FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. — Flager Beach leaders are determined to push ahead with a dune restoration project despite road blocks put up by two property owners.

This $26 million dune project, spearheaded by the Army Corps of Engineers, is slated to add more sand to the dunes, protecting the beach and A1A from future storms.

The beach and A1A felt experienced damage from several storms in the past, the worst coming from Hurricane Matthew back in 2016.

To start the project, the Army Corps needs 140 property owners to sign construction easements to allow work to be done on their property. However, two property owners are still holding out.

The Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson said the local government is prepared to take legal action against them and file for eminent domain to prevent the community from losing this important project.

“At the end of the day, there comes a point when you have to make the decision to move forward," he said. "We do not take any joy in it, but it is for the benefit of the whole community, the benefit of the beach, the benefit of the highway and the things that we hold dear here, and we are not going to let one or two people hold that up."

Whitson said the city needs to tell the Army Corps what action they are taking with the property owners by early next month. He said the start date of the project will all depend on how quickly the courts handle this issue.