"INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — The white sandy beaches along a swath of Florida’s Gulf Coast were battered by three hurricanes last year, leading to a multimillion-dollar effort to repair a coastline that is the region’s economic engine.

Crews are working with dredges, trucks and pipelines along the 35-mile (56-kilometer) stretch of beach in Pinellas County that includes cities such as Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach and Redington Beach. It’s a prime tourist destination that is still recovering from hurricanes Helene, Milton and Debby.

Helene was the most destructive for the beach towns, even though it made landfall far to the north. Twelve people died in Pinellas County because of strong storm surge that reached 8 feet (2.4 meters) high in some places.

In past years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a major role in beach restoration, but not this time. The Corps wants private landowners to sign up for permanent easements that would allow government access in perpetuity — a change that has met with stiff resistance."

Curt Anderson reports for the Associated Press October 8, 2025. [2]