Sand Key Barrier Island

Background

The barrier island called Sand Key extends from Clearwater Pass (Sand Key Park in Clearwater) to John’s Pass in Madeira Beach. By the 1960s, much of the beach was very thin or had eroded back to the seawalls. To address the erosion, Congress authorized the Federal Shore Protection Project in 1966 along the entire developed Gulf coast of Pinellas County that included Sand Key, Treasure Island and Long Key.

The initial construction effort for Sand Key was completed in 1993. Successive nourishments in 1999, 2006, 2012 and 2018 repaired and built up the beach significantly, until the hurricane seasons of 2023 and 2024. These cyclic nourishments create a buffer zone that erodes gradually between nourishments and is replaced every six years. Without a continuous cycle of nourishment that replaces the sand in this buffer zone, the shoreline continues eroding toward the seawall.

The Sand Key beach nourishment project along Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Redington Shores was last fully nourished in 2012. In 2018, a partial nourishment was completed but with gaps.

Intense storm seasons have caused significant damages to our beaches and the surrounding communities. We continue to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on improving the beach nourishment process in Pinellas County.

Community Outreach

Pinellas County hosted a Sand Key webinar on Feb. 13, 2025, to discuss the project area, the need for easements and answer questions from the community.