- St. Lucie County hired Cavache Inc. for a $1.89 million dredging job
- About 68,000 cubic yards of sand will be moved from the inlet to the beach
- Work is set for the Fort Pierce Inlet and Jetty Park, starting this month
St. Lucie County has awarded Cavache Inc. a $1,894,280.30 contract to dredge about 68,000 cubic yards of sand from the sediment trap basin in the Fort Pierce Inlet. Crews will pump the beach-quality material onto the eroding shoreline at Jetty Park in Fort Pierce.
How the Dredging Will Work
The trap sits north of the federal navigation channel and south of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park. Cavache will use cutter suction dredging, and every bit of beach-compatible sand will go to Fort Pierce Beach at Jetty Park.
Active construction is scheduled to begin in early November. A notice to mariners has been submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard. The county proposes working seven days a week, up to 24 hours a day, so the job wraps up before Jan. 31.
What Beachgoers Will See at the Jetty
Once pumping starts, sections of the beach will close temporarily during renourishment. Visitors can still reach the Fort Pierce Jetty, because a crosswalk will carry foot traffic over the pipes running from the sand trap to the beach. Anyone planning a trip to the south side of the inlet should expect equipment and active work zones. The county’s other Fort Pierce beaches are not part of the closure plan described by the county.
Why the Inlet Needs a Sand Trap
The Fort Pierce Inlet is a federally maintained cut that interrupts the natural movement of sand along the St. Lucie County coastline. Sand that moves south along the shore can end up in the inlet’s internal channels or get pushed out to sea, which leaves the beaches south of the inlet short on sand.
The St. Lucie County Erosion District has worked with state and federal agencies since the early 2000s on ways to move sand past the inlet. The sand trap is designed to intercept sand before it is lost. The county describes the captured material as a cost-effective way to offset erosion at Fort Pierce Beach, since it can be placed on the adjacent shoreline when needed.
The effort traces back to the Fort Pierce Inlet Management Plan, which the State of Florida adopted in 1997. The plan recommended evaluating ways to bypass sand from the shoreline north of the inlet to the beaches downdrift. The county has pursued the trap for roughly two decades under Section 161.161 of the Florida Statutes. That work included multiple reports, extensive modeling, public meetings and stakeholder input.
The state adopted an updated plan in 2022. It calls for routine maintenance of the sand trap to help keep the shoreline healthy and reduce future coastal management costs.
