PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Millions will be spent on sand on Palm Beach County’s coastline to repair the damage and fix a public safety hazard caused by Hurricane Nicole.
Hurricane Nicole significantly depleted sand from dunes on Singer Island and other parts of Palm Beach County.
About 102,000 cubic yards of sand, or about 5,600 loaded dump trucks, will be used to repair dunes damaged last month by Hurricane Nicole.
"They serve essentially as a last line of defense of the beach system itself,” said an official.
The sand will be used to repair dunes at Coral Cove Park, along Jupiter Beach and Singer Island.
Palm Beach County’s Environmental Resources management estimates the restoration work will cost the county $5.6 million, dollars collected from the county’s bed tax.
"Overtime, if we don’t take necessary actions to replace that sand, we just become more vulnerable to future storm impacts,” an official said.
A county official told WPTV sand restoration work on the dunes should begin as early as this week and be completed by March.
Palm Beach County told WPTV it is exploring options to get reimbursed for the repairs from state and federal agencies.
