Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Sept. 18 to award a nearly $39.2 million contract to nourish beaches on Lovers Key and Bonita Beach to address chronic erosion, as well as damage caused by Hurricane Ian in September 2022.
The main project consists of 1.1 miles of shoreline within Lovers Key State Park and 0.8 miles of shoreline at the northern end of Bonita Beach (Little Hickory Island). In addition, in cooperation with the city of Bonita Springs, hurricane damage to the upper beach and dunes will be repaired on a one-time basis extended south on Bonita Beach to the Lee-Collier County line.
Weeks Marine Inc. will excavate, transport and place beach-compatible sand from a Gulf of Mexico sand source to nourish multiple beach segments.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection designated the main project area as critically eroded. The Lovers Key segment will be completed using funds from Lee County’s Tourist Development Tax, a tax on short-term lodging, funding from FDEP and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.
The Bonita Beach segment will include funding from the Tourist Development Tax, FDEP, FEMA, and city of Bonita Springs. A south Bonita Beach segment will be solely funded by FDEP through the city of Bonita Springs.
The funding sources are:
FDEP − $23.6 million
Lee County − $7.7 million
City of Bonita Springs − $5.8 million
FEMA − $2 million
The project is scheduled to begin Oct. 15, and will be complete by mid-June 2025. Beaches will remain open, except in the safety zones where sand is actively being placed.
