Dredging and beach renourishment underway in Destin (VIDEO)

A long-awaited beach renourishment project has begun in Destin to restore about 150,600 cubic yards of beach that was lost due to erosion from Hurricane Sally in 2020.

Immediately following the storm, Okaloosa County staff met with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff onsite to conduct visual estimates of beach erosion and begin the process of receiving FEMA restoration funds.

The $10 million project is largely funded through federal disaster recovery assistance, with $9 million coming from FEMA and $1 million from Okaloosa County tourism beach restoration reserve funds.

This work, conducted by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD), encompasses two areas of west Destin beaches, located between the South Bay by the Gulf Condos and the jetty, with a small gap separating the two areas.