LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted in January to accept grant funds of $5 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for Hurricane Ian and Nicole Emergency Recovery to place sand on Lee County beaches.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lee County accepts $5 million emergency grant to replace beach sand
The project is bringing 70,000 tons of sand and about 32 hundred truckloads along the coast of Sanibel Island to restore the beach and protect the roadway.
“The project is in response to beach erosion caused by Hurricane Ian,” said Steve Boutelle, the marine operations manager for Lee County, “And it is placement of sand out as a protective measure in front of the Sanibel Captiva Road which is a key evacuation route for our Islands.”
Danyel Steefen is visiting from Switzerland. This is his first time back to Sanibel in 25 years.
“I’m really impressed by all the recovery of the island and all the recovery of the infrastructure beaches here, so it’s great,” said Steefen.
Although this project is causing a traffic slowdown, the county said beaches will remain open, including Bowman’s Beach and Blind Pass. If you are driving through this area, give yourself a couple extra minutes to get to your destination in case you get stopped in this traffic.
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