Beach Nourishment and Easements
Public Workshop & Hearing: Establishing an Erosion Control Line on Treasure Island
Pinellas County is planning a beach nourishment project on Treasure Island in 2025/2026. This project intends to restore the beach destroyed by Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton. Construction of the project requires the establishment of an Erosion Control Line (ECL) along the length of the project.
Staff from the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, Pinellas County, and APTIM, Inc., will be present to explain the ECL, address your questions and take public comments.
Please feel free to attend in person or view the agenda and watch the meeting at the link below.
Treasure Island City Hall
Jan. 22, 2025, 6 – 8 p.m.
10451 Gulf Blvd.
Treasure Island, FL 33706
City of Treasure Island Meetings & Events
After the Public Hearing, and if approved by the Board of Trustees, the Erosion Control Line will be recorded in the County’s Book of Plats and will become the boundary between private uplands and sovereign submerged lands owned by the state.
Written objections to, or inquiries regarding, the proposed Erosion Control Line should be submitted to: Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection – Beaches, Inlets and Ports Program
Department of Environmental Protection
c/o William Guy Weeks,
2600 Blair Stone Road
Mail Station 3544
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
(850) 245-7696
william.weeks@FloridaDEP.gov
Important note: there will be an additional three weeks after the hearing on Jan. 22, 2025, to submit questions or written objections about the erosion control line to Mr. William Guy Weeks. The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida reserves the right to deny establishment of the Erosion Control Line.
Proposed Treasure Island Erosion Control Line
The location of the Proposed ECL was established based upon the 1968 Mean High Water Line (MHWL), legal documentation from previous property surveys and field observations, as surveyed on July 30, 2024. This line predated the ECL statute and had logistical issues with its location in relationship to the developments that have taken place since 1968. Also, no further nourishment will be authorized without an ECL.
The proposed Erosion Control Line lies along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico at Treasure Island in Pinellas County, FL, extending a distance of 2.21 miles or 11,685.7 feet. The location of the proposed Erosion Control Line is from FDEP Range Survey Monuments R-132.7 to R-143.2 The purpose of this ECL workshop and hearing is to establish an official ECL for the project limits that is approximately from 104th Avenue (R-132.7) to the north jetty of Blind Pass (R-143.2).
- The location of the ECL is established in accordance with accepted surveying practices and principles and is reviewed and approved by the Florida Division of State Lands, Bureau of Survey and Mapping.
- An erosion control line is required prior to the construction of a beach restoration project (161.141. Florida Statutes).
- The proposed ECL shall establish the line along the project segment.
- Upland property owners will continue to enjoy all of their common-law riparian rights (161.201, F.S.).
- No structure shall be allowed to be erected upon the newly created beach except those necessary for erosion control or dune walkovers (161.201, F.S.).
- No activities shall be allowed on the newly created beach that may be injurious to the upland property owner (161.201, F.S.).
- Any additions of sand to the upland property landward of the ECL shall remain the property of the upland owner (161.141, F.S.).
- An erosion control line can be repealed if the beach restoration project is not constructed (161.211(1), F.S.).
Proposed Treasure Island ECL Map
Pinellas County Beaches
Beaches are very dynamic and are constantly changing. Along undeveloped shorelines, movement is often not detrimental and may go unnoticed. However, the changes in beaches along developed shorelines are often very evident and detrimental to beachfront properties.
Prior to beach nourishment in Pinellas County, many municipalities had thin, non-protective beaches or no beach at all. Over successive nourishments, the beaches from Clearwater to St. Pete Beach have been built up with more than 10 million cubic yards of sand. The preservation of the beaches is essential in maintaining the quality of life that residents value and which attracts visitors throughout the year.
- Storm Protection — A wide stable beach is important to protect houses and infrastructure.
- Tourism — In 2015, beach tourists spent $2.3 billion in Pinellas County alone.
- Employment — In 2015, 47,000 jobs were supported by beach tourists.
- Environment — Nesting for sea turtles, and foraging and nesting ground for shorebirds and seabirds
What are an erosion control line and a coastal construction control line?
An Erosion Control Line (ECL) is a boundary line fixed by the state on a nourished beach dividing private (landward) and public (seaward) property. See Florida Statutes, Section 161.191. It is typically set at the mean high water line and established before the first nourishment. See Florida Statutes, Section 161.161(5). The ECL can be found on the erosion control line map.
In the state of Florida, the establishment and approval of an erosion control line is required before the initial construction of a nourishment project. In the Indian Rocks Beach and Redington Shores areas, ECLs were established in several segments before the initial beach nourishment. Because of the successive cycles of nourishment, the ECL, which does not move, is now located within the dunes in many areas.
The Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) is a line of jurisdiction, defining the landward limit of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s authority to regulate construction. The CCCL program protects the beach and dune system from upland construction that could weaken, damage or destroy the integrity of the system.
According to Florida law, beach property seaward of the erosion control line is state land. However, sand must often be placed landward of the ECL to restore the proper slope, elevation and function of the beach. The area landward of the Proposed ECL remains the property of the upland owner, irrespective of future beach erosion or accretion. Property seaward of the Proposed ECL will remain the property of the state, will be public beach, and will not impair upland owners’ riparian rights. Easements are needed in advance to ensure the entire beach requiring sand can be restored.