INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. – State and local officials praise beach recovery efforts in Pinellas County after hurricanes Helen and Miltonwhile asking the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite beach rehabilitation projects.

At a news conference Friday morning, leaders said they had devised a project to improve resilience along the coast and submitted it to the Army Corps for review.

The effort comes after recent hurricanes brought record storm surges, along with heavy rain and wind, to of Florida Gulf Coast.

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Florida Sen. Nick DiCeglie criticized the federal agency, saying a damage assessment by the Army Corps after Hurricane Idalia in 2023, it found that about $60 million in replenishment work is achievable.

“That damage assessment wasn’t even submitted to Congress for them to consider if they wanted to provide the funding,” DiCeglie said. “This is dereliction of duty by the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Pinellas County Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy said another option to secure funding for beach renewal could come from a federal emergency fund for storm damage projects.

“Unfortunately, that funding, even though it’s there, is blocked,” she said. “Releasing this funding to the Army Corps of Engineers to get the project done is a barrier that can be raised.”

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County Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Peters said she has been in direct contact with the White House as well, hoping to find a solution to get the infrastructure projects off the ground.

“This is critical infrastructure to protect our people, our property and our economy,” Peters said, adding that beach renewal efforts are a “many years” battle.

Officials also expressed optimism when talking about the combined efforts of agencies at all levels to begin the long rebuilding process, especially in the coastal communities.

“It’s been an incredible collaboration,” Peters said. “We’ve been so resilient and bounced back and recovered so quickly compared to other cities in this state that have had the same type of disaster.”

For more information on disaster recovery in Pinellas County, click here.

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