BD Issues

Florida's coastline is heavily affected by erosion caused by urban development, such as artificial seawalls and modified inlets. Urban development in Southeast Florida has limited the ability of beaches to protect themselves and maintain their natural ecosystems. Seawalls do not effectively protect beach properties from hurricanes and can even contribute to more damage. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers now advocates for the use of dunes instead. Modified inlets, which are human-made entrances used for navigation and drainage, also contribute significantly to beach erosion. According to Stantec, modified inlets are responsible for the majority of erosion on Florida's east coast. Yeah, and of these issues, Florida has been plagued most heavily by erosion from urban development activities like creating artificial seawalls and modified inlets. In Southeast Florida specifically, urban development has restricted or eliminated the ability of most beaches to save themselves or conserve their natural beach ecosystems due to the construction of seawalls. Creating dunes with seawalls often doesn't protect beach properties like homeowners think it will. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers determined that damage of coastal properties from hurricanes over the last 60 years was greater with seawalls than it was with natural dune systems. The Corp now emphasizes the use of dunes for coastline protection after realizing that impressive looking and costly seawalls weren't always the best choice for Florida's coastlines. The strong waves from storms and hurricanes often went over the seawalls and even caused erosion of the seawall itself. Modified inlets also cause beach erosion and according to Houston and Dean, most of the 21 inlets on Florida's east coast are modified. Modified inlets are sea entrances made by humans that have a rigid coastal structure and are mainly used for navigational purposes and to assist in draining stormwater from streets. Stantec, a global engineering company, has stated that modified inlets produce an estimated 80 to 85 percent of the erosion on the Florida east coast.