Flagler County weighing costly options to save coastline

How much would you spend to save a beach? That is the multi-million dollar question in Flagler County. Miles of coastal dunes are hanging on by a thread and county leaders now have three possible blueprints for a fix. But as Chris Lindsay explains, each comes with a hefty cost. Up and down the coastline in Flagler County, the dunes have been battered and a lot of the sand has washed away. In order to get things back to how they're supposed to be, it's going to cost a The Flagler Commission is weighing three options to protect the coast after king tides and a nor'easter made a growing problem even worse. I think it's really important because once it's gone, it's gone. If you don't maintain it... You'll lose it. Option one is to truck in sand from inland, and they need a lot of it for the roughly six-mile stretch of shoreline between Vaughan Park and Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. That would cost about $85 million. The second option, to dredge, or pull sand from the ocean floor and pump it ashore. We pump sand there into a big containment area, allow it to dewater, and then scoop that up and truck haul that north. To place it where it needs to go. That would cost about $61 million. The last option would take a similar approach, except it would widen the beach. The tradeoff? It poses serious risks to marine life and protected underwater habitats. the area. That plan starts with a $37 million price tag, but could cost hundreds of millions more to soften the blow on the environment. Building actual habitat to offset those impacts. And so you can see here, these numbers get quite, quite ridiculous, if I'm being honest with you. I would suggest, you know, doing the least amount of restoration with the best effect, you know, trying to get the most for your money without going overboard. Commissioners expressed concerns about getting the necessary permits for that option. The discussion seemed to favor option two, but nothing is set in stone just yet. The goal is to pick a plan this month and have permit applications submitted by the spring. Reporting in Flagler County, Chris Lindsey, Fox 35 News.