Friends of the Everglades: Shoreline armoring protects private property over public beaches

Friends of the Everglades has joined the Surfrider Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity and the Sea Turtle Conservancy in signing onto the following letter in opposition to to the Extension of the Hurricane Restoration Reimbursement Grant Program.

According to the Friends, the program in question provides grants to eligible private beachfront property owners to carry out dredge and fill projects (“sand placement”), as well as temporary and permanent armoring projects to protect their private properties.

As the letter states, “Shoreline armoring only protects upland private property. It does not protect the public beach or mitigate public beach erosion.”

“In fact, shoreline armoring adversely impacts beaches and public trust tidelands by exacerbating erosion.”

“It also results in “coastal squeeze,” as sea levels rise… referring to the narrowing of beach that occurs when the landward edge of a beach is fixed, for example with a seawall, as the water line migrates landward with sea level rise.”

“This eventually means less, or even, no publicly accessible beach in the long run.”