By DOTTY NIST
Easement language and cover letters are expected to go out by the end of June to property owners in the Walton County Hurricane & Storm Damage Reduction (WCH&SDR) Project area, Jim Bagby told members of the Beach Management Committee on June 1.
This was part of the Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) executive director’s report to the members of the TDC advisory committee at their regular bimonthly meeting at the TDC office.
For beachfront owners in the project area wanting their property included in the large-scale project, signed easements will be required in order to allow project contractors to come onto their lots. The feasibility of doing the project will depend on how many easements are agreed to. The project is a joint effort of Walton County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE).
American Government Services (AGS) will be doing the mail-out of easement packages as consultant for the county. Bagby said that the easements would be returned to the office of Walton County Attorney Mark Davis and that Davis would notify the TDC and ACOE of the responses. ACOE will be displaying the responses on an interactive map, Bagby explained.
He discussed the challenge of seeing that the easement packages are delivered to the right party, as ownership of properties in the project area are constantly changing. He also noted the possibility that some owners may change their mind about whether or not to participate in the project.
Turning to the cost of the project, Bagby quantified the cost of the WCH&SDR Project at approximately $170 million in 2014 dollars. This is for the 50-year life of the project, which is to include an initial beach nourishment and four periodic restorations. Bagby said the cost estimate in 2016 dollars would hopefully come out this month.
The TDC cost share of the $170 million would be $99,225,000, Bagby noted.
One “cent” of the four “cents” collected on each dollar spent on short-term rental accommodations in south Walton County goes into a beach nourishment fund. Bagby noted that this one-cent bed tax revenue brought in almost $4.5 million last year, which over a 50-year period would be projected to yield over $220 million. This, he said, is without adjustments for inflation or the addition of short-term rental units.
Bagby observed that in fiscal year 2014 dollars the 50-year cost of the project could be covered just out of the TDC beach nourishment “penny.”
“I think we’ve got this,” Bagby told the committee members.
The project has been set up with the TDC to be responsible for approximately half of the project cost, with federal and state funding to provide the remainder, although no federal or state funds are currently allocated.
Bagby discussed the $239 million number that had been brought up by some property owners and other parties in reference to the WCH&SDR Project.
He explained that the number comes from an ACOE cost certification for the WCH&SDR Project and reflects 50-year project cost in 2039 dollars, which would be the midpoint for the 50-year project.
In February, Gov. Rick Scott recommended the appropriation of more than $10.5 million for the WCH&SDR Project in the state budget. However, this allocation remains to be confirmed by the Florida Legislature, and the Florida House has set forth no money for the project in its proposed budget.
Bagby told the committee members that indications are that the state share of the project (16.8 percent) would be paid for through doc stamps as part of Amendment 1. He said whether this would be the case would be known within 30 days.
Bagby also addressed recent comments by Stephen P. Leatherman (Dr. Beach) about the quality of sand to be used for the project. In May, Leatherman had warned that the color of the sand could negatively impact the character of Walton County’s beaches.
Bagby told the committee members that Leatherman had not actually studied the sand to be used in the project prior to making his comments. When Leatherman had addressed the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on May 12, BCC Chairman Bill Imfeld had pledged that he would be provided with sand samples from the borrow area to be used for the project.
However, Bagby said the TDC and county have so far been unable to locate the 80 core samples from the borrow area offshore from Sandestin, which had been taken over 10 years ago. Bagby said that Dr. Greg Stone of Louisiana State University (LSU), now deceased, had performed analysis on the samples. Stone was LSU’s director of coastal studies.
Consultants for the project have stated in the past that project sand would not initially be as light as existing sand on the beach but would lighten in time to become compatible with the color of the current sand.
ACOE has maintained that this is the best offshore sand available in this area of the gulf, Bagby said.
Leatherman has recommended that a test be done to determine the extent to which the sand to be used for the project will “bleach out” once on the beach. Bagby said that consultants had done such a test on the previous core samples.
Bagby told the committee members that plans are to have Taylor Engineering on board soon as the TDC’s coastal consultants. This is essentially the position formerly held by Brad Pickel of Seahaven Consulting.
Bagby said he would be asking Taylor about the cost of collecting new core samples in the borrow area for the project. The idea, he explained, would be to make those samples available for the examination of Leatherman and anyone else who is interested and for additional “bleaching tests” to be conducted on the samples, including by Leatherman if he so desires.
Committee members asked Bagby what the funds collected by the TDC for beach nourishment would be used for if the WCH&SDR Project is not done.
He responded that the funds would be required to be used for beach-related projects, giving the example of dune walkovers and beach access restrooms.
Information on the WCH&SDR Project is available on the official project web site, www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com or by calling the project hotline, (855) 745-6402.
The next Beach Management Committee meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the TDC office.
TDC Vice Chair/District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows motioned for approval to recommend a $13,393.50 expenditure of TDC funds to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), whose final approval would be required. The motion included outfitting of WCSO deputies with water rescue life vests, rescue boards, and other water rescue and water rescue training equipment but did not include the jet skis and trailers that had been discussed. The motion was conditioned on a legislative finding, if needed, that this would be an allowable expenditure of bed tax funds per state law.
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