$4.8 million will restore Indian River County beaches from Indian River Shores through Vero

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A $4.8 million project to replenish Vero's city beaches is moving forward for November. 

About 155,000 cubic yards of beach upland sand will be pumped on the beach, from south of Indian River Shores to the south end of Riomar Golf Course, said County Administrator Jason Brown.

The project encompasses about one-third mile of beachein  Indian River Shores, Tracking Station Park in unincorporated Indian River County and about 2.5 miles of beach in Vero Beach, he said.

Almost half of the project — about $1.9 million — will come from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Brown said. Federal Emergency Management Agency money and county bed taxes will pay the rest, he said. 

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The project area, known as Sector 5, was heavily damaged during hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017, said county Coastal Resources Coordinator Kendra Cope. The sand is needed to restore the beach dunes and widen the beach, she said. 

"A lot of the dunes (in that sector) have been deflated. The dunes are what's protecting our upland developments," Cope said. 

The project is expected to begin in November and continue through April, Brown said. Some periodic beach closures may be necessary while work is completed, he said. 

Beach restoration work can only be done between November and May outside of turtle nesting season, he said. 

The section previously received restoration in the late 1990s, Brown said. 

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