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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhile the Margaritaville Resort under construction on Estero Island was protected from the storm surge, its neighbors, including all of Times Square, took horrible hits from the redirected saltwater, which washed out much of the older construction. Experts say that\u2019s exactly what a seawall is supposed to do \u2013 and why they shouldn\u2019t be used on barrier islands like Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers Beach, the storm surge reached nearly 14 feet, according to United States Geological Survey data. It swept up much of the fine, white sand the town\u2019s beaches are known for and redistributed it all over the island, according to town spokesperson Jennifer Dexter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After months of sifting debris out of the recovered sand, the town hopes to return the clean sand to the beach the storm scoured, and use it to create an emergency berm. The sand berm will follow the natural rise in elevation from water to land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the sand is added back to the beach once the project starts this spring, the beach will stand 6-and-a-half feet above sea level, elevating the beach by approximately 1 to 2 feet. This should provide protection from storm surge, in accordance with current FEMA and Florida Department of Environ-mental Protection guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, the Estero Island Nourishment Project is set to start this fall. It will add about one million cubic yards of sand to the beach to increase the overall height and regain some footage that has been lost over the years with the goal of creating recreational space and protecting against future storm surges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project, primarily funded by the state and Lee County, was first permitted more than a year before Ian slammed into the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How one seawall may have led to the destruction around it<\/p>\n\n\n\n TPI Hospitality CEO Tom Torgerson credits a seawall built into the ground in front of Margaritaville with the site\u2019s survival of Hurricane Ian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The storm surge scoured sand from both sides of the wall, \u201cbut it greatly disrupted the wave action,\u201d Torgerson said. \u201cIf you look at the NOAA aerials posted there\u2019s basically a moat on both sides of the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Margaritaville\u2019s seawall was already built into the ground before TPI Hospitality purchased the property; Torgerson said TPI performed maintenance on it in 2017 and 2018. As a result, Torgerson said, it escaped much of the damage it might have endured had it not had a seawall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat significantly mitigated the damage we had to our construction project,\u201d Torgerson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t the only seawall project connected to TPI \u2013\u2013 in 2015 the town rejected a TPI proposal to implement a half-mile long seawall, which would have run from Shuckers north past Lynn Hall Park, extending beyond where TPI\u2019s current seawall sits. The wall would have been sunk into the ground to prevent scour, with a sand cap tapering to the ground and a boardwalk constructed on top. \u201cIt would have been just like the one in Clearwater,\u201d Torgerson said, \u201cAnd that\u2019s invisible to the residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After pushback, however, TPI dropped the combination seawall-bordwalk proposal. Looking back, Torgerson said he thought it was just a case of \u201ctoo much, too fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While at the time that may have seemed shortsighted to some, today experts say it was the right move. Although seawalls may save one property from storm surge, research shows they redirect the destruction to areas that sit outside the seawall\u2019s protection, exacerbating flooding and its associated damages to lives, property and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to an article in scientific journal PNAS, individual seawalls can wreak havoc on the areas around the seawalls, amplifying flooding and damages in zones not located behind a seawall. In fact, barriers as small as 3.1miles long can increase flooding in other areas by as much as 36 million meters cubed, and damages by $723 million for a single flood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NOAA imagery collected in the days following Hurricane Ian shows a devastated Fort Myers Beach. Search out Margaritaville, though, and you see the faint line of the seawall, and beyond that, a fairly intact building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examine the seawall closely and you\u2019ll see where the sand caved to the water, where storm surge scoured sand from the edges of the seawall and rushed onto the island, pouring through Times Square, through Shuckers, the Beacon Motel, Pierside Grill and The Whale \u2013\u2013 all situated just north or just south of Margaritaville\u2019s seawall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All closed now. Some for good. Some are completely gone. \u201cThat\u2019s what seawalls do,\u201d said Cheryl Hapke, a senior coastal resilience scientist with Integral Consulting and research professor at the University of South Florida. Hapke studied beach evolution and morphology in the North-east and Florida for the U.S. Geological Survey for 22 years, spending her career barrier islands. \u201cIt sacrificed the beach to prevent the waves from overtopping and moving inland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This, Hapke said, is why towns like Fort Lauderdale require them of every beachfront property owner: one seawall protects only one property but magnifies the damage for those on either side of it. If just one beachfront resident has a seawall, she said, everyone needs to have one to escape the impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examining the NOAA imagery, Hapke noted that Times Square likely had waves breaking on the structures themselves. The buildings were older, lower and quaint. She said Margaritaville stood a better chance to survive not just because of the seawall in front of it, but because \u201cmy hunch is, it\u2019s a much newer and more robustly-built building\u201d compliant with updated codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n University of South Florida coastal geology professor Ping Wang agreed, adding that before and after photos of the area show there was comparatively little beach in front of the seawall to dissipate the incoming waves, leading to scour around the base of the seawall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, Torgerson remains a proponent of seawalls, having seen firsthand how it protected Margaritaville during Ian. \u201cThe seawall isn\u2019t a real factor other than it protects property,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A berm, not a wall, is the way forward<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coastal engineers, architects and scientists say Florida\u2019s porous limestone base and the shifting sands of the barrier islands like Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva demand a softer edge than a seawall. Unlike a seawall, a sand berm won\u2019t trap water, cause erosion or shift currents or storm surge damage to neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hapke said that the natural response of barrier islands to the waters from storms and sea level rise is to move landward, its sands pushed back foot by foot over the years. This movement allows them to maintain their function and elevation. But \u201cwhen you build seawalls you\u2019re locking it in place,\u201d and creating different problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeawalls are problematic,\u201d she said. \u201cAny storm is going to erode (the beach) back to that seawall, and then you can have scouring out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you put a seawall on that island, the implication is you\u2019re going to lose the beach in front of it,\u201d she continued. \u201cThen you lose your tourist base. Then your ecosystem \u2013\u2013 there\u2019s dunes, critters that live in the dunes, the rack line on the beach and shorebirds that feed off the critters that live in that rack. You have to think of it as a whole ecosystem over someone\u2019s desire to protect that one property.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Torgerson has heard all this before, he said. He\u2019s gone \u201ctoe to toe\u201d with scientists, and he strongly believes seawalls are important to protect property and allow people to live in places like Fort Myers Beach, Key West and New Orleans. The fact that he saw significant scour around his Margaritaville seawall doesn\u2019t deter him \u2013\u2013 it\u2019s all part of the process of maintaining beachfront property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Torgerson, who was supportive of the emergency sand berm, said he doesn\u2019t think it will encroach on the view looking north and south on the beach. He continued on to say it\u2019s important not to be intimidated by the 6and-a half-feet height of the berm. \u201cOne,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s not really that high because it\u2019s set back from the water and the beach already rises (the farther you get) away from the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd two,\u201d he continued, \u201cThe beach nourishment program will work nicely in conjunction with the FEMA berm. It will elevate the height of the beach to the height of the berm, and just taper it right down to the water. It won\u2019t look like a pile of sand; it\u2019ll look like a beach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pink Shell Resort & Marina operator Bill Waichulis is also in favor of the berm \u2013\u2013 he sees it not only as good for the local economy and infrastructure, but good for wildlife, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen this done before, so I\u2019d be curious where else (this has been done), but anything that would help with storm surge would be good,\u201d Waichulis said. \u201cIf you ask anybody traveling to Lee County, the number one reason they come here is for the beaches, so anything we can do to keep them pristine and full of sand is vital to our economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeside that,\u201d he added, \u201cThe less sand we have on the beach, the less places (sea turtles) have to lay eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts say renourishment is a short-term solution<\/p>\n\n\n\n The town estimates the sand berm will cost $7.2 million, and the beach nourishment project will cost just under $25.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dexter said the town expects FEMA to cover 75% of the cost of the sand berm, and the state will cover the local cost associated with it. Fort Myers Beach\u2019s only expense is the pre-Ian design of the Estero Island Nourishment Project, which cost $931,648.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once FEMA has confirmed funding and the town has approved a contractor bid, the town will begin its emergency berm construction. Fort Myers Beach has also requested funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for emergency work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the town website, the berm project will likely involve trucks hauling mined, beach-compatible sand and will take between three and four months to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the town is currently not on the hook for any of the costs to build the berm, that may not always be the case, Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said. Still, the berm is worth building, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think without this emergency berm … we obviously open ourselves up to more significant damage, should another event happen,\u201d Allers said. \u201cEven though it\u2019s six-and-a-half feet above the water level, in some cases it\u2019s only a foot or two of sand. That foot will help protect against another Ian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hapke noted that while beach nourishment makes residents feel too safe in the face of sea level rise and climate change, the nourishment project is needed to take place in order to protect Estero Island against even just the upcoming storm season. \u201cThe beaches are so eroded, low and damaged that if we didn\u2019t renourish them and another even decent storm came next year, the devastation would be horrible,\u201d she said. \u201cA wide beach is sacrificial to protect your dune system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She noted that in other parts of the world, such as Goa, India, coastal residents live in temporary housing and relocate away from the coast when it\u2019s too dangerous to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That type of seasonal living might be an option for people who want to live on Florida\u2019s coast or its barrier islands in the future, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUltimately, it won\u2019t be economically viable to continue to renourish,\u201d she said. \u201cSand is not a renewable resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor now, everyone needs to buy some time and feel safe, but the community is going to have to think down the road 30, 40, 50 years. Renourishment is not always going to be an option,\u201d Hapke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Torgerson isn\u2019t having it. Beach renourishment is part of the maintenance process, he said, he\u2019s glad Fort Myers Beach is carrying that out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe majority of the island needs re-nourishment, whether they need a seawall or not,\u201d Torgerson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What should we do, he asked, evict everyone from Fort Myers Beach? Leave the entire island to nature and just watch it for the next five decades? The renourishment, the seawall, the berm, all this is done to sustain life on Fort Myers Beach, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that a great goal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers speaks during the topping-off ceremony for Margaritaville on Fort Myers Beach on Jan. 20. It is unknown when the resort will be finished.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In an effort to deter storm surge, Fort Myers Beach will soon begin construction on a nearly 7-mile-long emergency barrier that will protect the shoreline. And while some locals whose… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":57083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2128],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57081"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57085,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57081\/revisions\/57085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/319274221_598285045635463_5766512156588416923_n-900x675.jpg.webp\")
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