But Where's the Beach?

Ocean water washing up to the street of A1A during 
a tropical storm last year.

Sand is one thing we Floridians take for granted. However, if you have been living in Florida for over a decade you can’t help but notice that there is less and less sand on our beach shores.

According to the New York Times, for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, the main concern over erosion and the quest for sand is that: “there is almost no sand left offshore to replenish the beaches.”

This is sad, but true. I remember it used to be a hike to the water on Fort Lauderdale beach back in the day. Now the water is so close to the street of A1A.

The aftermath of the storm.
(Yes, that's suppose to be a four lane street).

 It is especially scary during tropical storms or hurricanes where the waves are literally hitting the road and causing floods. The effort to clean up the sand on the roads afterwards is an expensive and time-consuming project for the city.

Broward County is reconsidering the idea of grinding down recycled glass into beach sand. The Associated Press reported that in the waters off St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties there is enough sand to replenish five counties over 50 years. But the problem is the price.

Federal, state, and local officials have been working together to come up with effective beach renourishment plans. But this has been an ongoing trouble. You would think that if beaches are what drive our tourism industry, we would have faster resolutions.

I’m definitely not looking forward to the next storm.