They're called barrier islands for a reason. I love the quote that "if we get another storm...". Lol IF? Try when.
All that sand, washed away | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader#
VENICE - Most of the sand pumped onto Venice Beach in a $12.1 million city and federal replenishment project four years ago is gone at South Jetty Park.
.art_main_pic { width:250px; float:left; clear:left; }Erosion has diminished a 160-foot swath of sand to a 20-foot path with rocks jutting out on one side and "private" signs on the other.
The beach is not scheduled to get more sand until 2015, setting up a private property versus public access battle like those that have plagued other Florida coastal communities.
The erosion is a disappointment for a community that had reveled in the 2005 widening, which was accelerated with the help of federal grants for Florida beaches severely damaged by the four hurricanes that struck the state in 2004. The federal government spent $10.1 million and Venice $2 million to pump sand from the Gulf of Mexico floor to augment the beach.
The area just south of the Venice Jetty is considered an erosion "hot spot" by state environmental officials, who are trying to figure out what to do about it.
The jetties, parallel rock structures that fortify an inlet on the Venice coast, affect the natural sand drift. Areas around them tend to erode more.
"It's a huge effort to try to mitigate," said Paden Woodruff, environmental administrator for the state Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems. "It's not an exact science."
The state does not have as much data on Venice beaches to help estimate erosion rates, Woodruff said. Venice beaches have been replenished twice since 1996, whereas the state has accumulated decades of data in other areas.
"We like to think it erodes at a nice constant pace," said Cliff Cliff Truitt, project engineer for the city during the renourishment, who called the South Jetty's erosion rate poorer than average.
Before the last replenishment in 2005, pictures show the area had eroded nearly to the tree line in front of Jetty Villas.
Residents fear it could happen again.
Because of the way the state sets boundary lines in areas where it adds sand, it is likely that more erosion could limit public access from the city park.
State law protects public access from the high water mark seaward, through a complicated formula which fluctuates. On nourished beaches, however, there is a fixed erosion control line marked on a map. It gives the state a permanent easement in problematic areas.
The South Jetty combination of prime beach access, a beachfront residential area and the erosion control line is "an unusual situation," Truitt said. "Because of the granite rocks, there are some times at some stages of erosion, where it is pragmatically impossible to stay off the private easement" to access the beach.
City engineer Nancy Woodley said that maps show that the Villas' property extends to the rocks.
Jetty Villas has tacked "private" signs to its trees. A picnic table that once rested under the pines is gone and a path that once meandered through the trees and onto the beach is now posted with warnings.
The city also recently built a sand berm near the parking lot to discourage cars from driving on the beach. But it has also created a slight barrier for beachwalkers.
"It never looked claimed before," said Catharine Love, a snowbird who stays at a condo next to the villas. "How much of the beachfront can they claim? It has been happily used by fishermen, surfers and wind sailors for years."
Jetty Villas has not stopped people from walking on the sand in front of its property but tensions have grown as the beach has diminished.
"The problem we have is some people have no respect," said Charles Alfano, Jetty Villas Condo Association president. He said people leave trash, walk on their property and drape towels on the trees.
"One good storm and we could have a serious problem," he said.
Truitt has already begun planning for the next nourishment. Options include moving the rocks or adding more sand on a regular basis.
"There's not a real good solution," he said.
All that sand, washed away | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader#
VENICE - Most of the sand pumped onto Venice Beach in a $12.1 million city and federal replenishment project four years ago is gone at South Jetty Park.
.art_main_pic { width:250px; float:left; clear:left; }Erosion has diminished a 160-foot swath of sand to a 20-foot path with rocks jutting out on one side and "private" signs on the other.
The beach is not scheduled to get more sand until 2015, setting up a private property versus public access battle like those that have plagued other Florida coastal communities.
The erosion is a disappointment for a community that had reveled in the 2005 widening, which was accelerated with the help of federal grants for Florida beaches severely damaged by the four hurricanes that struck the state in 2004. The federal government spent $10.1 million and Venice $2 million to pump sand from the Gulf of Mexico floor to augment the beach.
The area just south of the Venice Jetty is considered an erosion "hot spot" by state environmental officials, who are trying to figure out what to do about it.
The jetties, parallel rock structures that fortify an inlet on the Venice coast, affect the natural sand drift. Areas around them tend to erode more.
"It's a huge effort to try to mitigate," said Paden Woodruff, environmental administrator for the state Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems. "It's not an exact science."
The state does not have as much data on Venice beaches to help estimate erosion rates, Woodruff said. Venice beaches have been replenished twice since 1996, whereas the state has accumulated decades of data in other areas.
"We like to think it erodes at a nice constant pace," said Cliff Cliff Truitt, project engineer for the city during the renourishment, who called the South Jetty's erosion rate poorer than average.
Before the last replenishment in 2005, pictures show the area had eroded nearly to the tree line in front of Jetty Villas.
Residents fear it could happen again.
Because of the way the state sets boundary lines in areas where it adds sand, it is likely that more erosion could limit public access from the city park.
State law protects public access from the high water mark seaward, through a complicated formula which fluctuates. On nourished beaches, however, there is a fixed erosion control line marked on a map. It gives the state a permanent easement in problematic areas.
The South Jetty combination of prime beach access, a beachfront residential area and the erosion control line is "an unusual situation," Truitt said. "Because of the granite rocks, there are some times at some stages of erosion, where it is pragmatically impossible to stay off the private easement" to access the beach.
City engineer Nancy Woodley said that maps show that the Villas' property extends to the rocks.
Jetty Villas has tacked "private" signs to its trees. A picnic table that once rested under the pines is gone and a path that once meandered through the trees and onto the beach is now posted with warnings.
The city also recently built a sand berm near the parking lot to discourage cars from driving on the beach. But it has also created a slight barrier for beachwalkers.
"It never looked claimed before," said Catharine Love, a snowbird who stays at a condo next to the villas. "How much of the beachfront can they claim? It has been happily used by fishermen, surfers and wind sailors for years."
Jetty Villas has not stopped people from walking on the sand in front of its property but tensions have grown as the beach has diminished.
"The problem we have is some people have no respect," said Charles Alfano, Jetty Villas Condo Association president. He said people leave trash, walk on their property and drape towels on the trees.
"One good storm and we could have a serious problem," he said.
Truitt has already begun planning for the next nourishment. Options include moving the rocks or adding more sand on a regular basis.
"There's not a real good solution," he said.
