1:37

PM EDT November 2, 2017 Jordan Ferrell

State Rep. Byrd requests $2M for 'coastal

hardening' project in Jax Beach
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A project intended to protect over four miles of
oceanfront property from ooding in Jacksonville Beach may get a
breath of life if the funding requested in a bill led this week is
approved by state legislators.

Jacksonville Beach State Rep. Cord Byrd, led legislation Thursday

requesting a nonrecurring sum of $2 million from the state's General
Revenue Fund to be appropriated to the Department of Environmental
Protection for use in funding a "coastal hardening" project in 2018.

"I represent Florida's First Coast and like so many other coastal
communities we felt the impact of hurricanes on our coast two years in
a row," Byrd said in a statement provided to First Coast News.

The project, as described in Appropriations Project Request 75, would

e ectively raise the height of up to 49 dune walkovers in Jacksonville
Beach, as well as extend the length of preexisting stormwater outfalls,
or discharges, by 10 feet towards the ocean from the current dune line.

Extending the stormwater outfalls would reduce sand buildup in

stormwater piping systems, according to the project request, as well as
"provide better transportation due to reduced street ooding."

The new height of the walkovers would be greater than the current
height of the sand dunes.

"As the dunes have grown, the existing dune walkovers and
stormwater outfalls cause breaks in the dune system that permit
ooding from the ocean through Jacksonville Beach during extreme
weather events like northeasters and hurricanes," the project states.
According to the project request, condition assessments on dune
walkovers and stormwater outfalls were performed by civil engineers
in December 2016 and January 2017. First Coast News has yet to receive
those requested documents from the City of Jacksonville Beach.

If approved during the upcoming legislative session, the City of

Jacksonville Beach would receive the $2 million requested for the
project outlay by July 2018. The project is expected to be completed
within one year, although there is no timetable for the project as the
funding is still uncertain, according to the City Manager's O ce.

"The appropriations request I led will help with coastal hardening and
shore protection," Byrd said. "Doing this in turn will promote public
safety by reducing ooding and also support jobs and the local
economy by preserving our natural resources and those who enjoy
them."

The 2018 legislative session will begin the week of Jan. 8.

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