Governor Ron DeSantis Allocates $115 Million for Florida Living Shorelines and Dune Fortifications

TAMPA, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Shawn Hamilton announced on Monday the distribution of $115 million in state coastal resilience capital grants through the Resilient Florida Program to engineer and construct living oyster reef breakwaters, restore 45 miles of coastal barrier dunes, and elevate vulnerable municipal roadways across twelve coastal counties along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

The investments, administered in partnership with municipal port authorities and coastal county governments, utilize nature-based coastal engineering to dissipate hurricane storm surge energy, prevent beach erosion, and protect coastal evacuation routes in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Brevard, and Volusia Counties.

Protecting Coastal Real Estate and Evacuation Highways Florida possesses 1,350 miles of coastline where extreme tropical storm surges can erode sandy beaches and undermine coastal arterial highways within hours, cutting off barrier island evacuation access.

"Florida's coastline is the foundation of our economy and our world-class quality of life, and our administration has made building long-term coastal resilience a top priority," Governor DeSantis said at a coastal restoration site on Tampa Bay. "Since 2019, we have invested over $1.8 billion into our Resilient Florida program. This $115 million investment fortifies our barrier island dunes, builds engineered living oyster reefs that absorb storm waves, and ensures our coastal communities are prepared to withstand major tropical storms."

Coastal Infrastructure Projects Funded Key county allocations include:

• Tampa Bay & Pinellas Barrier Island Dune Fortification: $35 million for engineered sand dune reconstruction and native sea oats planting along Gulf Boulevard.
• Sarasota Bay Living Oyster Breakwaters: $25 million to install 12 miles of submerged bio-engineered reef structures.
• Brevard County Barrier Island Wave Attenuation: $22 million for rock revetment and dune nourishment in Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach.
• Volusia County Coastal Roadway Elevation: $18 million to elevate low-lying coastal flood evacuation routes.
• Seven additional coastal communities receiving between $2 million and $6 million.

Coastal mayors, marine conservation organizations, and hotel associations commended the governor's targeted resilience funding, emphasizing that living shorelines provide continuous, cost-effective flood mitigation.