​​​​​​​​​​​​​Broward County's Beach Program Manager Stephanie Roche and Marine Resources Manager Angela Delaney on the progress of Broward County's beach and shoreline projects into 2025.​

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Broward County's Shoreline Resiliency

Broward County's beaches are a driving force for tourism, the local economy, and environmental protections. Our 24 miles of beaches attract over 12 million visitors a year, contribute more than $6 billion annually to our local economy, add $1.4 billion to County property values, protect more than $7 billion in shorefront property, structures, and infrastructure, and provide an essential coastal ecosystem for numerous species including shorebirds, plants, beach infauna, and critical habitat for thousands of nesting sea turtles annually. 

Our beaches are maintained through the Broward County Shoreline Protection Project (SPP), which is a partnership with the federal government to address coastal erosion in Broward County. The SPP incorporates traditional methods of beach maintenance in Broward County including beach nourishment - the process of placing additional sand on the beach either through pumping offshore sand onto shore or trucking upland mined sand to the beach. While these methods have been utilized to restore Broward's beaches for the past 50+ years, they are often costly and require periodic renourishment events to maintain a healthy beach profile.​


Maintenance Strategies

To promote healthy, sustainable beaches, Broward County is investing in innovative maintenance strategies that are resilient, long-lasting, and functional. Our shoreline resilience strategies are evolving to become more holistic so that our beaches can remain enjoyable for residents and tourists, protective of upland infrastructure, and functional for wildlife habitat. From supporting additional dune projects and funding to promoting artificial reef construction and installation, Broward County is gearing up to have its most resilient shoreline ever in the coming years.

Dune Restoration Partnerships​

The County is currently working with municipal partners in Dania Beach, Hollywood, and Hallandale Beach to design and construct a dune system along the newly restored Segment III shoreline. In 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed their sand placement project in these municipalities. The addition of a complementary dune system in this area will help reduce erosion and promote sand stabilization. This dune project is still in planning phases, but construction is expected to take place in winter 2025.

Restoration Funding

Broward County is proud to support smaller-scale dune restoration projects by offering a total of $50,000 in annual funding to local beachfront property owners, municipalities, and non-profit organizations through our competitive Dune Grant Program. Funds are typically available starting in the fall and applicants can apply for up to $5,000 in funds per project. A minimum of 50% of the total grant amount ($2,500 in in-kind services or cash) is required. Grant funds can be used for removal of invasive dune species, planting of native species, installing protective post and rope barriers, etc.

​ Artificial Reef Program

A new addition to Broward's shoreline resiliency toolbox is $50,000 in available funding to support artificial reefs. Through the Artificial Reef program, the County is not only creating additional habitat for various marine organisms and fish but is also providing protection measures to alleviate user pressure on nearby natural reefs. Pressures include fishing and diving use and boat anchors that can cause physical damage to natural reefs by breaking coral or "uprooting" other attached marine animals. 


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Living Shorelines

In addition, and as part of the Artificial Reef program, Living Shoreline projects are an important means to increase resilience of interior waterways against sea level rise and erosional impacts from storms by decreasing wave energy and providing ecologically valuable settlement and nursery habitat. These projects are designed to stabilize shorelines using a combination of man-made structure and natural components, such as mangroves, to improve water quality, increase resiliency, restore otherwise grey structures, and add biologically functional projects into the County's permitted areas.

Current state and federal legislation priorities have recognized the importance of coral reefs and coastal habitats as natural infrastructure that contribute to the resilience of shorelines and mitigate climate change-related risks. This recognition opens up external funding opportunities, geared toward preserving and conserving coral reefs, as well as supporting nature-based, green infrastructure solutions to increase the resiliency of shorelines.

The County's funding allocation could either advance one living shoreline/artificial reef project or partner with interested parties to fund portions of projects, ideally 2 projects annually.

With stronger tropical storms becoming the norm, shoreline resiliency is crucial to protect upland infrastructure and ensuring that beach habitat remains available for use by residents, tourists, and wildlife. Broward County continues to invest in additional strategies to maximize shoreline resiliency and is excited to see how these new investments will enhance our beautiful beaches.