Sand dune on the beach.

Environmentalism “East of Collins” – Dune Restoration is Underway

By Dana Goldman, Commissioner

(Friday, October 1, 2021) – There’s a new environmental movement afoot “East of Collins.” I am proud to have served as the catalyst for a new sustainability measure in our city through the introduction of “Adopt-a-Dune” to our beachfront condominiums. The initial evaluation of the dunes and potential dune restoration initiatives along the city’s coastal construction line is now underway.

Sand dunes that are populated with native vegetation act as natural buffers to protect the shoreline and adjacent properties from the effects of sand inundation, erosion, extreme storm events, and sea level rise. We have identified the growth of an invasive species scaevola (Scaevola taccada) plants in some of the dunes along the southernmost beachfront in our city. These single root plants are embedded in certain dunes and are not protective of storm surge events. Continuing to ignore the spread of this nonnative exotic plant will degrade the effectiveness of the dune to protect your property and the beach.

The goal of Adopt-a-Dune is to implement dune restoration efforts through the planned removal of these single root invasive plants and replacement with multi-tier plants such as sea oats and other native dune species of plants. Dune restoration will improve coastal resilience and enhance our city’s beach renourishment efforts. If you would like to learn more about your building’s sand dunes, the scaevola plant, and the Adopt-a-Dune program, please feel free to contact me.

Contact Commissioner Dana Goldman at seat3@sibfl.net or call 786.512.6364.