The emergency sand berm project on Fort Myers Beach, funded by FEMA and the state, which was scheduled to start this week, will not begin until May. Turtle nesting seasons begins in May. 90,000 yards of sand will be trucked onto Fort Myers Beach as part of this project. It’s unknown how this will impact the turtles.
The emergency berm will replace some of the sand lost during Hurricane Ian. It will provide minimal protection if a major storm came through, however, it will be 100 percent funded by FEMA and the State of Florida.
The delay, according to interim Town Manager Keith Wilkins has to due with the funding from FEMA. “FEMA calls it “obligating” the funds. Which means it goes through a federal agency clearinghouse (Tribes, Fish and Wildlife, NOAA, EPA) for approval. Our berm funds have not yet been obligated and are currently with the Tribal group until March 21. After that it is expected to take another six weeks.”
The project must be started 6 months or less after the storm so delaying it until after turtle season is not an option. The town would lose the funding.
Comments are closed.