand. This creates a slope, since the beach is flat right now. It also creates a better habitat for nesting sea turtles and will stop water from ponding and collecting algae, which Collier County says is a public health risk.

Debbie Hartman said despite the idea sounding good in principle, she is worried millions of dollars will go toward the project.

“The problem is with erosion and the whole natural landscape, it could still be destroyed,” Hartman said.

The project will create a slightly narrower beach, cutting about 250 feet of sand. And the county said the beach will reopen soon. The project is on track to be completed by the end of this month.

“It’s a good thing for everyone, and it’s good for our beach,” Faircloth said.