Volusia County has finished the South Berm Construction Project at New Smyrna Beach, restoring more than four miles of shoreline just in time for the summer crush. Crews have wrapped up placing beach-quality sand and are now pulling out pipes and heavy machinery. County officials say they expect full public access before Memorial Day weekend. The rebuilt berm, along with upcoming dune plantings, is meant to shield homes and infrastructure from future storms while also improving nesting habitat for sea turtles and shorebirds.
Work Wraps Up Before the Holiday Rush
As reported by Spectrum News 13, Volusia County Coastal Division Director Jessica Fentress said the renourishment is funded through a Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant and that the county has about $82 million in state support for sand recovery. Local beachgoers told Spectrum News 13 the newly finished stretch already feels noticeably different, with one pair of visitors summing it up simply as, "It's so lovely." County leaders say the wider beach will give people more room above the high tide line for recreation while still helping wildlife.
How Crews Rebuilt the Berm
According to Volusia County, crews pumped roughly 550,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand onto New Smyrna Beach from Sapphire Road south to 5205 S Atlantic Ave, using material from the Rattlesnake Island dredge material management area. The county explains that the sand was slurried through an Intracoastal pipeline and then shaped behind properties whose owners granted placement easements. With the sand now in place, crews will start planting dune vegetation in the southern part of the project area to help lock in the rebuilt berm over the long term.
Funding the Fix and What Comes Next
WESH has reported that the county-wide recovery effort, which includes both north and south beach sand placements along with planned work near Ponce Inlet, reflects roughly $82 million in grant funding. That broader effort will continue with the Shoals to Shores Project, which the county expects to put out for bid in 2027. Under the Shoals to Shores plan, officials expect to place more than 1 million cubic yards of sand north of Ponce Inlet as they move toward larger and less disruptive coastal resiliency projects.
Why Neighbors and Wildlife Both Benefit
Officials say the widened berm creates more dry beach at high tide for people while also opening up additional nesting space for sea turtles and resting spots for shorebirds, a balance many residents seem happy to support. "I don’t mind walking up a little hill if it means that more sea turtles is going to have a space to lay their eggs," resident Mariah Haskell told Spectrum News 13.
What Beachgoers Will See On the Sand
WFTV and other local outlets have noted crews removing pipes and heavy equipment along the shoreline, and those reports say public ramps should be fully open before the holiday weekend. County staff told ClickOrlando that any additional truck-haul work to place remaining sand farther south would be scheduled only after the close of sea turtle nesting season on Nov. 1 in order to avoid disturbing nests.
Volusia County says this project is just one part of a larger coastal resiliency program. A final public notice will go out once vegetation plantings and demobilization are complete. Maps and sign-ups are available through the county's beach-access pages, and officials are urging visitors to keep an eye on those updates as summer crowds roll in.
