Funding lined up for post-Irma dune repairs in Duval County

Jacksonville, FL — With the start of the next Atlantic hurricane season only a couple of months away, the work is not done in repairing Jacksonville's beaches and dunes from the effects of Hurricane Irma.

Until now, the City has had contractors assessing the impact of the storm on the coast, but the repair work itself has not been started. Now, Jacksonville's City Council is looking at carrying over some excess funds from Hurricane Matthew repairs, and using those for the Irma work.

A newly filed bill takes $1,730,860.08 that was unspent from the $7.5 million Matthew allocation, and puts it toward post-Irma dune repairs, which will be performed by the US Army Corps of Engineers while they're doing their shore protection project. The new federal Omnibus spending bill will fully fund the shore re-nourishment, and the City funding will all go toward the dunes, according to the USACE.

The work is generally slated to be from the southern portion of Hanna Park through the County line, but it’s not yet clear how long the total project would take.

The legislation also includes executing a new agreement with the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management to supply sand for the required work.

This consideration comes as some of the beach communities continue warning people to stay off the dunes, because they could potentially damage them. Atlantic Beach has put up signs telling beach-goers to keep off of the dunes.

This funding plan faces a vote by the Jacksonville City Council in the coming weeks.