The 2010 federal budget proposed includes a little extra help for eroded beaches in South Florida.  The years of wear and tear from outside pollutants on our beautiful beaches certainly has taken its toll.  This deterioration of quality beaches not only affects those who are happy-go-lucky sun-bathers, but the ecosystem as a whole in the South Florida area.  Native species, both those living on land and in the surrounding waters, are adversely affected by the deteriorating environment.  Miami Dade estimates a need for $8.25 million in order to restore the Miami shoreline.

In addition to beach restoration, the money will also go towards restoration and preservation of the Everglades. This funding from the government goes well beyond that of which the state of Florida has received in recent years towards environmental restoration and preservation, so the state officials are very anxious to receive this funding and begin on overdue restoration of the area.

Florida is hailed, far and wide, as a sanctuary full of warm sunshine, swaying palm trees, and endless beaches. Northerners leave their freezing homes in the winter,  college students take a break from their books come Spring time, and celebrities take time out from their busy lives to experience what many natives live through year round.  However, what most out-of-towners overlook in their brief stay is the delicate state of these natural treasures.

During the year , especially during hurricane season, most of South Florida’s eastern shoreline face the imminent threat of possible erosion of the golden sand that we all love to kick our feet in, and the scary part is sometimes that sand never comes back!  Florida’s Beach Erosion Control Program (BECP) states that “over 485 miles, or approximately 58%, of the state’s beaches are experiencing erosion.”  Just last Tuesday, parts of Phipps Ocean Park was closed after erosion left a cliff between the park and the ocean’s shore.  So if beaches, our most esteemed asset, are eroding, how exactly are we countering the problem?

One of the latest projects spawned from the brains of engineers would be inserting a 49-foot deep pit near Port Everglades which traps and accumulates sand that is eventually manually redistributed onto the beaches over at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.  Besides benefiting communities in Dania, residents in Hollywood and Hallandale homes will eventually see some of that sand wash up on their shores.  If this project receives approval, other environmentally controversial and high-priced plans for widening beaches will be reduced.

“That’s good quality sand, the golden sand that belongs on our beaches,” Dan Clark of the environmental group Cry of the Water said. “Not that gray carbonate they get offshore. It’s the only logical solution to sustainable beaches. We believe in the long run it’s going to prevent a lot more damage from these beach projects.”

While communities in Hollywood, Dania, Hallandale, and some environmentalists strongly approve the plan, residents at the oceanfront condos in Point of Americas are skeptical of the procedure.

“The blasting is going to be quite near to our buildings,” said Harry Benedict, president of the condo association. “These buildings were shaking when there was blasting over at South Port. And we’re concerned about taking sand from our beach.”

Steve Higgins, the county’s beach erosion administrator affirms that precautions are to be taken with this project not only to save South Florida’s beaches, but with the process as well.