DEERFIELD BEACH — Sand needed to replenish the county’s beaches should come from the Bahamas, not from coastal waters off northeast Broward, Deerfield Beach officials say.
Worried the county’s $54 million plan to dredge sand off city shores will do more harm than good, Mayor Al Capellini and Commissioner Peggy Noland plan to discuss the option of importing Bahamian sand at a state Cabinet meeting on Tuesday in Tallahassee.
State approval is needed before the project can proceed.
“When you look at the [environmental] impact, maybe that’s the best solution,” Capellini said.
The portion of the project slated to bring sand to Hollywood’s beach is set to begin in September. There are also plans to later use Deerfield Beach’s sand in other areas of Broward.
While the other beaches might benefit from the extra sand, Deerfield Beach officials fear the dredging will stir up sand and damage coral reefs off their coast.
“The question is, have we looked at all the alternatives,” City Manager Larry Deetjen said, noting that Fisher Island imported sand from the Bahamas a decade ago. “At that time it was more expensive. Now the price is much more competitive.”
But county officials say the plan has problems.
The Bahamian government won’t sell, and the federal government won’t pony up money for nondomestic sand, said Steve Somerville, director of the county’s Department of Planning and Environmental Protection.
“It’s crazy,” Somerville said. “Now the city of Deerfield is saying they want us to use a foreign product the feds won’t pay for.”
The county hopes to secure $29 million in federal funds toward the project.
County officials met with Cabinet aides last Wednesday and told them importing Bahamian sand won’t work, Somerville said. The plan may eventually be an option, but not for another 10 years, he said.
The county plans to replenish Hollywood’s dwindling beach with sand from four “borrow sites,” one off Pompano Beach, one off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and two off Hillsboro Beach. The other cities have not objected, mostly because their borrow sites are smaller and further offshore than the Deerfield Beach location, said Steve Higgins, the county’s beach renourishment chief.
The county plans to use sand off Deerfield Beach to restore beaches in Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Deerfield officials object to that plan as well, saying those beaches aren’t in dire need of sand.
The city will protest at the federal level if necessary, Deetjen said.
Meanwhile, Somerville said the county has done its best to compromise, noting an April 15 letter it sent city officials about plans to monitor and maintain the city’s beach.
By Susannah Bryan, Sun-Sentinel
