1(1) 2The department shall develop and maintain a comprehensive long-term beach management plan for the restoration and maintenance of the state’s critically eroded beaches fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Straits of Florida. In developing and maintaining this plan, the department shall:45(a) 46Address long-term solutions to the problem of critically eroded beaches in this state.
59(b) 60Evaluate each improved, modified, or altered inlet and determine whether the inlet is a significant cause of beach erosion. With respect to each inlet determined to be a significant cause of beach erosion, the plan shall include the extent to which such inlet causes beach erosion and recommendations to mitigate the erosive impact of the inlet, including, but not limited to, inlet sediment bypassing; improvement of infrastructure to facilitate sand bypassing; modifications to channel dredging, jetty design, and disposal of spoil material; establishment of feeder beaches; and beach restoration and beach nourishment.
152(c) 153Evaluate criteria for beach restoration and beach nourishment projects, including, but not limited to, dune elevation and width and revegetation and stabilization requirements and beach profiles.
179(d) 180Consider the establishment of regional sediment management alternatives for one or more individual beach and inlet sand bypassing projects as an alternative to beach restoration when appropriate and cost-effective, and recommend the location of such regional sediment management alternatives and the source of beach-compatible sand.
225(e) 226Identify causes of shoreline erosion and change, determine erosion rates, and maintain an updated list of critically eroded sandy beaches based on data, analyses, and investigations of shoreline conditions.
255(f) 256Assess impacts of development and coastal protection structures on shoreline change and erosion.
269(g) 270Identify short-term and long-term economic costs and benefits of beaches to the state and individual beach communities.
287(h) 288Study dune and vegetation conditions, identify existing beach projects without dune features or with dunes without adequate elevations, and encourage dune restoration and revegetation to be incorporated as part of storm damage recovery projects or future dune maintenance events.
327(i) 328Identify beach areas used by marine turtles and develop strategies for protection of the turtles and their nests and nesting locations.
349(j) 350Identify alternative management responses to preserve undeveloped beach and dune systems and to restore damaged beach and dune systems. In identifying such management responses, the department shall consider, at a minimum, beach restoration and nourishment, armoring, relocation, dune and vegetation restoration, and acquisition.
393(k) 394Document procedures and policies for preparing poststorm damage assessments and corresponding recovery plans, including repair cost estimates.
411(l) 412Identify and assess appropriate management measures for all of the state’s critically eroded sandy beaches.
427(2) 428The comprehensive long-term management plan developed and maintained by the department pursuant to subsection (1) must include, at a minimum, a strategic beach management plan, a critically eroded beaches report, and a statewide long-range budget plan. The long-range budget plan must include a 3-year work plan for beach restoration, beach nourishment, and inlet management projects that lists planned projects for each of the 3 fiscal years addressed in the work plan.499(a) 500The strategic beach management plan must identify and recommend appropriate measures for all of the state’s critically eroded sandy beaches and may incorporate plans prepared at the regional level, taking into account areas of greatest need and probable federal and local funding. Upon approval in accordance with this section, such regional plans, along with the 3-year work plan identified in subparagraph (c)1., must serve as the basis for state funding decisions. Before finalizing the strategic beach management plan, the department shall hold a public meeting in the region for which the plan is prepared or hold a publicly noticed webinar.
600(b) 601The critically eroded beaches report must be developed and maintained based primarily on the requirements specified in paragraph (1)(e).
620(c) 621The statewide long-range budget plan must include at least 5 years of planned beach restoration, beach nourishment, and inlet management project funding needs as identified, and subsequently refined, by local government sponsors. This plan must consist of two components:6601. 661A 3-year work plan that identifies beach restoration, beach nourishment, and inlet management projects viable for implementation during the next 3 fiscal years, as determined by available cost-sharing, local sponsor support, regulatory considerations, and the ability of the project to proceed as scheduled. The 3-year work plan must, for each fiscal year, identify proposed projects and their current development status, listing them in priority order based on the applicable criteria established in ss. 734161.101(14) 735and 736161.143(2)737. Specific funding requests and criteria ranking, pursuant to ss. 747161.101(14) 748and 749161.143(2), 750may be modified as warranted in each successive fiscal year, and such modifications must be documented and submitted to the Legislature with each 3-year work plan. Year one projects shall consist of those projects identified for funding consideration in the ensuing fiscal year. 7932. 794A long-range plan that identifies projects for inclusion in the fourth and fifth ensuing fiscal years. These projects may be presented by region and do not need to be presented in priority order; however, the department should identify issues that may prevent successful completion of such projects and recommend solutions that would allow the projects to progress into the 3-year work plan.
