MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. – Almost four years after two major hurricanes damaged Brevard County’s coastline, a massive beach renourishment project could finally be close to wrapping up.
Over the last two years, the US Army Corps of Engineers finished renourishment in Cape Canaveral all the way south to where they’re set to finish the nearly $50 million project in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach.
Thursday, your Melbourne Beach Community Correspondent James Sparvero met Robert Marshall, who works for the contractor, guarding the part of the beach that’s closed while all this heavy equipment’s on the move.
“Keep all these houses safe and all these businesses safe,” Marshall said about their job.
Sparvero asked him if anyone’s complained about the project.
“A couple homeowners complained they can’t be on the beach and everything,” Marshall answered.
Kane Greco was not one those neighbors.
“Get over it,” he said about locals complaining.
Christina Ostrander Larocque said she doesn’t agree with the complaining either.
“I can see a difference each time it happens,” she said. “It’s a lot of work that they put into it. It does build our beaches back up.”
However, there are some who say renourishment is a waste because at some point, nature will take back the sand, again.
The county responds that the beach is the number one reason people visit Brevard so it must be restored.
“After a hurricane, big storm, whatever takes it all out, then we come, bring it all back in,” Marshall explained.
Greco said the community needs the beach.
“I love the beach, so if we wanna continue walking on the beach and enjoying it, they need to renourish it,” he said.
A sign at the beach reads the project should be all done next month, and whether the job’s close to finally finishing up, or not, the workers have to take a break around May when sea turtle nesting season starts to peak.