Experts say that one of the most coveted items for many along the Atlantic coast is coastal "approved" sand — a specific type of sand property owners need to have when adding material to their home projects on the beach.
What You Need To Know
- Hurricanes Ian and Nicole caused damage in Florida's coastal areas, prompting a push for seawall repair and construction
- Contractor AJ Rockwell, though, says getting materials to build a seawall can already take up to 10 months
- Construction requires three to five permits for each residential seawall, he says
- Volusia County officials say they are waiting on Florida Department of Environmental Protection approvals before they can approve permits
Experts say that in Wilbur-by-the-Sea alone, each home needs an average of 1,500-4,000 cubic yards of of the approved sand. At a going rate of about $1,000 for 18 yards of sand, that could mean a cost of $250,000-$300,000 for homeowners just for material.
AJ Rockwell, owner of Sea Level Development, says he has been busy since hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit Volusia County. The licensed contractor, who specializes in seawalls, says he is doing what he can to help homes from falling due to storm erosion.
“The erosion problem on any of these houses that don’t have any type of seawall are still losing sand with each high tide,” he said.
Before a seawall can even be constructed, Rockwell says plans, permits, and materials all need to be gathered. But before the county can even approve any plan or permit, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection needs to sign off on the scope of work.
“Right now there is such a back log on permitting,” Rockwell said. “They’re not even letting us submit the permanent seawall applications to get that moving.”
While it may take years for some of homes affected by the recent storms to have a seawall constructed to protect them from the ocean, other property owners are trying to do all they can to survive, especially the ones whose properties are barely hanging on.
As plans and permits take time to be issued or approved, Rockwell said it’s the needed materials that could take even longer to get.
"Friday they were telling us they had inventory in the morning,” he said. “In the afternoon it had went to 14 days, by Monday it went to 45-60 days, now they are saying stuff could take six to 10 months.”
Rockwell said some property owners will have to wait for materials, but others simply can't wait for a long approval process. To build a seawall from start to finish, a total of about five permits are needed before construction can start, he said.