Congressman Randy Fine Announces $13.5 Million for Flagler County Beach Restoration

Fine joined Beverly Beach Mayor Steve Emmett, Flagler County commissioners Andy Dance and Pam Richardson and other local officials for the announcement, choosing Beverly Beach because of the direct impact erosion has had on the community.

“Florida’s small beach towns are part of what make Florida, Florida,” Fine said. “I’ve lived in one. So I understand the issues that relate to small beachfront towns, as well as the importance of the beach.”

Fine emphasized that the $13.5 million is new funding and separate from $8.8 million announced for beach nourishment last August and another $4.7 million subsequently secured for the county. He said federal funding secured for Flagler County during his first 15 months in Congress totals approximately $50 million.

Fine said protecting Florida’s water and coastline is essential to preserving what draws people to the state.

“What makes Florida different is our water,” Fine said. “Whether it’s the beach, whether it’s near coastal, whether it’s our springs, the St. John’s, that is what makes Florida different from many of these other places.”

For Beverly Beach, the announcement carries particular significance.

Emmett, a longtime resident who has watched the shoreline change for decades, said approximately 1,500 feet of seawall that once protected the community has deteriorated after roughly 40 years of exposure to the ocean. His message was simple: coastal communities can work to protect themselves, but they cannot underestimate the power of the sea.

“You can’t mess with Mother Nature,” Emmett said.

Later, Emmett reflected on what it meant to have a sitting congressman visit the small municipality.

“To have a congressman standing next to me means we’re on the map,” he said.

Fine acknowledged that beach renourishment and seawall projects are not permanent solutions to coastal erosion, but said continued investment is necessary to protect communities while longer-term solutions are explored.

“Everything that we’re doing, like, to some degree, is putting Band-Aids on a problem,” Fine said. “The solution to the problem is a much bigger one that allows people to live and enjoy our beaches, but in a long-term, sustainable way.”

The federal funding comes as Flagler County continues significant efforts to restore and protect its coastline following years of erosion and damage from hurricanes and other storms.

Dance said federal support is critical not only for beach projects but for local governments trying to recover from disasters. One continuing concern is the length of time municipalities and counties can wait for FEMA reimbursements.

“It can take months, even years for the federal agencies to be able to reimburse us,” Dance said.

Flagler County has built reserves capable of carrying some of those expenses while reimbursements are pending, Dance explained, but another emergency could put additional pressure on county finances.

“Should other instances or emergencies occur, if we aren’t getting reimbursed timely, the possibility is the county would have to borrow money to cover that, and we don’t want to do that,” Dance said.

Fine said he is working with congressional colleagues on legislation designed to speed up FEMA reimbursements and address another financial burden on local governments: interest incurred when they must borrow money while awaiting federal repayment.

Under the proposal Fine described, FEMA reimbursements would be expedited and, when governments are forced to borrow money to cover eligible disaster expenses, the federal government would also cover the associated interest.

Fine said his role is to secure federal resources and allow local officials to determine how best to put those dollars to work.

“My job is to get the resources,” Fine said. “They don’t want me to micromanage — put a bucket of sand here and put a bucket of sand there.”

For Beverly Beach, the funding represents another opportunity to defend a shoreline that Emmett has watched steadily change during his decades in the community.

“Nature’s gonna do what nature does,” Emmett said. “We will do everything in our heart to prevent it from taking away from us.”

And for Fine, bringing the announcement directly to Beverly Beach was recognition that even Flagler County’s smallest communities have a significant stake in the future of Florida’s coastline.

When asked whether this would be his first and only visit to the town, Fine left the door open.

“Maybe the first time I’ve visited,” he said. “It probably won’t be the last one.”