Overview 

The South Hutchinson Island Federal Beach Project would commit federal oversight of a 3.3-mile stretch of beach at the southern end of St. Lucie County for 50 years. The project is complex, but ultimately will benefit South County Beach residents in particular, as well as residents throughout St. Lucie County, for years to come.

The County/Erosion District has secured federal appropriations and state grants to substantially cut the non-federal cost (local cost) of initial construction, but a portion of the expense must be borne by private property owners on South Hutchinson Island (who will enjoy the primary project benefits). This webpage includes the history/timeline and costs of the project, ways to reduce future costs even further through the addition of new public beach access easements, and other important project related information.

General Project Updates

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has completed the 2022 St. Lucie County, Florida Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Beach Nourishment Project! This federal beach project (the initial construction effort) was designed to be like the 2013 beach nourishment effort. The Contractor has completed beach fill operations and has fully demobilized the construction area. The USACE and St. Lucie County will continue to monitor the success of the dune planting effort to ensure that it is successful moving forward.

The County is required to perform several post-construction monitoring events to track the success of the recently completed beach project. Stay tuned for more information:

• 2022 Physical Monitoring (surveying) of the Beach and Offshore Borrow Area (initiated) – Morgan & Eklund (Consultant)
• 2022 Sea Turtle Monitoring (ongoing through November 1, 2022)– Ecological Associates Inc. (Consultant)
• 2022 Biological Hardbottom Monitoring (Upcoming) – CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. (Consultant)

Project Information

A community project meeting with the USACE was completed on Feb. 14, 2022 @ 2 p.m. This community pre-construction meeting was held to inform landowners of the proposed beach construction and to answer any questions or concerns they had. Letter invitations were sent out to regional stakeholders notifying them of the proposed meeting. A copy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presentation during the meeting is provided below.

Any specific questions pertaining to the proposed project can be addressed by contacting St. Lucie County’s Senior Coastal Engineer, Joshua Revord (revordjo@stlucieco.org) @ 772-462-1269.

Click here to download an infographic from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Presentation from St Lucie South Hutchinson Island CSRM Community Meeting 02-14-2022

Letter to South Hutchinson Island Residents - Jan. 2022

Use the left navigation bar to access more information about this project or click the links below: 

• South County Renourishment Project History
• South County Renourishment Project Timeline
• 2013 South County Beach Restoration Project
• South County Renourishment Project Cost Share
• South County Renourishment Project Public Easement Incentives
• South County Renourishment Project Funding Plan
• South County Renourishment Project Perpetual Easements Critical
• South County Renourishment Project FAQ General 
• Frequently Asked Questions: Beach Nourishment & Construction Easements