Engineers, contractors and homeowners in Daytona Beach Shores are highlighting the importance of working together when submitting plans and constructing sea walls following damages caused by hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

City Commissioner Richard Bryan hosted a meeting Thursday to focus on coastal armoring.

“You need temporary armory thats going to get you through the next hurricane season,” he said. “Most of the properties are not going to have permanent armory.”

The meeting comes a little less than two months before the next hurricane season starts on June 1.

Bryan said another important date to know is May 1 — due to turtle nesting season, if a property owner's seawall isn’t at least started on by then, they will have to wait until next year to get it done.

Since the mid 90 Gina Fricks has owned her home in Daytona Beach Shores. She says she it was purchase as a place for family to stay so a hotel wouldn’t be needed.

Her house has survived numerous hurricanes, but because of hurricanes Ian and Nicole last year, her sea wall did not.

“When the waves hit the wall and I was up in the house, it was shaking the house,” Fricks said. “Was just something else to see, because look how far down the wall is now, the water was just coming over.”

Her 18-foot sea wall was gone — the impacts of the waves were no match, she said.

Engineer Jeffery Anton, with Terragone Engineering, said it can be difficult to imagine how hard a wave can hit.

“Say a fully loaded cement truck, 10,000 pounds between those four tires, rolling across the ground,” he said . “That would be the same amount of force that would be rolling across the face of the wall as the wave breaks.”

Engineers, contractors and city leaders were on hand Thursday to encourage residents to try and work with their neighbors to help speed up work and permitting, and a discount by potentially forming one project versus a bunch of separate ones.

Fricks said she's all set, but the permit for her sea wall is still pending.

“We are waiting for final approval,” she said. “Any minute to get that so that we can begin before May 1.”