VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — More construction is coming to Volusia County’s coast.
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County leaders approved a long-awaited $1 million plan to help rebuild and repair beach access walkovers.
Barriers, debris and construction equipment still line the beach nearly two years after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. Those storms ended up costing the county $30 million in damage.
Coastal Director Jessica Fentress said while the beaches are back open, accessing them still is not the same. Most of the ramps have been replaced by staircases, making them not ADA compliant and more complicated for families.
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“Immediately after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, you may remember we had 20-foot drop offs from our seawalls so you had to lug your cooler up 20 feet of stairs and that is a lot,” said Fentress.
Fentress said the hold up on the work was the county trying to be fiscally responsible by playing by FEMA’s rules. She explained FEMA pays 75 percent of repairs on approved projects while the State Department of Emergency Management pays another 12 and a half percent.
“We be 12 and a half cents on the dollar for these repairs. When you are looking holistically county-wide at $30 million for repairs, it’s financially prudent for us to follow this process and take this time so we can get every cent from FEMA that we can,” said Fentress.
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Eyewitness News also asked Fentress for an update on Sunsplash Park which is located at Volusia Beach Safety Headquarters. It was badly damaged during the 2022 hurricanes and lost its seawall. Fentress said all the work at that park should be wrapped up by next spring.
The county hopes to get the ADA ramps completed by the spring as well.
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