NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – King tides have ripped away large chunks of sand along Volusia County’s coast — leaving steep cliffs on the beach just as a new renourishment project wrapped up.
Four- to five-foot sand cliffs now line much of New Smyrna Beach’s shoreline, exposing seawalls that the newly placed sand was meant to protect. The county completed the renourishment project in May, placing about 550,000 cubic yards of sand along the New Smyrna Beach shoreline — rebuilding more than four miles of beach and creating a buffer against storms and erosion.
The sight has caught beachgoers off guard.
“It’s pretty drastic, no doubt about it,” said Monica Sturgeon, a neighbor. “You have to get a shovel and shovel some stairs — that’s what I did this morning so I could get down to the beach.”
For some, the timing is especially frustrating.
“All that money they spent to put new sand in and it all got washed back out again,” said Maureen Straub, a beachgoer.
Volusia County pushed back on that characterization, releasing a statement saying the sand performed “as intended” by absorbing the brunt of the waves. The county added that sand that appears to have washed away moved just offshore and continues to serve as a protective barrier — and is expected to wash back up to other parts of the beach over time.
Sturgeon acknowledged the uncertainty.
“The rest of it might wash out — it’s supposed to build up in the water out there,” she said. “That’s what they say, but you just never know. Mother Nature’s got her own plans.”
Not everyone is alarmed. Charley Hajek, of Gnarly Charley’s Surf Camp, sees the natural process as part of the cycle.
“Mother nature takes this course,” Hajek said. “What it does - when the sand comes down from the dunes, it goes back out in the ocean. It makes the waves better. It breaks better. We need this — every once in a while.”
Beyond the beach erosion, there’s another concern. Volusia County has recorded a record number of sea turtle nests this year, and many of those nests remain on the beach waiting to hatch. The county says six nests have been washed away by the tides so far. Officials are urging anyone who spots exposed eggs to leave them untouched.
