Efforts to restore Fort Myers Beach underway

The Fort Myers Beach coastline continues to feel the impacts of the recent storms. Crews working on the sand renourishment beach project have more than six miles of “Critically eroded beach” to restore.

The environmental manager for the town of Fort Myers Beach told WINK News that hurricanes Helene and Milton did slow progress temporarily, but now things are up and running again.

The hope is for the project to make its way down Avenue E on the island by mid-December.

While hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton certainly have caused a lot of the beach’s erosion, this kind of renourishment happens about every 10 to 15 years anyway, so this was planned even before Ian.

This $22 million project is funded by state, county and town contributions with additional support from a hurricane recovery reimbursement grant program.

Chadd Chustz, the environmental manager for the town of Fort Myers Beach, told WINK the renourishment critical for a number of reasons.

“It’s engineered design, and it’s going to give a lot more protection for the upland properties, as well as making for recreation for people to play on and the sea turtles and birds to nest on,” said Chustz.

After the project makes its way down to Avenue E hopefully by mid-December, crews with move south toward the 6000 block of Estero Boulevard to get that area squared away in time for bird nesting in March.

While we are heading into peak season, Chustz says he doesn’t anticipate it having too much of an impact on tourists’ ability to use our beaches.