NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Several days of king tides have carved massive sand cliffs along parts of New Smyrna Beach, washing away large amounts of sand and leaving some seawalls fully exposed.
At 27th Avenue Beach Park and other sections of the coastline, the erosion created sand cliffs estimated to be 4 to 5 feet high.
The erosion comes months after Volusia County completed its $25 million South Berm Project, which added sand to the beach to help protect homes, roads and other infrastructure from storm-driven waves.
Some beachgoers were alarmed by how quickly the shoreline changed.
“I thought the water was gonna ... it was getting kind of scary,” Melanie Griffin said. “It was getting close to the wall, and I thought it was gonna get close to our condo.”
Maureen Straub questioned what happened to the newly placed sand.
“All that money they spent to get the new sand, and it all got washed back out again,” she said.
County officials said the erosion does not mean the South Berm Project failed. They said the added sand performed as designed by absorbing wave energy and helping protect homes and infrastructure behind the beach.
The coastal conditions were part of a larger system that affected communities along the Atlantic coast of North America, bringing coastal flooding, damaging surf and significant beach erosion.
While the exposed seawalls concerned some homeowners, the dramatic sand cliffs also attracted surfers and children participating in Gnarly Charley’s Surf Camp.
Charley Hajek, a 19-time East Coast surfing champion, said the movement of sand is part of the coastline’s natural cycle.
“Mother Nature takes its course,” Hajek said. “When the sand comes down from the dunes, it goes back out into the ocean. It makes the waves better. It breaks better. We need this every once in a while.”
Volusia County officials said they will continue monitoring the shoreline as conditions calm. Some of the displaced sand is expected to naturally return to the beach over time.
No homes or other structures were damaged, according to the county. Six sea turtle nests were lost.
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