The Captiva Erosion Prevention District completed its beach renourishment project on Nov. 11 under the guidance of executive director Jennifer Nelson and chairman Rene Miville. This nourishment project began on Sept. 1 and encompassed pumping 820,000 cubic yards of sand onto the 4.85 miles of Captiva shoreline. CEPD worked with marine contractors Great Lakes Dredge and Dock to go six miles off-shore of the Captiva beaches to harvest the sand and has been the seventh beach nourishment project since the district was created as a special legislative district in 1959 by the state of Florida. CEPD partnered with the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation as its vendor for turtle nest relocation. The project benefits the foliage, creates natural dunes, increases the quality of the beaches for recreational purposes and protects against natural erosion and storms, CEPD states. Additionally, properties facing the Gulf of Mexico were grouped into six zones known as Storm Protection Benefits Zones to be better protected from storm damage and erosion. The last project of this caliber occurred in 2014. To read the Gulfshore Business “Shifting Sands” report on beach renourishment, click here.