'A long time coming'; Mexico Beach starts beach nourishment project
Residents of Mexico Beach may be used to the calm, clean shorelines. However, right now, some of their beach has construction going on and it's all due to the first-ever beach nourishment project.
Mexico Beach was ground zero for Hurricane Michael in 2018.
The category 5 storm destroyed homes, businesses, and the shoreline, displacing more than 400 million cubic yards of sand.
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Since then, city officials have been working to restore the shoreline and bring back more sand.This week, that vision became reality.
'The goal of this project is to harden the current existing sand dune that we have, as well as push additional sand outward to lengthen Mexico Beach to allow for a barrier of protection for any type of future storms. So therefore, not only the habitat for shorebirds and sea turtles but also our upland structures and our businesses, and our residents' homes, they are protected because we have this additional beach that will protect them throughout any impacts,' Mexico Beach Tourist Development President Kimberly Shoaf said.
The three-month project will add 3 miles of 14-foot dunes, starting from El Governor Resort to the Mexico Beach canal.
While sand is getting moved around, it won't feel different than what visitors are used to. The crew uses a special machine that separates any large materials in the sand before it's placed back.
'We have the 3300 extractor at the end of our discharge it has a set of screens inside that shake and it extracts all of the shell that's larger than three-quarters of an inch out of the sand. And then the rest of the material goes out of a trough and goes out into the beach. You'll just have a more uniform product in the long run. You know, you're not going to have any large fragments of shell that could be sharp like that,' Weeks Marine Project Manager Aaron Hoffler said.
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The project started on Friday. It should be completed by the end of April.
Crews will work 24 hours a day to make that deadline.
The crew will work in 1500-foot sections, moving west down the shoreline.
Those sections will be closed during the work, while the rest of the beach will be open to the public.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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