Post on 10-Sep-2020
Public Webinar - Sector 7
Beach and Dune Renourishment Project
Please keep your microphone & camera off untilQ&A session begins
August 31, 2020
Welcome Coastal Stakeholders!• Reason: The Sector 7 Beach and Dune Renourishment Project has approx.
60% of the required easements signed and a decision point is approaching.
• Today’s goal: Disseminate information on the upcoming beach renourishment project while providing clarification on the easements and common questions.
• You will hear from:• Quintin Bergman – IRC Sea Turtle Environmental Specialist • Eric Charest – IRC Natural Resources Manager• Tem Fontaine – Coastal Engineer (Coastal Tech)• Dylan Reingold – IRC County Attorney• Rich Szpyrka – IRC Public Works Director
Have any Questions?
• Email questions toCoastal@ircgov.com
• At the end of the Webinar, Staff will address questions received unless they were already discussed in the presentation
• This Webinar is being recorded and will be made available on www.ircgov.com/coastal
• Reminder: Please keep your microphone & camera off until Q&A session begins
Project Background
Natural Resources Manager
Eric Charest
Sector 7 - Background
• Indian River County’s 22.4 miles of beach is divided into management Sectors
• FDEP considers Sectors 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 to be Critically Eroded Areas
• 70% of our shoreline
• Sector 7 lost an average of 1.5 foot/year of beach between 2013 and 2019
Sector 7
• 14 Neighborhoods
• 82 properties in total
Treasure Cove
Wyn Cove
Gracewood Lane
Sandpointe
Smugglers Cove
Shorelands
Seagrove
Ocean Ridge
Anglers Cove
Surfside Estates
Bonita Beach
Porpoise Point
Oceanside
Floralton Beach
• The closest City Park is South Beach Park• South Beach to Sector 7 = 1.4 miles
• The closest County Park is Round Island Beach Park
• Round Island to Sector 7 = 1.9 miles
• No Public Parks or Public East/West Access within Sector 7
Area Details
Round Island Park
1.4 miles
1.9 miles
South Beach Park
• Sector 7 was first renourished in 2007 following Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004
• The County placed 362,200 cubic yards of sand fill
Previous Renourishment Project
Porpoise Point
Project costs – Estimated $9.9 Million
Federal Cost Share (FEMA) Total $5.4 Million• Matthew (75% Cost Share) - $2,384,436.65• Irma (90% Cost Share)- $920,130.30• Dorian (75% Cost Share) - $2,145,296.13
State Cost Share • The State is contributing $307,538
• This is Hurricane Irma supplemental funds• Unusual to receive this
County Cost Share• IRC to cover approximately $4,202,892.83 (42%) through Tourist Tax revenues from
the Beach Restoration Fund
Oceanside – Reef Road
Funding Details
• Spending to date is approx. $500,000 dollars
• It is possible that State and Federal funding may not be available if the anticipated construction schedule does not commence on/about Nov. 1, 2020
Funding Details
Surfside Estates
Have any Questions?
• Email questions toCoastal@ircgov.com
• At the end of the Webinar, Staff will address questions received unless they were already discussed in the presentation
• This Webinar is being recorded and will be made available on www.ircgov.com/coastal
• Reminder: Please keep your microphone & camera off until Q&A session begins
Technical Details
County’s Coastal Engineering Consultant
Tem Fontaine PE
Permitting - Design
• In 2018 the County started the permitting process
• During design, the County took a stance to not cover the nearshore reef
• Resulting in a narrower beach
• For address specific design questions email coastal@ircgov.com
Bonita Beach Sub.
Sand Quality
• Sand must be free from course gravel or rocks, construction debris, toxic material, or other foreign matter.
• The County has specific requirements for sand to be beach compatible. County is more strict than State
• County sand specs are friendly to turtles• Based on comparison data from previous sand projects
• Weathering and time changes beach sand over time.
Construction Access
• No Public Parks or Public East/West Access within Sector 7
• Authorization to use private property to construct Sector 7 near the southern limit
• Waiting on bid opening to determine if this project will be truck hauled or dredge
Wyn Cove
~191 ft. of dune and beach added
Smugglers Cove
~18 ft. of dune added~170 ft. of beach added
Anglers Cove & Surfside Terr.
~22 ft. of beach added
Seagrove
~61 ft. of dune and beach added
Bonita Beach Sub.
~52 ft. beach added
Floralton Sub.
~52 ft. beach added
Have any Questions?
• Email questions toCoastal@ircgov.com
• At the end of the Webinar, Staff will address questions received unless they were already discussed in the presentation
• This Webinar is being recorded and will be made available on www.ircgov.com/coastal
• Reminder: Please keep your microphone & camera off until Q&A session begins
Perpetual Beach Management and Assessment Easement
County Attorney
Dylan Reingold PA
Easement Language
• Negotiated as part of a larger arms’ length transaction with Florida Tech
• The result of back and forth negotiations with the respected law firm of Dean Mead who was representing Florida Tech
• Written for beach management purposes now and into the future Ocean Ridge
In Perpetuity
• Perpetual easements mean that it is tied to the property when it’s sold
• Staff won’t have to track down owners and ask for signatures every time a beach and dune renourishment project is planned
• State provides funding based on their ranking system• Shovel-ready projects rank higher = more funds for more frequent projects
• The easement is not a Cloud on Title, as properties have already been sold• Some view the easement as an asset due to the eroding nature of the
beach
Customary Use
• The sand and project is paid for with public money, public should be able to walk, sunbathe, look for shells on provided sand
• Pre-existing Ordinances prevent non-traditional uses
• Horseback riding, bonfires, camping, dune protections, etc.
Seagrove
Have any Questions?
• Email questions toCoastal@ircgov.com
• At the end of the Webinar, Staff will address questions received unless they were already discussed in the presentation
• This Webinar is being recorded and will be made available on www.ircgov.com/coastal
• Reminder: Please keep your microphone & camera off until Q&A session begins
The County’s Next Steps
Public Works Director
Rich Szpyrka PE
Constructability
• High percentage of signed easements needed• Sector 7 has to be constructible to be cost-effective• Little to no gaps
From the recently complete Sector 5 Project
Current Easements to Date
• The County website has a publicly viewable map to show which properties have and have not signed the easement.
• www.ircgov.com/easements
% Status Description
2.4% Owners declined to sign easement
36.6% Easement pending owner action
42.7% Easement signed and recorded
18.3% Easement in process of being executed
Summary of Easement Status Sector 7
35 parcels
30 parcels
15 parcels
2 parcels
As of August 31, 2020
Current EasementsNorthern Project Area
Southern Project Area
As of August 31, 2020
Current Easements
• Compare property status with linear footage• Total project area length = 10,612 feet
% Status Description LinearFootage
2.4% Owners declined to sign easement 282 ft.
36.6% Easement pending owner action 4168 ft.
42.7% Easement signed and recorded 4339 ft.
18.3% Easement in process of being executed 1853 ft.
As of August 31, 2020
Project Timeline
• Bids will be opened on Sept. 9, 2020• Staff will review and determine the qualified lowest bid• Staff presents to BOCC for Award of Project• November 1st start construction• Finish before April 30th
Anglers Cove
Upcoming BOCC meeting
• On September 15, 2020 Staff will present to the Board of County Commissioners an update on the easement status for both Sectors 3 and 7. Staff will provide the Board with options for both projects based on the percentage of easements that have been obtained for each sector as of this date
Seagrove
• Move forward with construction -or- post-pone the project 1 year.
• Funding is at risk
Have any Questions?
• Email questions toCoastal@ircgov.com
• At the end of the Webinar, Staff will address questions received unless they were already discussed in the presentation
• This Webinar is being recorded and will be made available on www.ircgov.com/coastal
• Reminder: Please keep your microphone & camera off until Q&A session begins
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I refuse to sign the easement?
• The sand from this project provides upland structures protection against storms, provides space to recreate, and provides endangered and threaten sea turtles the space to nest.
From the recently complete Sector 5 Project
• Other than risk the entire project from being built, properties that don’t accept the easement will not receive sand, resulting in a gap in the dune and beach.
Does signing the easement mean the County now owns my beach?
• No the County does not own the land referenced to in the easement.
• The easement language only addresses accessing the sandy portion for renourishment-related activities and allows for customary use.
Will the public have access to my beach?
• People would only have access to the sandy portion of the property (Blue).
• They would not be permitted over the other parts of the property (Yellow).
How do sea turtles react to new sand? • A requirement of every beach
renourishment project is to compare the nesting efforts on new sand vs natural sand. These comparison studies have shown that new sand has no major negative effects on the reproduction effort of sea turtles.
• Without sand renourishment projects beaches dwindle and sea turtles would loose available nesting habitat.
Loggerhead nesting near Ocean Grill Marine Turtle Permit 166
Won’t the sand wash away and cover the reef?
• The project was designed with the reef in mind. The County’s Coastal Engineering Consultant limited the amount of sand that would naturally drift away to not negatively impact the reef.
• Permits require the County to survey the reef before and after the project to ensure sand hasn’t covered the reef.
• If sand does negatively impact the reef, permits require the County to mitigate the damage by constructing an artificial reef.
Will the entire beach be closed during construction?
• Only portions of the beach that are actively being constructed will be closed to the public as a safety concern.
From the recently complete Sector 5 Project
How will the Contractor build the beach?
When will my portion of the beach be under construction?
• Many specific details pertaining to the Contractor won’t be known. The County cannot control the Means & Methods of the Contractor.
• Staff has been and will continue taking great care in carrying out this project.
Questions & Answers
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If you have a question please use the “Raise Hand” function and you will be unmuted to state your question.
Thank you!Further questions or comments please send us an email at Coastal@ircgov.com
Find the easement map at www.ircgov.com/easements
This Webinar will be posted on www.ircgov.com/coastal